Fishing in King’s Navy Yard Park (KNYP), especially during silver bass season, was back in focus Monday night.
Town council voted to launch a public awareness campaign, enhance park management and monitoring with “focused enforcement” with bylaw staff and police and to improve infrastructure in the park through such things as additional signage, waste disposal stations, expanding the approved fishing area in the south end of Navy Yard Park towards the Gordon House and fencing that off.
The majority of council rejected another suggestion from manager of licensing and enforcement Bill Tetler that would see council establish a user fee to cover costs of improved infrastructure and park monitoring by establishing a $10 fee to enter the area though town residents with a valid ID would be exempt from the fee.
Councillor Peter Courtney said he wanted to hear from administration on how bad the issue is during silver bass season, as he heard it was “sheer chaos” as many fisherman come from as far as Toronto. Tetler said staff has reported “out-of-town anglers use our parkland as a restroom facility,” fish debris left in the park and in nearby washroom sinks, safety hazards when fisherman cast their lines, other garbage being left in the park, moving past the approved fishing area, removing “No Fishing” signs, and leaving hooks and fishing lines in the grass.
“The park is definitely heavily used during that time, especially during that eight-week period,” added director of parks, facilities and recreation Heidi Baillargeon. “There is debris everywhere in the park. Our crews work as best they can as well as bylaw enforcement to keep that clean but it’s tough to keep up with that many people.”
Courtney asked what the best option administration would recommend, with Tetler responding increased enforcement. Tetler said bylaw officers have eight hour shifts and overtime would be necessary beyond that. Courtney wanted enhancements in enforcement to come without more overtime.
“If we have an extra presence with what we’ve got, I’m good with it,” he said.
Councillor Diane Pouget asked if police help out, with Tetler stating they do when they are available.
“They do make a presence in the park when they have time,” he said.
Pouget wanted to know how out-of-town fisherman would be charged $10 and not residents. Tetler said the entrance would be monitored and those who live in Amherstburg would have not been charged. He said 40-60 people fish on a daily basis during silver bass season and “that can add up quickly.” Councillor Don McArthur said establishing a fishing space last term “kind of went over like a lead zeppelin,” stating some abuses were intentional with others being a product of overcrowding.
“It’s a passive park. There’s only just a little smidge where you’re technically allowed to fish,” he said, adding he hopes expanding it will alleviate the problem.
Charging people to access a public park “is a slippery slope” and could negatively impact tourism. He wanted to know if an Amherstburg grandparent were to bring grandchildren from outside the area or local youth who don’t have ID on them.
Tetler suggested in the case of the latter, the youth could be taken at their word. Regarding the former, he said parameters could be set and in that scenario, they would be let in to fish.
McArthur also was concerned about the chance for conflict between people wanting to fish and those monitoring the access point. He also questioned what would happen if they simply went to another area to fish. Staff are trained to deal with confrontational situations, said Tetler, and if the situation escalated, police would be called in.
Councillor Molly Allaire asked about increasing parks and bylaw staff during the six to eight-week time frame. Tetler said there are park patrols already, noting it is a deterrent but only when the officer is present.
Allaire was concerned about “illegal fishing,” as people wouldn’t want to spend $10, believing they would find other areas even if they are not supposed to be there. She was one of the council members who rejected the idea of charging fees.
Councillor Linden Crain also opposed charging fees, though was supportive of public education, improved infrastructure and more enforcement.
Mayor Michael Prue said people between 16-65 have to get a fishing licence in Ontario and those from the U.S. or other provinces have to pay a fee on top of that. Prue questioned what is being done regarding boats who also fish, with Tetler saying the town has no jurisdiction.
Prue countered that people who have no access to a boat would be charged a fee while those on the water would not.
“I have difficulty in charging anybody,” the mayor said.
Prue added services are provided around the county with residents crossing municipal boundaries for walking trails and hockey rinks.
“Why would we charge them for fishing?” asked Prue. Tetler said the fee was suggested to offset overtime costs, fence erecting and park cleanup.
Calling himself an “avid fisherman,” Prue said “the silver bass run is a hoot.” He said there are a lot of points along the river that are inaccessible, noting fishing is popular in Canada. He said people should have the opportunity to fish.
“I agree. It is a mess when they are there cleaning fish and throwing stuff around,” he said. “I do not want to charge a fee. I want to make it open and accessible for everyone.”
Citing the previous motion to implement fees for temporary patios (more details in next week’s issue), Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb questioned why the town wouldn’t charge fees.
“I’m 100 per cent behind everything except the waiving of the fees,” said Gibb.
Gibb said “extra fees” would be charged to businesses “that make our town better and provide jobs” while fees are going to be waived for people who “abuse our park,” leave garbage around and “push our residents out” of the park.
“That defies logic to me,” he said. “I think having a $10 fee to cover the added costs of bylaw officers and education is a no-brainer.”
Tetler said “we will do our best to be down there as much as possible,” adding he has spoken with Staff Sgt. Bryan Hayes about having police officers in the park as often as they can.
Town to look at new measures for Navy Yard Park fishing in bass season
By Ron Giofu
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