FN0301-RECREATIONAL - Salmon: Chinook - Area 20 - Fishery Management Actions - Effective March 29, 2

[fogged in]

Slot limit continues area 19 - 20 until July 14


Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Subject: FN0545-Recreational - Salmon - Area 19 and 20 - Chinook Management Actions Effective June 17, 2017
Further to FN0155 and FN0301, the Department will be managing fisheries based
on management zone 1 (i.e. returns to the Fraser below or equal to 45,000
chinook) for Fraser Spring 5-2 and Summer 5-2 chinook.
Effective Dates: 00:01 hours June 17, 2017 until 23:59 hours July 14, 2017
Waters: Subareas 19-1 to 19-4 and Subareas 20-4 to 20-7.
Management Measures: The daily limit is two (2) chinook which must be either:
-Wild or hatchery-marked if between 45 and 85cm.
-Hatchery marked if greater than 85 cm.
The minimum size limit for chinook salmon in these waters is 45 cm.

 

[Kildonan]

You can keep one unmarked up to 85cm now instead of 67cm.

 

[scott craven]

could have been a lot worse ....

 

[paguy]

Look on the bright side guys it could be worse, Just fifteen miles across the pond we haven't been able to keep unmarked summer fish for about thirty years, And are nicest hatchery fish from the Elwha don't get marked but we pay to raise them.

 

[RevyFisher]

Glad they raised it to 85cm. I've always traveled to Sooke after mid July and forgot about the slot limit, however, this year i went and booked the first two weeks of July and was kicking myself after remembering the slot limit. At least 85cm size limit is a real nice size fish. Either way it was still going to be better than working.

 

[Peahead]

FYI -

For you SVI fishers that have in the past mentioned frustration that the slots were targeting your area only - actually not so, especially now with the increase in size to our slot areas over here off Vancouver and until July 14th ( at least). The Vancouver and southern gulf Island slot limit area that's been around for a few years has now been increased in size. I also notice that the slot in place off Vancouver area has stricter limits than you guys face in area 19/20 - more on that below.

Our slot area prior to June 17th was an area south of a line from north Valdes Is. to the south border of area 29-3 ( following that border to Sandheads). That slot reg was 2 chinook but one had to be 62cm-67cm. As of June 17th, now that slot area has been increased in size such that the same line from Valdes Is. now continues north to the north arm Fraser jetty. That includes most of our sub areas 29-5 and 29-4 plus about a third of sub area 29-3. That's a huge area off Vancouver and southern gulf Is. that is now slot. The stricter slot limit over on this side that I mentioned above is such that both chinook have to be between 62cm-85cm , hatchery or "wild". Chinook over 85cm must go back. Area 29-6,29-7, 29-9 and 29-10 closer in to the the mouth of the Fraser is closed to the retention of chinook and at times closed to salmon fishing all together.

Just like SVI slot - the positive is that the fish size in our slot is up from 67cm to 85cm. The point of my post and as I mentioned much earlier in this thread - we are in this together and you are not on your own!

 

[profisher]

Not sure if all your close by areas are restricted or closed but in area 19/20 both areas are effected completely and there are no options safe options to go outside the restrictions. More so for area 20 Sooke.

 

[wolf]

And when did that come into play peahead? how many year now?

been close to 10 years for us now and i pleaded the case way back then we need to fight this together all and up the island and was told nah never going to reach us up here, sorry about your luck you poor bastards in area 19/20 and thats true facts!!!!!!

 

[Peahead]

Not sure how many years that original slot in 29-5 and 29-4 has been in affect but I could certainly find out exactly and let you know. Areas 29-10, 29-9, 29-7 and 29-6 as I said are closed completely for chinook and that may have been in effect for a longer time. I will find out for you.

I can understand why your up Island neighbours would feel sorry for you guys down there but why they would not help you with the fight I'm not sure. You'd have to ask the ones who told you that. If it were me I'd help in the fight whether I had Fraser 5(2) or 4(2) in my area or not..........as long as I beleived it was soley a political slot reg and with no true conservation concern.

