Joel Martin spoke for his colleagues in the sport-fishing business in Squamish yesterday as he summed up the impact of having the area's three rivers closed to anglers -- all due to the CN Rail chemical spill.

"There's certainly a lot of sad faces around," he said bluntly.

"Usually this time of year, we'd have 50 people in the store. But right now, since the closures, there's none," said Martin, manager of River's Edge Sport Fishing Outfitters.

Because he's located at the junction of the Mamquam and Squamish Rivers, Martin said he was expecting the closure after 41,000 litres of caustic soda spilled into the Cheakamus River nine days ago.

But it still hurts, he said.

With Friday's announcement that fishing is on hold until the problem is re-evaluated in mid-September, Martin said the timing could not have been worse.

"It is very bad news," he said. "It is definitely the peak time right now, and every two years with the pink run, that's when we make our money."

Echoing the many others who will be hit hard economically by the closures, Martin repeated what marine biologists are beginning to tell the pubic.

"It's bloody awful . . . It is going to be many years before the fishery around here recovers."

And that spells a big economic loss for the area, he said.

"There's a lot of other businesses that rely on fishing -- it goes as far as the restaurants who feed the fishermen."

Martin said his company has been consulting with an environmental lawyer and hopes to be compensated for its losses.

Ian Mann, speaking for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said the department had no choice but to shut down the fishery.

"The spill was at a very bad time," he conceded. "The fry are wiped out, and the returning adults and eggs are being killed."

As for the pinks, he said, "we'll have to wait two years to see how bad the damage is."

The spill resulted in major fish kills for all species and all age classes on the Cheakamus.

The disaster is being monitored closely by the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

Spokesman Dr. Paul Kariya said that even before the spill, the group was working on a comprehensive plan for the recovery of the salmon population in the Squamish River watershed, including the Cheakamus River.

CN Rail's Graham Dallas said that on Friday, the tanker that derailed was moved up the steep embankment it tumbled down without incident and will be loaded onto a rail car and taken away.

Dallas said once the cleanup is complete, CN will sit down with all those involved and see what improvements are necessary to make sure people are notified immediately of any chemical hazard.

Area residents have complained there was a lengthy time lag in notifying them that the toxic chemical had gone into the water.

jcolebourn@png.canwest.com

© The Vancouver Province 2005