port alberni derby

[WillyD]

Has anyone heard what the biggest fish is and if many fish are coming in.[?]

[tortuga]

http://www.fishingderbyonline.com/DerbyLeaderboard?prizeCategoryID=31

35 lbs. so far

[abbyfireguy]

I like the 2.75 pound chinook at the bottom..:D

IAFF Local #18 (Vancouver Fire Rescue)

[yo mama]

600 fish weighed in and they wonder why those Stamp runs are in decline...

[Cuba Libre]

Ummm- last time I looked the Stamp was a HATCHERY river..[:o)]




20ft Alumaweld Intruder

[yo mama]

Thats right clean them all out and let the underfunded hatchery fill it up again, thats why the spring numbers have fallen throught the floor the last fistfull of years.

[WillyD]

Did you see that a 29 lb coho was weighed in or do you think that it was a mistake. What a fish if it was a coho.

[WillyD]

Did you see that a 29 lb coho was weighed in or do you think that it was a mistake. What a fish if it was a coho. It is ranked 22.

[WillyD]

Does anyone know what the average amount of fish that are caught in this derby and how many fish did the commercial fellows get on the last opening.

[Mrtrailer]

I'm not going to make a lot of freinds with this post but....why do big tourneys like Port Alberni,etc. have to have the fish brought to a dock to be weighed in? If people are so concerned with the fish stock diminishing why could a system not be put in place where tournament run boats get the word of a fish caught and then go meet that boat and weight it,and then RELEASE it. It works in the $100,000.00+ bass derbies in the U.S. why not here?

just my .02 cents.

[Nimo]

Also, does this derby help fund the local hatchery and various habitat restoration projects? My guess would be yes.

[Mrtrailer]

Of course it does but why not take it one step further? your not going to convince anyone that anytime soon we will be saying that there are too many salmon in the water.;)

[Cuba Libre]

yo mama-- I hope that you will be the first to sell your fishing gear and take up golf..
quote:Thats right clean them all out and let the underfunded hatchery fill it up again, thats why the spring numbers have fallen throught the floor the last fistfull of years

Again-- they are HATCHERY fish-- thier purpose in life is to DIE at the hands of commercial, aboriginal and sportsfishermen. The hatchery does not have any question that it will achieve thier egg targets , otherwise there would NOT be a fishery for the natives or us or anyone else.... Sometimes sportsfishermen are our own worse enemies.

Guess what-- after the derby comes the commercials. Check the DFO Commercial web page.




20ft Alumaweld Intruder

[Jockey]

Don't forget that a lot of these fish are caught out in the sound and are bound for other river systems besides the stamp.

[Mrtrailer]

quote:Originally posted by Cuba Libre

yo mama-- I hope that you will be the first to sell your fishing gear and take up golf..
quote:Thats right clean them all out and let the underfunded hatchery fill it up again, thats why the spring numbers have fallen throught the floor the last fistfull of years

Again-- they are HATCHERY fish-- thier purpose in life is to DIE at the hands of commercial, aboriginal and sportsfishermen. The hatchery does not have any question that it will achieve thier egg targets , otherwise there would be a fishery for the natives or us or anyone else.... Sometimes sportsfishermen are our own worse enemies.

Guess what-- after the derby comes the commercials. Check the DFO Commercial web page.




20ft Alumaweld Intruder
Always great to read your posts when you think YOUR integrity has been violated.lol

[Cuba Libre]

quote:Always great to read your posts when you think YOUR integrity has been violated.lol

no-- I have just spent too many years trying to get the best deal for sportsfishermen that I could, after making sure we were not compromising the needs of the resource. If someone posts something threatens that -- then I will not sit at the keyboard and let it pass. And-- I dont fish Barkey/Alberni anymore, so I have NO personal stake in this.






20ft Alumaweld Intruder

[IronNoggin]

quote:Originally posted by yo mama

Thats right clean them all out and let the underfunded hatchery fill it up again, thats why the spring numbers have fallen throught the floor the last fistfull of years.

