David Suzuki

[trimmer21]

David Suzuki reminds of the old over-the-hill senior at "the home" tied to his wheel chair being fed pablum and shaking his cane screaming,ranting and raving about "People these days don't know anything and won't listen to a word I say,goddam kids!"

[yellow dog]

What you say about Suzuki is true; however, this isn't a science debate about "trophy" bear hunting. This is a scientist's personal opinion about how "trophy" bear hunting is the only thing which should be changed in order to have better bear management. Instead of debating the government's position about the bear hunt being sustainable, he dismisses it outright based on the fact "We've heard it before from government managers for other species driven to near-extinction due to overharvesting, overfishing and overuse - including northern cod off the Newfoundland coast and rapidly disappearing old-growth cedar forests on Vancouver Island" while accusing the BC government of dismissing the Simon Fraser University report. There are so many things involved with a management of a species that hunting is a microscopic element to that. Furthermore, grizzly bear hunters are mandated by law to provide information about the animal taken (including some hide, skull, testes if male and mammory glands/teat if female) as well as hunting this species under specific restrictions (no bait hunting or hunting over a dead animal). All of this can be found in the BC hunting regs: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife...egions_1-3.pdf

Furthermore, the BC government estimates the number of grizzly bears in Bc to be 15 000 (the BC government's last estimate was 16, 000 bears but this estimate reflects counting practices rather than bear populations (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife...Final_2012.pdf) and Suzuki's foundation stated there was "more than 3,500 (including over 1,200 females) were killed over the last decade, in most cases by trophy hunters". So over the past 10 years 350 bears (on average) were killed each year or 2.3% of the estimated yearly population, not all of them females or any evidence to support they were fertile females.

We know male bears will kill bear cubs if they find them, is Suzuki calling for some kind of strategy to combat infanticide tendencies of male Grizzly Bears? Nope, because it is a ridiculous suggestion as his suggestion to cancel the "trophy" bear hunt.

Beasley isn't even debating the accuracy of the report, he is defending the legal hunting of a species which isn't even considered threatened despite the efforts of Suzuki to make it appear as such.

Dyth

I agree but as i said earlier in my post credentials are everything when in front of a camera . We may believe or agree with the TV host to an extent but in my personal opinion credentials have waay more chlout to make it legitimate. Unfortunately Suzuki supporters will support him because of his credentials. That is why to go head to head with him(Suzuki) the credentials play a huge factor for at least myself to support a self appointed spokesmen.

[Roper]

Beasley is not speaking as a PHD in whatever science. He is speaking as an outdoorsman. That's valid credentials for me. Similar to Bob Izumi speaking about the fishing industry.

[trimmer21]

Credentials? Since when do "credentials" give anybody the right to espouse complete and utter BS? The trouble with academics is that because someone may have "credentials",even when they know the opinions are patently ridiculous,they still hang on every word as if it came down from the Mount by Moses,himself, and David Suzuki is certainly no Moses.

[fishermccann]

What?.. The school of hard knocks/experience, instead of those that have spent 6-7-8-9 years obtaining their knowledge at university. To get their PhD's they spend years going over reports and data. I guess you listen to the people in jail, rather than the judge... B. Izumi is paid by sponsors, his view is tainted. Just being an 'outdoors man' does not make you knowledgeable on all the ramifications of any policy. Formal education = credentials and they do count, as they should. I want the most informed people ,making the decisions that affect all of us. Go have your taxes done by the guy in grade 13 who was good at math, ya I thought not.

[terrym]

Suzuki is a bug Phd. Studied fruit flies, doesn't make him an authority on most things he feels qualified to talk about.

[fishermccann]

More qualified than a grade 12, graduate/fisherman. He is just a spokesman/figurehead , a TV guy, he does the talking his fellow academics , provide the content. Yes he maybe off base on some thing's ,but 98% of the time he has the facts, to prove his colleges point of view.

[trappermatt]

What?.. The school of hard knocks/experience, instead of those that have spent 6-7-8-9 years obtaining their knowledge at university. To get their PhD's they spend years going over reports and data. I guess you listen to the people in jail, rather than the judge... B. Izumi is paid by sponsors, his view is tainted. Just being an 'outdoors man' does not make you knowledgeable on all the ramifications of any policy. Formal education = credentials and they do count, as they should. I want the most informed people ,making the decisions that affect all of us. Go have your taxes done by the guy in grade 13 who was good at math, ya I thought not.

Kinda like the credentials of our current premier lol

[fishy steve]

not sure on bc laws on grizzly hunting, seen a earlier post saying bc's laws are similar to ours here, but from that show that was on tv last fall, i think it was called the hunt... they were hunting grizzlies on kodiak island, and all they had to do was take the hide and skull, the rest was left behind... left a sour taste in my mouth for grizzly hunting, something i have always wanted to do, but would not go on a hunt like that if taking the meat was not part of it... perhaps this is what suzuki calls trophy hunters...

[Ont_Excal]

Credentials don't mean much if you know what you are talking about or if you have friends in high places.

A man goes to Harvard to study English and write novels.
He loved science and math but did not do well in either and his grades were in the bottom percentile in his class.
Early on at college he spent time watching tv, shooting pool and smoking grass (occasionally).lol
Later in life he concentrated on politics and reached the vice-presidency of the US.

After politics, became a self appointed environmental expert, wrote a book and won the Nobel peace prize.
Where were Al Gore's credentials????