Stopping chinook fishing

Unfortunately the people in Ottawa are not going away - not much we can do about that.

I think we could be looking at some chinook closures and not just for areas 19 and 20! We are going to have to unite and fight against any closures or lose out big time! This IS something we can do something about. Time to organize and fight for our right to fish!
 
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Unfortunately the people in Ottawa are not going away - not much we can do about that.

I think we could be looking at some chinook closures and not just for areas 19 and 20! We are going to have to unite and fight against any closures or lose out big time! This IS something we can do something about. Time to organize and fight for our right to fish!
pretty tough to fight for the right to fish if there are no fish left.
 
What about working to create more fish? I say we can work to create more fish as long as it is NOT from net pen fish farms! No sense in fighting over an ever dwindling supply of fish so we work with nature to create more fish.
 
What about working to create more fish? I say we can work to create more fish as long as it is NOT from net pen fish farms! No sense in fighting over an ever dwindling supply of fish so we work with nature to create more fish.

Not to be confused with net pen raised hatchery fish..... trying to educate public on this as often there is confusion when the words "net pen" are used
 
This issue involves the US as well. We have had severe closures associated with the Chinook these whales eat (Puget Sound Chinook) for years now. Even hatchery's are not getting escapement goals down here. Proper resolution would be closures, killing & hatchery's.
 
Considering that the total annual estimated harvest of chinook salmon by rec fishers in areas 19 and 20 only provides approx. 2% of all the chinook salmon the SRKW eat annually, closing down our fisheries has little to do with solving the problem, but a lot to do with politics and trying to appease certain sectors (environmental groups and First Nations in particular).
 
Considering that the total annual estimated harvest of chinook salmon by rec fishers in areas 19 and 20 only provides approx. 2% of all the chinook salmon the SRKW eat annually, closing down our fisheries has little to do with solving the problem, but a lot to do with politics and trying to appease certain sectors (environmental groups and First Nations in particular).

Exactly.
 
I find it hard to believe orcas rely so heavily on Chinook, I mean really a hungry/starving orca will turn its nose up at other salmon species? I can see where they may be the prefered food, but not the difference between survival and starvation? Certainly ,they must have a more diverse diet, if not, I don't like their odds. Nature is pretty harsh when animals over specialize.

I suspect this attack on the Spring fishery is simply the first shot. Face it, rec fishery seems to be the low hanging fruit!
 
I find it hard to believe orcas rely so heavily on Chinook, I mean really a hungry/starving orca will turn its nose up at other salmon species? I can see where they may be the prefered food, but not the difference between survival and starvation? Certainly ,they must have a more diverse diet, if not, I don't like their odds. Nature is pretty harsh when animals over specialize.
doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0468
Biol. Lett. 2010 6, 139-142 first published online 15 September 2009
John K. B. Ford, Graeme M. Ellis, Peter F. Olesiuk and Kenneth C. Balcomb
Linking killer whale survival and prey abundance: food limitation in the oceans' apex predator?
http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/6/1/139

Abstract
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are large predators that occupy the top trophic position in the world's oceans and as such may have important roles in marine ecosystem dynamics. Although the possible top-down effects of killer whale predation on populations of their prey have received much recent attention, little is known of how the abundance of these predators may be limited by bottom-up processes. Here we show, using 25 years of demographic data from two populations of fish-eating killer whales in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, that population trends are driven largely by changes in survival, and that survival rates are strongly correlated with the availability of their principal prey species, Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Our results suggest that, although these killer whales may consume a variety of fish species, they are highly specialized and dependent on this single salmonid species to an extent that it is a limiting factor in their population dynamics. Other ecologically specialized killer whale populations may be similarly constrained to a narrow range of prey species by culturally inherited foraging strategies, and thus are limited in their ability to adapt rapidly to changing prey availability.

Ford, J.K.B, Wright, B.M., Ellis, G.M., and Candy, J.R. 2010. Chinook salmon predation by resident killer whales: seasonal and regional selectivity, stock identity of prey, and consumption rates. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2009/101. iv + 43 p.
waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/339995.pdf