Partially true YoMama But in this case, not the largest reason. DFO in it's wisdom (or direct lack thereof as the case may be) has allowed for the past 3 or 4 years approximately 90,000 pieces to be removed via the gillnet, seine and FN fisheries here. Yup, that is not a misprint, [u]90K!</u> With an average escapement in the order of 10 or so K. So while the recreational fleet may remove a handful, this is nowhere near as large a "footprint" on the stock as the bag fisheries. From a distance, it may well appear that DFO is in the process of getting this run red-listed! If it were anyone but them, I might be shocked

[b]Cuba Libre: Yes, this run is hatchery enhanced. But it also has more than a significant "wild" component. The hatchery (Robertson Creek) has been the subject of multiple funding cuts over the past few years, resulting in significant cutbacks to their production levels of springs. To suggest that these are All hatch clones put there or our taking is ludicrous. The system is much more than one of put & take, and we should all work towards its sustainability. To think, or state otherwise is to directly "compromise the needs of the resource". Really.

Cheers,
Nog

[ChromeSweetChrome]

Cuba is right, it is a put/take fishery and the hatchery is in better shape for escapement than it has been in years. Its a small run this year 55k and there are more fish already in the river than have been caught in the canal.

[Islandgirl]

Ditto to what Ironnoggin has to say( from the globe and mail Aug 25/08)...........

PACIFIC SALMON

DFO leaves sport angler reeling
Fishing guide says Ottawa bowing to commercial trollers, depleting salmon stock

MARK HUME

mhume@globeandmail.com

E-mail Mark Hume | Read Bio | Latest Columns
August 25, 2008

VANCOUVER -- You can hear the tension crackling in Walter Schoenfelder's voice as he calls from the deck of one of his boats, using a client's satellite phone.

Mr. Schoenfelder is a salmon fishing guide and the operator of Quatsino Lodge, a beautiful fishing resort he built with the help of friends and family on the rugged northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

Out there on the bright blue water, where grey whales surface next to the boat and gulls wheel over schools of bait fish, Mr. Schoenfelder should be kicked back in the captain's chair, with the folded green mountains of Vancouver Island behind him and a relaxed grin on his face.

Instead he is pacing the deck, giving a tense interview over the phone to a reporter in Vancouver.

"I can't believe what's happening out here!" he says. "It's outrageous. They are destroying our salmon stocks."

The "they" Mr. Schoenfelder is talking about is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the federal bureaucracy that is supposed to be rebuilding British Columbia's salmon runs with leading-edge fisheries management.

Instead, Mr. Schoenfelder, and a growing number of others in B.C., fear that Ottawa is kowtowing to the commercial fishing industry, and in the process is shepherding Pacific salmon stocks to the same disastrous end as Atlantic cod.

Are our salmon really being managed out of existence?

As he trolls the increasingly barren waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Mr. Schoenfelder fears that's the case.

What's got him going on this bright August morning is not the fact that, once again, his clients are having a tough time catching a Chinook, but rather that, all around him, a fleet of commercial fishing boats is stripping the seas of the few fish available.

On Vancouver Island's west coast, salmon are in such short supply that the commercial trolling fleet has generally been restricted from fishing in the summer months, which is high season for sports anglers.

To protect endangered stocks of salmon bound for Vancouver Island rivers, many inlets are closed to sports anglers in the summer.

When a commercial opening does happen, the sports fleet and the trollers can find themselves pushed together on the same water, about eight kilometres offshore.

Neither group has had great fishing this summer. In a three-day August opening, 57 commercial trollers took a total of about 9,000 Chinook - well short of an allotted catch of 10,000 fish.

Mr. Schoenfelder's clients meanwhile were lucky to catch one fish each over the same period and often were going from dawn to dusk without getting a single strike.

Mr. Schoenfelder calls this being forced to fish "under the boom," because his small sports boats, with two lines out, find themselves trolling behind commercial boats dragging 60 lures from boomsticks.

Mr. Schoenfelder learned last week that the commercial fleet is expecting to get another opening in the area, for several days next month, because they caught so few fish in August.

With stocks declining, DFO is increasing the commercial pressure, he says.

"This is crazy. ... They are targeting a depleted fish stock ... [and] it is killing my business."

Instead of giving the commercial trollers more time on the water, DFO should be restricting them, says Mr. Schoenfelder, so that sport fishery - which is more lucrative and has a lower impact - can enjoy at least a modestly successful season.