 

[Peahead]

Not sure if all your close by areas are restricted or closed but in area 19/20 both areas are effected completely and there are no options safe options to go outside the restrictions. More so for area 20 Sooke.

Depends on where you moor or launch your boat as greater Vancouver area and the southern Gulf Islands are of course a huge area. On our side of the inside waters of Georgia Strait the guys coming out of the southern areas such as the south arm of the Fraser River, Steveston, and down at Crescent Beach and White Rock have the toughest go as they have to travel long way to find no slot. The guys in the southern gulf Islands from roughly Ladysmith and south are greatly affected. Vancouver Harbour/Howe sound specifically aren't affected by slot but if you think you can find alot of fish over 85cm in those particular locations as compared to Sooke, I'd think you should come over and try! So in a way having those areas here available to keep over 85cm fish is not the advantage you might think. Your slot area does still allow you a hatch chinook to be over 85 cm, our slot area does not. Guys who want to keep 45 -61.9 cm chinook in your area can. Guys in any area here on inside can't. There also must be alot of hatchery marked chinook available in your area such that you can keep an over 85cm chinook (if what Wolf suggested in this thread is true in that 95% of chinook you guys catch are Puget Sound bound fish) This because puget sound has mass marking of chinook such that a very large percent of their chinook are clipped for their hatchery only rentention fishery.

My point here is again we are affected by slot limits here too with some differences pro and con. I think given the whole year and what fishing you guys have over there with the halibut fishery added that we don't have , you are doing way better off running your charter business from there. And don't get me going on the city's moorage costs! :0

 

[profisher]

Tough to run a charter business when visiting customers can just make plans to go elsewhere and catch the same fish.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Not sure how many years that original slot in 29-5 and 29-4 has been in affect but I could certainly find out exactly and let you know. Areas 29-10, 29-9, 29-7 and 29-6 as I said are closed completely for chinook and that may have been in effect for a longer time. I will find out for you.

I can understand why your up Island neighbours would feel sorry for you guys down there but why they would not help you with the fight I'm not sure. You'd have to ask the ones who told you that. If it were me I'd help in the fight whether I had Fraser 5(2) or 4(2) in my area or not..........as long as I beleived it was soley a political slot reg and with no true conservation concern.

Area 18 primarily in sattelite channel and narrows was changed this year, and it wasn't like that last year. Now those anglers will be under 85cm rule and even if they were to intercept a hatchery they can't even keep it. Then it opens for two weeks then its closed permanently for year to protect Cowichan fish.

Maybe people should wake up that this stupid restriction is going spread all over the place. Wait till port renfrew gets it. That is my prediction next year. As a group we are fully getting walked on by the lower Fraser first nations bands.

I am personally getting sick of it. There is no plan to build habitat or help stocks by DFO. Just more restrictions and allocation of the rec fish to the first nations to sell them. That how I see it.

 

[wolf]

You completely missed my point , but hey thats ok ill be there to help you fight DFO. why do you think SVIAC was formed for? what bothers me the most is it started in area 19/20 and now its spider webbing out and going to go up either side of island you need to start writing letters and getting in touch with your local SFAB hell maybe even form a agenda to get ALL fisherman attend a protest like they many years ago regarding halibut I attended them in Victoria and up island,
yes its a pain in the butt to fight but if YOU dont they will walk all over your area trust us WE KNOW......

Good luck wolf

 

[Ocean Jade]

How big would a 85 cm salmon be? 15 lbs?

 

[scott craven]

Depends , some Springs are short and fat while others are long and skinny.
Calculated guess is anywhere from 15-20lbs

 

[Peahead]

You completely missed my point , but hey thats ok ill be there to help you fight DFO. why do you think SVIAC was formed for? what bothers me the most is it started in area 19/20 and now its spider webbing out and going to go up either side of island you need to start writing letters and getting in touch with your local SFAB hell maybe even form a agenda to get ALL fisherman attend a protest like they many years ago regarding halibut I attended them in Victoria and up island,
yes its a pain in the butt to fight but if YOU dont they will walk all over your area trust us WE KNOW......

