This is scary stuff.

A New Jersey bill could put the power of managing the state’s fish and game into the hands of animal rights groups and animal welfare groups (like HSUS). The bill proposes that 2 representatives representing hunting and fishing groups be allowed to take part while the other 11 members come from non-hunting/fishing groups like, the above mentioned animal, rights groups. Read more about it at the Black Bear Blog.

That’s like putting Oil Company Execs in charge Renewable Energy Initiatives. It should be widely known that HSUS has aligned itself with PETA in many initiatives. If you don’t know what PETA is, then let me introduce you to some of their material that gets dispersed to school children. According to this ‘veggie-only’ group, anyone who hunts or fishes or prepares chicken for the families are KILLERS (click on photo to right). This bill also comes from the same state that banned bear hunting with a ‘lets all live in peace singing kumbayah at the same campfire‘ philosophy. Sounds good to some humans, but the bears don’t give a rip!

It’s scary because if someone can think about this concept in U.S., then it could be proposed here in Canada. Already, in Ontario, Government agencies have discredited anglers and hunters for the work they have done with our Natural Resources. For example, the Auditor General Report in 2007 said the following,

“According to the Ministry, there is a need to maintain a balance between the sustainability of wildlife populations and the economic benefits to local communities generated by hunting.” — Auditor General’s Report 2007

This statement seems to imply that the sustainability of wildlife can be accomplished without hunting or fishing. Therefore, according to the above statement, hunting/fishing should only be part of the equation if there is an economic benefits to communities.

Science has shown that effective wildlife management has regulated hunting and fishing practices at the core. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters says this about the the Auditor Generals statement,

This is a puzzling statement, coming from the Ministry that should know that there is nothing contradictory about sustaining wildlife populations and deriving sustainable economic benefits through hunting — they are integral components of the same conservation equation. What we think they must be referring to is the need to manage wildlife populations for optimal sustainable ecological and economic benefits through regulated hunting… The O.F.A.H. has been urging the M.N.R. to be clearer about this for years. Conservation requires finding the optimal balance that best serves multiple ecological and social interests simultaneously.

The OFAH also points out various inconsistencies and mis-interpretations about the Auditor General’s report. Visit this link for that article.

With this kind of ‘bad intel’ in government, I trust you can see why bills (like the New Jersey bill) make me nervous. We all know how Government can react in a knee-jerking manner with very little facts.