Kathy Scarfo, president of the commercial West Coast Trollers Association, disagrees.

She thinks sport lodges are just as "commercial" as her fleet and she wants both sectors to have equal opportunities to fish.

"There seems to be a sense that because we have not fished much in the last eight years in the summer ... we are not allowed into what is now seen as an exclusive sport-charter fishing time, period!" she said in an e-mail.

She says commercial boats were shut down in June and July while sports anglers continued to fish, and the fleet now deserves a September opportunity to catch up.

"Why the hell are they complaining?" she asks of the resort operators. "They are open seven days a week."

That may be true. But during those seven days, the sports boats are catching almost nothing and when the commercial fleet moves in to compete for the few fish that are available, it is pretty tough to take.

No wonder Mr. Schoenfelder is angry.

And it's not just a season he fears is slipping away, but also a way of life.

"I want my grandkids to fish, but I wonder if they will be able to," he says.

[Cuba Libre]

Island Girl-- the Noggin previously replied to that article-- and he didnt seem to be in complete agreement with it!!;)


quote:Originally posted by Tsquared

... Watching the stocks deplete more and more every year is depressing but it certainly isn't the fault of the poor shmucks who are participating in the extremely limited commercial troll fishery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



That's Bang On Tsquared. I am one of those "poor shmucks" you referred to, and poor is very much the operative word these days. The openings we now see for Area G cover fuel, moorage (where the rig sits much more often than not) and if you're good, and lucky, maybe enough to grab a beer or two at the end of it all. Sad, when The Dino actively, openly and aggressively supports Pattison et al's bag fisheries that do an exponentially larger damage ratio to any stocks in the vicinity of their openings. Trolling was once a proud way to make a living, wresting it single fish by single fish from the sea, supporting your home port Community, while providing a quality product to the wider consumer community. Now it has sadly become a "sunset industry", lingering with effort, but definitely fading over the horizon. Taking with them the lifeblood of many of our coastal communities. Sad that the ONLY selective harvest mechanism is the one The Dino decided to actively destroy.

There are many folks out there that mistakenly adopt the mindset that commercial trollers played (and continue to) a large role in causing the collapsing salmon stocks we are witnessing today. Some do so simply because they are misinformed (or uninformed as the case may be). Others have ulterior motives as I believe the case with Mr. Schoenfelder to be. I have been privy to his rantings in this regard, both public and private for far to long not to believe this way. He is not alone in that way of agenda tending, as there are indeed many who would love the fleet simply to disappear, not surprisingly the majority of these are found amongst the recreational sector.

But... for a handful of years now, and likely to prove this one once again, the recreational fleet coastwide realized a larger harvest in terms of numbers (and individual size having the luxury of fishing mature spawners) of springs than the troll fleet in question. Obviously a larger impact on the viability of future returns. Which then bears another question: Is the real concern here conservation, or simply business profitability? Aka Greed? Or maybe simply ass-covering by pointing to another to misdirect unwanted attention in your own back yard?

There are several blatant mistakes in the G&B article, of which I have neither the mind nor desire to address now. Those in the know will understand exactly what I'm saying here...

And yes, I AM headed out there again shortly now. A lot of operations had a bit of a tough go on salmon this year, Quatsino Lodge is but one of many. I too had the odd off day for them out of Ukee, that's why we call it "fishin" not "killin". Happens to trollers too, anyone who fishes seriously already knows that. I am both, and I consider the "commercial sportfishing" (for that's what it very much is) to be of at least the equivalent, if not greater than the troll fleet in terms of negative impacts being imposed on apparently dwindling stocks. I do not blame either sector, instead choosing to hang that hat on the door of whom it belongs on. Methinks you can figure out who that might be...

As for Mr. Schoenfelder, anyone that knows him, feel free to bring him in on this conversation... anytime...

