Just days after a volunteer group delivered 500 pink salmon to bears on the Central Coast, a branch of the provincial government says it will meet with First Nations to discuss their concerns.
A statement provided to CTV News by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development indicates that officials will meet on Thursday to talk about grizzlies in Knight Inlet.
Volunteers coordinated through the Mamalilikulla First Nation delivered salmon Sunday that had been donated by the A-Tlegay Fisheries Society through the Quinsam River Salmon Hatchery. They were placed into areas known to be frequented by grizzlies near Hoeya Sound and Lull Bay.
The Nation's Guardian Watchman Manager, Jake Smith, said they had growing concerns about the health of the grizzlies over the past several months.
"My main concern is, if nothing is done about this I'm afraid that they will die," said Smith.
"They won't make it. They won't survive the winter if they're that skinny, especially the babies."
Guardians of the Knight Inlet region monitor the condition of the bears and other wildlife in the area via boats and through trailcams.
The province is reminding the general public never to feed wildlife for both the safety of themselves and the bears.
