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The Fish
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Vancouver Island has some of the best fishing in the world.
Fish are aquatic vertebrate that have a skin covered with scales, two sets of paired fins, some unpaired fins, and a set of gills.
Most fish are cold blooded animals that have a torpedo shaped body that is adapted for efficient movement in water.The tuna, swordfish and a few shark species are warm blooded, not cold-blooded. Rays are flat bodied fish that are not streamlined. They move through the water like giant birds undulating their broad pectoral fins that appear to be almost wing like.
Each fish species needs different habitats to carry out its life functions. Thehabitat a species needs varies with its life stage. Typical life functions include feeding, resting, hiding from predators, and spawning.
Wild fish species like the pacific salmon, are important to the coastal peoples both as a fishery and for tourism. The commercial Pacific salmon industry, a key part of the growth and development of the Province throughout the last 100 years, remains important to coastal communities.
The recreational use of the salmon industry for tourism brings in a much needed cash flow to Vancouver Island communities.
Commercial harvesting of fish, both ground and salmon, is of great economic importance to Vancouver Island. The modern commercial fishery on the Pacific coast is in danger and must be managed in a better fashion before it too collapses like the Atlantic fishery.
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