Cheers,
Nog





20ft Alumaweld Intruder

[Cuba Libre]

The latest escapement bulletin from DFO-- please read in light of some members thinking that we need to stop or restrict our recreational catches in Alberni Inlet..[xx(]


quote:CHINOOK FORECAST: The 2008 forecast total return of Robertson Creek chinook to the terminal fishing area is ~53,000. The escapement goal is ~25,500. The available TAC in the terminal area is ~ 27,500 chinooks.
ESCAPEMENT: The Stamp Falls chinook counters are being installed on August 28th and 29th and will be operational September 02. First escapement counts from Stamp Falls will be September 4th or 5th. The last 7-10 days has seen a classic fall weather pattern form with a series of low pressure systems hitting the coast. Rainfall over that period combined with cool temperatures has provided good escapement conditions for salmon. While there is no escapement estimate at this time Chinook have been observed throughout the river.
BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION: Biological samples will be collected from commercial and First Nations in Alberni Inlet.
ABORIGINAL FISHING: Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations had an 8 hour gill net opening on Monday evening August 25th. Approximately 70 nets fished in the upper Alberni Harbour and lower Somass River to Paper Mill Dam. The estimated catch for this opening was 2600 chinook and 290 coho.
COMMERCIAL FISHING: Area D gill nets had an 8 hour gill net opening on Sunday evening August 24th. 81 vessels operated in this opening with an estimated catch of 2075 chinook and 28 coho.
Area B seines were assigned a weekly target catch of 1600 chinook. This fishery opened at 06:00 Monday August 25th and operated until 10:00h August 26th. 2 vessels participated in this opening. The catch from this opening was 1499 chinook and 849 coho. .
RECREATIONAL FISHING: Fishing effort continues to increase in Alberni Inlet as early September approaches. The recreational catch to August 25 for Alberni is approximately 4600 chinook.
NEXT WEEK'S FISHING PLANS:
Aboriginal –A five hour Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations gill net opening is scheduled for Tuesday September 02 from 20:00h to 01:00h Wednesday September 03 in upper Alberni Inlet. Both Bands are authorized to sell their catch. Commercial - Area D gill nets will open for 4 hours commencing 20:00h Wednesday September 03. The fishing area is bounded on the north from a line from a boundary sign situated at 49°14.19 north latitude and 124°50.23 west longitude thence through the southern most point of Hoik Island thence to the flashing green light at the mouth of the Somass River thence due east to a boundary sign on the opposite shore and bounded on the south by a line from Lone Tree Point Light to a boundary sign on the opposite shore. At 22:00h each opening the outer boundary will move from the Lone Tree Pt line to a line from Dunsmuir Pt across Alberni Inlet to the navigation light at the north end of the China Creek breakwater.

Area B Seine: Two seine vessels will participate in an opening from 06:00h Tuesday September 02 until 21:00h Tuesday August 26 with a maximum catch of 2000 chinook allotted for this opening. The southern seine boundary is from the Dunsmuir Pt. light to a boundary sign on the opposite shore at 49°09.66’N latitude, 124°47.72’W longitude (approximately .75km north of China Creek breakwater) and the northern boundary is from a boundary sign at the Harbour Quay clock tower in Port Alberni harbour to a boundary sign on the opposite shore of Alberni Inlet
Recreational – The recreational fishery is at full limits for chinook and coho salmon in Alberni Inlet north of the Hocking Pt. boundary line. The Nahmint Area closure is in effect. Chinook conservation measures are in effect in other portions of Area 23, Barkley Sound /Alberni Inlet. For more information please contact the DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440 for more information or go online to :
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/Opportunities/PN/A23&123BarkleyChinookPN.pdf for the Area 23 Recreational Chinook Fishery Notice or
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/Opportunities/PN/A23&123BarkleyCohoPN.pdf for the Area 23 Recreational Coho Fishery Notice
For more information contact the local DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440
If you want your name removed from the distribution list please call the above number.


Prepared by: Alistair Thomson
Resource Manager
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Port Alberni, B.C.





20ft Alumaweld Intruder

[The Fish Assassin]

IMHO the underlying problem here and everywhere on the coast is the "Escapement Goal" Like I have stated before the department of Fisheries runs the entire coast on a escapement platform that will get the most dollars out of the amount of fish available. It is a simple formula really, that has taken years to perfect.

