Black bears and the blueberries: 

I have noticed over the last few years that the number of black bears have decreased slightly. The reason is simple. From the end of July to the end of August, an army of people invade the blueberry patches, picking enormous quantities of blueberries to sell to businesses or to the private sector. The blueberry bushes are literally devoid of their fruit. The people who pick the berries do not realize that they are removing a third of the black bears’ food and deprive them of this manna that helps the bear fabricate their fat for the long winters hibernating. 

I also noticed, last summer, that the bears approached a little bit closer to the chalets. Is it because, maybe they are hungry? The future will tell. On the other hand, some people confirm that they were almost attacked by bears while picking blueberries. Is it possible that the bears see man as a competitor? Therefore, please be logical, pick the berries you need but leave some for the bears too. Don’t give the government a reason to tax and sell permits to pick the blueberries. Picking fruit is a very nice family activity, and the berries are free. For those enterprises who pick blueberries for commercial use, take the time to hand-pick them instead of using your combs that cause serious damage to the blueberry plants and can sometime even destroy them.  

Anyway, I am totally against blueberry or any other wild berries picking for commercial use. Even though they’re free, there is a way to pick these fruit without causing damage to the plants or the bears. Pick only what you need, nothing more. I believe in picking what you need for a dessert but not industrial amounts.  

If you calculate the time, effort and money you spend to get to the blueberry patches, I personally don’t believe that it’s economical because the last 3 seasons have been disastrous for blueberry picking, not too surprising that people are attacked by the bears. Unfortunately it’s opened the door to sad incidents where many bears will be shot uselessly because they simply wanted to eat. Think about it!