Good luck wolf

No I am pretty sure got your point via the sarcasm, its just I chose to provide a strait up answer to your questions and skip past the sarcasm because in fact alot of people haven't realized that the 62cm-67cm slot on the inside waters sub areas 29-5 and 29-4 and the closures of the Fraser River in 29-10 , 29-9 29-7 and 29-6 actually have been in effect for some time - I do agree it hasn't been 10 years and this recent increase in that slot area to now include part of 29-3 just happened. Our slot has stricter limit than your area ( can't keep a hatch or "wild" over 85cm here whereas you can keep 1 hatch) . Wolf you are correct that these slots are spreading out to the north and east and I predict this is not the end. I will be writing letters and my association here has a SFAB board member working hard on battling these restrictions. As an example our approach areas of the Fraser ( Coal ports for eg. ) were closed all winter this year when prior winters it didn't close until March 1st. Trouble is we need stats to prove that the stock of concern (or stock the natives want to claim) are not at the river mouth before March 1, otherwise its closed. Alot of the guys are now doing DNA sampling to get data to prove otherwise. CWT implanting has apparently only just started on the stock in question so no data with regards to CWT info. for a couple years yet.

Back to my very first point - we are in this together and I will do my part to fight closures and slot as long as sporties can prove there is not a stock of concern going by us at a certain time. If FN sector can close everything out in the ocean just because they want fish to get past the sporties and swim to them up river, to me that goes beyond their rights to priority ( after conservation of course). If there is a conservation concern then neither the sporties or the FN should be killing them.

 

[Aces]

There is no plan to build habitat or help stocks by DFO. Just more restrictions and allocation of the rec fish to the first nations to sell them.

That is exactly the plan.......get the stocks down so low that they can close them and then there's nothing for them to worry about.

 

[profisher]

No they will leave us pinks to fish for because they can't get much for them. That is why they still come back in good numbers.

 

[wolf]

Mr Peahead its wasn't sarcasm, it was frustration on how I personally asked for help about 9 years ago and people on here said NEVER gonna to happen to us in our area,but to bad about area 19/20 all the while people were laughing at us , etc pissed me off and still does how we cant as sport-fishermen can not seem to get together and obtain one goal fishing for our future .... they say there is close to 80,00 anglers in the lower half of southern van island YET when there is certain meeting a handful show up to a meeting.....hmmmm dfo watches that and goes right on, one cares ...
I now am donig DNA for them do i like it NO not really as im kinda have my own opinion.

But I dont want my nephew saying to me in 10 year why didnt you help to stop the government from shutting down fishing.....

something to think about guys!!!!!!!

Good luck Wolf

 

[Peahead]

Mr Peahead its wasn't sarcasm, it was frustration on how I personally asked for help about 9 years ago and people on here said NEVER gonna to happen to us in our area,but to bad about area 19/20 all the while people were laughing at us , etc pissed me off and still does .... they say there is close to 80,00 anglers in the lower half of southern van island YET when there is certain meeting a handful show up to a meeting.....hmmmm dfo watches that and goes right on, one cares ...
I now am donig DNA for them do i like it NO not really as im kinda have my own opinion.

But I dont want my nephew saying to me in 10 year why didnt you help to stop the government from shutting down fishing.....

something to think about guys!!!!!!!

Good luck Wolf

Thanks for that Wolf. Awesome on the DNA sampling.


Your frustration comes through loud and clear Wolf. I'm stunned that the help wasn't there...... there seems to be a lethargy within the rec sector when it comes to these sort of things - not being able to see the "big" picture. I always see huge enthusiasm with the catching and for the enjoyment of fishing but when comes to working hard on the issues that come our way with this sport, the support thins (to a minuscule handful out of 80,00 as you have found) I am going to quote something you wrote above, a question it was really " how we cant as sport-fishermen can not seem to get together and obtain one goal fishing for our future " That is exactly my main point in my other posts in this thread and what I have been trying to encourage here. I can only say I wish I knew exactly how to make it happen. I do believe with the assistance of organizations such SFAB and SFI it really should be possible.