A coalition of 10 First Nations on B.C.'s north and central coast says years of urging the government to ban trophy bear hunting in its territory hasn't worked, so now it has declared its own moratorium.
But coalition spokesman William Housty of the Heiltsuk First Nation admitted that enforcing the ban won't be easy without the province making trophy hunting illegal.
"That's an issue that we're facing - how we're going to be able to deal with that without the province supporting us," Housty said Wednesday.
He said the First Nations don't have the authority to impose a ban, and that hunters and poachers who leave bear carcasses lying around have ignored signs urging them to stop the practice.
"That's really a problem. We can't walk up to these hunters and say, 'You can't hunt here.' We can't write a ticket."
Housty said trophy hunting threatens the First Nations' lucrative ecotourism opportunities, but the province has ignored such concerns.
Coastal First Nations are working on marine-and land-use plans to manage resources in their territory and are also considering the salmon run and how it affects birds, bears and the evolving ecosystem, Housty said.
