Times Colonist from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • 25

"0 CAPITAL Classified, C5 Obituaries, C14 Weather, C16 AND VANCOUVER ISLAND Times Colonist Saturday February 5 2005 Editor Denise Helm Telephone: 380-5334 E-mail: EyCl 6Dry9 soft proves ifedf Tr- sX Poachers few, but highly destructive Marine lawyer Darren Williams pops to the surface while trying out a new survival suit designed by Frank White. The Bay, which capsized nearly a year ago. Three crew members died and survival suits are believed to have been a factor. Williams family owned the trawler Hope Darren StoneTimes Colonist IWm LIU IIJ.IIIJU.il. IJXLJllljJIpipillM.

I. I- Not a drop gets into survival coveralls l. -j By Sandra McCulloch Times Colonist staff Those who hunt wildlife illegally in B.C. are few in number but ferociously destructive in the harm they do. Conservation officers cannot catch every poacher in the act so they rely on law-abiding hunters and outdoors enthusiasts to report suspicious activities, said Bill Bresser, manager of operations for the B.C.

Conservation Service. Incidents like the discovery Thursday of 26 dead bald eagles in North Vancouver highlight the problem authorities have in policing activity in the woods. The eagle carcasses discovered in bush near Cates Park were mutilated, with their talons, tail and flight feathers removed. The black market for parts of eagle and bear can net the seller thousands of dollars, said Bresser. "Bear parts start at $50 for a gall bladder or it can be over 1 ,000 for the same product." Eagle parts can vary as well, he said.

"They can start off with a fairly low amount for talons or some of the feathers but can get into the thousands for the combined eagle parts," Bresser said. "It's very much subject to the laws of supply and demand, not unlike the drug trade." What gets killed depends on the availability of the species and how easy it is for the poachers to get away with the illegal kill, he said. It's difficult to quantify how many animals are killed illegally each year because there are no witnesses to report the crime. Poaching fluctuates throughout the province but it's far from an epidemic still, illegal hunting proves profitable enough for those who take the risk, Bresser said. "We do know from our poaching is taking place, it's healthy and we don't see it diminishing.

"But the vast majority of people who recreate in the outdoors, who hunt and fish, are law-abiding citizens and have the same amount of disdain as the rest of us for those who don't obey the "A few ruin it for the majority." Victoria hunters Wayne and Gwen Coleman have seen evidence of poaching while they are out obeying the rules in the woods. "I've seen animals left, killed out of season," said Wayne Coleman on Friday. "I've seen doe deer that have been shot you can only kill bucks at certain times of the year." Please see Poachers, C3 Students I 1 1 Ti 'hi? perspiration," said Williams. "It's excellent. There's no comparison.

All the other suits on the market, when we jumped in, air would have come out the suit and water would have gone in." Darren's father, Allan Williams, owned the Hope Bay, a trawler that capsized on Feb. 27, 2004 in Queen Charlotte Sound. Its crew of Dennis Webber, Roy Smith and Derek Myers all ended up in the sea alive but perished from hypothermia before rescuers could reach them. Smith and Myers had traditional survival suits on but Webber wore only a life-jacket. A fisheries observer who was also on board survived despite the fact his survival suit he wore leaked.

Williams grew up on the Hope Bay and, after working in the fishing industry, became a lawyer specializing in marine issues. The deaths of the Hope Bay crew prompted a call for better survival suits for fishermen. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Hope Bay capsizing and has yet to issue its report but leaking survival suits are believed to be a factor in the deaths. The suits, also called immersion suits, are required on fishboats to be worn by crew members in case of emergency. The suits are supposed to keep the wearer dry, but seals around the face, wrists and ankles can leak, letting in cold water.

Please see Survival, C3 111 1 I ff 4r yJ By Sandra McCulloch Times Colonist staff A Victoria lawyer and a businessman stepped off a wharf in Central Saanich and, one after the other, plummeted feet first into the cold sea water six metres below. Darren Williams and Frank White both hit the water with a smack, submerged momentarily before resurfacing, then they climbed out to do it all over again. After the second dousing, they unzipped and pulled off the red and black drysuits they'd been wearing overtop their clothes. Not a drop of sea water darkened Williams's dress shirt, slacks or tie. White's casual clothes were also bone dry.

The test of White's "Survival Dry" suit was a success and both men were elated, for different reasons White because his Victoria-based company, White Manufacturing seems to have met the challenge of designing an improved "survival suit" for the commercial fishery. The drysuit is a considerable step up from the survival, or immersion, suit used by the fishery today, say both White and Williams. Williams was thrilled at the test because fishermen now, finally, have a much better chance of surviving an accident at sea. "I'm perfectly dry there's just some upset at ar y. Si 1 4 Darren Williams checks out his clothing after his dip and finds it bone dry.

The suit gives fishermen a better chance in the water, he says. Darren StoneTimes Colonist 'scary' thong photo site UVic security posts notices warning women they may be followed by covert photographer Campus security amq 1 2. Campus security notices warn about the photo bandit Friday. TC Some pictures are posed but there's a section of 11 candid photos called "Hunted T-Bar victims" where the subjects seem unaware of the camera. Please see Photos, C3 1 $4 i I On Friday, UVic campus security put up bright yellow notices warning that "someone has been photographing women on campus from behind and then posting those images on a Web site." They went up in areas where authorities think some of the photos were taken, such as McPherson Library, the Student Union Building and University Centre, said spokeswoman Patty Pitts.

In effect, they tell students "if you have this kind of attire, you might be followed by someone with a camera phone, which is unfortunate," said Pitts. The Web site, www.peeping-thong.com, shows women with thong underwear, some in recognizable UVic settings, and other women photographed elsewhere, and it is still active. 1 a a i gulf I i I By Norman Gidney Times Colonist staff Women at the University of Victoria said Friday it was disgusting and scary that surreptitious photographs of females wearing thong underwear were appearing on a Web site. "It's a little scary," said Kathleen Pat-ton. "It's not really comforting." Myrsini Tsimon, an international exchange student from Cyprus, said: "I am disgusted and I'm appalled." "I think it's disgusting," said Erin Kenny.

Her friend Ashleigh Wassmer commented that "it's sort of gross." "I'm guessing they have no life," said Wassmer, about the person who takes the photos and puts the Web site together. vancouer i bflfc: lWti Bourn 250 Vic students Erin Kenny, left, and Ashley Wessmer make their feelings known about the 'disgusting' Peeping Thong Web site Friday. Darren StoneTimes Colonist nfl ASJ 'L -own to Downtown service' www.harbour-air.com 384-2215 We're back flying scheduled daily flights to Downtown Vancouver at our new, renovated location in Coal Harbour. Book, Board and It's that simple! NEW ADDRESS: 1075 West Waterfront Road COMFORT AND CON 4 1 I YOUR SEAPLANE PROFESSIONALS 4-.