IMPORTANT: Southern Resident Killer Whale Town Hall Mtg.

[Newf]

The reasons for the decline of the SRKW are multifaceted, shipping traffic, human competition for chinook, they swim in waters full of sewage effluent of various degrees of treatment, pinniped competion etc

I don't think that many would disagree that this is a multifaceted problem. My intent with the video clip is to show that there are also many that believe that seals/sea lions is just one of them but is denied by many others as being a factor. As for your point about herring and the fisherman participating in a fishery that has "scooped up in huge numbers just BEFORE they reproduce", I would say two things. One is that he is participating in a fishery that is authorized and heavily monitored by the fisheries and two, if he waited until they spawned then it would not be called a roe herring fishery. It will always be a fact that fisherman will continue to fish in a fishery that's permitted and will attempt to catch the quota's they are given and we will continue to debate what's right and wrong. There will soon be more experts on the subject than there are fish and since I am far from an expert I will end it there. PS. Yes, I do know that the seiners almost wiped out the herring fisher on this coast in the 60's. Many boats of the West coast fleet then moved to the East coast and almost wiped them out there as well.

 

[Derby]

The reasons for the decline of the SRKW are multifaceted, shipping traffic, human competition for chinook, they swim in waters full of sewage effluent of various degrees of treatment, pinniped competion etc.

California... you are 100 % correct on this statement... everybody and everything has it part in the web....

 

[Tugcapitan]

I find it difficult to believe that for animals that can hear boats from 10km away (estimated by Washington university scientists in their papers available on Port Vancouver website), that extending the no go boundary around whales from 100m to 200m will make much difference. I feel that it was a negotiated number so as not to kill the whale watching industry.
I routinely see whale watchers within 50m, admittedly perhaps with engines off after having jumped ahead, but when they fire up and tear off....

I’m no whale but after having been diving around marinas, I can tell you even I can clearly hear boats from 200m.

 

[california]

If you have been fishing at all over the last 20 years you would see that hatchery fish are in fact quite plentiful
and do survive.
evident by the number of clipped fish taken, which puts less pressure on the wild stock.

I'm actually basing this on a significant body of science science rather than an individual observation subject to significant error from a few dozen fish boatside. There is a huge amount of research showing just the opposite, that survival rates of chinook smolts are in general low, (thats why stocks are declining) and survival of hatchery smolts is much lower than that of wild ones. It is well established and acknowledged by those who operate the hatcheries and study them that one of the downsides is that the huge number of hatchery smolts produced and flooded into the estuaries put significant pressure on wild stocks as they compete for resources. Just how do fin clipped Chinooks at your boat take any pressure off of wild stocks? Are you putting the wild chinook back and only keeping clipped ones? If so it's commendable for taking it upon yourself to do so, but its not required (in Canada) and I'm not aware of anyone who does it.

It will always be a fact that fisherman will continue to fish in a fishery that's permitted and will attempt to catch the quota's they are given and we will continue to debate what's right and wrong.

And that's been the problem over and over again all over the world. The amount commercial fishers are allowed to catch is almost always too much as the $ usually wins. I found the video interesting, and my criticism is not of you in case you interpreted it that way, but rather of the hypocrisy of the complaint that seiner operator is making. Besides, as sport fishers we should all be happy, all those sea lions will be full of herring and not interested in salmon smolts, at least for a few weeks during herring season.

 

[scott craven]

Just how do fin clipped Chinooks at your boat take any pressure off of wild stocks? Are you putting the wild chinook back and only keeping clipped ones? If so it's commendable for taking it upon yourself to do so, but its not required (in Canada) and I'm not aware of anyone who does it.

If you fished in area 19/20 you would know that is exactly what happens during the slot restriction which takes up most of our season.