X number of fish returning gets y $'s per pound. Now if you increase the amount of fish available for catch the value of the same fish will drasticly go down as well. So if they flooded the sea with Salmon the price would go down, the fishfarms would shut down, the commercial guys would make the same amount of money but have to fish 4 times as much. But us sport fisherman would sure be happy. Unfortunitly we don't have much of a say as a group. I would like to see more fish available for everyone to catch, but we know what that would do to the price on the markets. 25,000 fish returning seems like a horribly bad return on a river that we all depend on so drasticly. Why not double the escapement for 4 yrs and see what happens! Oh ya.. the price of the fish...

[highlights]

The game of Golf only ruins what would have otherwise been a perfectly nice walk.

[yo mama]

Ah I guess we wont have to worry much longer up that way anyways as the fish will be gone and we can all just point more fingers instead of doing anything eh Cuba. The hatcheries were put in place for more than servicing the fisherman. Everybody blame fisheries for missmanagment when the fishing sucks but the same people blame fisheries when the downgrade limits to protect declining stocks. There can be a good balance and if we don't find one soon they will be so few they will shut the whole thing down like the sockeye. And as Noggin put it yes there is a solid wild run still in place on that system. That river used to be wall to wall springs.

[WillyD]

Was the 29.3 Ib coho confirmed. Don,t get them that big very often. My biggest coho was 17 Lbs off port renfrew years ago fishing with my Dad.

[Cuba Libre]

See below-- double post

[Cuba Libre]

Hey Yo Mama-- I appreciate your passion about looking after the resource. But I happen to know that you are on the wrong track on some issues. Dont assume that someone like myself has not done time in the resource wars or has only worked to improve the lot of the users. The users do come second-- but you need to review the reasons for hatcheries in BC. After the success of pilots such as Qualicum, Capilano and Robertson Creek, a guy by the name of Ron McLeod pushed for a balanced Salmonid Enhancement Program in the 70's. Quinsam, Puntledge Lower site, Chehalis, Vedder, Kitimat, Eagle were meant as production facilities. At the same time, the CED part of the program gave us Pallant, Kincolith, Quatse, Sliammon, Nanaimo, Cowichan and others. Some of the facilities were meant to offset habitat loss (Quinsam, Cap,Upper Puntledge channnels, etc)

But do not think that for one minute that the facilities were not meant to provide fish for the all sector fishermen. That is how the program was sold to the Federal Treasury Board. No fish for the fishermen-- no money from Ottawa. Plain and simple.

Now-- as far as the "Wild" component of the inlet. I quess that a person could try to make that claim. But on what basis? Check out the stock composition of the Gold River chinooks and get back to me.

And as far as the river "used to be wall to wall springs" yes, it did. As a result of an agressive hatchery manager named Carl Peterson, who was said to raise chinooks in every available flow of water at the hatchery, including his bathtub!

Now to get back to the original issue-- the fact remainds that by taking a couple of thousand chinooks by the sportsfishery-- it makes no difference what so ever to the Alberni inlet stocks... Even given the unlikely possibilitythat a wild fish hits the fish cooler, it still wont chance the balance... So go fishing and enjoy the opportunity that having a hatchery run provides without guilt..


Pax Vobiscom


almost forgot-- was that 29lb fish verified as a coho????





20ft Alumaweld Intruder

[Striper Sniper]

Hey CL, I also took Latin in school...... for those of you that might be interested in CL's closing remark, "Pax Vobiscom" means Peace be with you........:):) SS

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll49/mauricepiquette/seaswirlstiper.jpg

[Slabby20]

37.8 lbs. Isn't that the smallest winning fish in a long time? No question the size of the springs was down this year.

[The Fish Assassin]

I was only half joking when I told my friend that I was going to try to win the derby with a Coho.. There are some monsters up there!

[Linz]

Very depressing....
http://www.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/story.html?id=dcf8e2f5-13c8-4626-9b7b-87d2dc82043f.
Who is in favor of using nets anyway?

[highlights]

quote:Originally posted by Slabby20

37.8 lbs. Isn't that the smallest winning fish in a long time? No question the size of the springs was down this year.


Lots of feeder size fish around this year because that is exactly what they are. 3 year fish.
Areas with the 5-8 year olds have had enormous growth rates due to offshore upwelling and over abundance of feed.