ABSTRACT
Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) found in coastal waters of the cold-temperate northeastern Pacific are fish-feeding predators that specialize on Pacific salmon. Field studies have shown that although most available salmonids are consumed, Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is the whales’ primary prey species, most likely because of its large size, high lipid content, and year-round occurrence in coastal waters. Chinook salmon availability appears to be important to the survival and recovery of resident killer whale populations. In this report we describe the results of recent field studies and analyses aimed at improving our understanding of the role played by Chinook salmon in the seasonal foraging ecology and energetics of resident killer whales. An additional 410 prey items identified from scale and tissue samples collected at the sites of resident feeding events provide further support for the importance of Chinook salmon in most seasons and coastal areas. Genetic stock identification of prey samples indicate that killer whales feed on Chinook salmon originating from a variety of regions between Southeast Alaska and Oregon, with stocks in the Fraser River system being of particular importance both coast-wide and in Critical Habitats. An updated analysis confirms the long-term correlation between survival of resident killer whales and range-wide Chinook abundance, though recent declines in Chinook abundance have not yet been associated with increased mortality rates. Estimates of Chinook salmon consumption based on daily prey energy requirements and diet composition suggest that resident killer whale populations at their current abundance may require over 1,000,000 Chinook per year, roughly equivalent to recent annual levels of harvests of this species in commercial and recreational marine fisheries. Estimates of Chinook salmon requirements for northern and southern resident killer whale populations in their Critical Habitats are also provided, as is an estimate of the Chinook abundance that would be required to support killer whale recovery over the next decade. Although the information in this report may be useful for future conservation and management of resident killer whales and their primary prey, further studies are needed to resolve existing uncertainties about year-round diet composition and feeding rates.
 
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A lot of stuff in nature is hard to believe. That doesn't make it untrue, however, and the SRWK are literally starving (and dying) due to lack of prey. Prey, in their case, is almost entirely chinook salmon (80% + in summer months). They will also eat some chum and steelhead but by FAR chinook salmon are their preferred target. This population of 76 whales is one of the most studied groups of animals on the world. We know a lot about them but there are obviously lots of unknowns as well. After attending the killer whale symposium this week and listening to the Ministers speak I think it's a safe bet that there will be some major announcements forthcoming regarding chinook salmon harvest. As a fisherman I obviously don't want to be restricted from fishing for chinook but I think it may well happen, at least during some times of the year when these fish are being hunted by the SRKW in the Strait of Georgia.

The rec sector should be concerned, the whale watching sectors (probably facing increased regs) should be concerned, and commercial and even FN fisheries should be concerned.

To those following chinook salmon abundance over the past several decades this should not be a total shock. Chinook populations in the Strait are way down. As a society we have chosen to neglect wild salmon for decades and this is the result. The killer whale is a 'charismatic megafauna' that is now the focus of the federal gov't and the SRKW survival seems to be a top priority for them. This is directly tied to the Kinder Morgan approval and already, $10's of millions of dollars have been spent/earmarked for studies on how to protect these whales (marine acoustics, pollution, prey). The big takeaway from the whale conference (attended by around 200 experts in whales, salmon, pollutants, noise, gov't, NGO, etc) is that we need more adult chinook salmon (preferably big ones) coming back to the Strait each year. The other big takeaway is that everyone seems to want more chinook NOW! unfortunately that is not how salmon work. It will take a serious coordinated effort to get the number of chinook needed and this won't be done overnight.

As others have mentioned, shutting down the rec fishery will not immediately save the whales either. Gonna be interesting to see what happens coming out of this conference.

I find it hard to believe orcas rely so heavily on Chinook, I mean really a hungry/starving orca will turn its nose up at other salmon species? I can see where they may be the prefered food, but not the difference between survival and starvation? Certainly ,they must have a more diverse diet, if not, I don't like their odds. Nature is pretty harsh when animals over specialize.

I suspect this attack on the Spring fishery is simply the first shot. Face it, rec fishery seems to be the low hanging fruit!
 
Well Agent that pretty much suggests that their inability to adapt will likely lead to their demise. I am actually quite shocked they have managed to hang on as long as they have. The Chinook population has been pretty low in our local waters and most adjacent waters for many years. Given the size of these animals it's hard to believe it capable of sustaining even 70 whales. Natural selection? Adapt or become extinct? Hard to believe nature blundered so badly, but I guess history sadly is full of examples. Only solution I see is to ramp up salmon ranching because I can't see where reducing the recreational catch would have much impact?
 
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Hey TC, perhaps when you have a chance you can share with us some of the proposed solutions from the symposium? I'm interested as I'm sure are many others as to what measures or combination of measures need to be taken? I agree a lot of stuff in nature is hard to believe.
 
Ziggy, the symposium was more of a starting point than an action plan. I think one of the conclusions that several of the presenters came to was that there needs to be someone leading the charge. An expert panel of 3-5 people to lead this chinook recovery plan seems like a good idea to me. For a recovery effort this complex you need someone (or several people) steering the ship, bringing all of the info together, coordinating the work, reporting to the public, and being held accountable. I don't think gov't should be doing this alone. I don't think any particular industry group should be doing it alone. There were several great presenters at the event but I imagine most of them are extremely busy as is so it would take some convincing for them to lead this effort as it would be a full time endeavour for many years. I thought John Ford, Brian Riddell, Andrew Trites all gave excellent insight into the SRKW recovery options. Many other good presenters as well but I wasn't there for the whole thing.

I'll be following this issue closely so will update here with anything I hear in terms of next steps.

Hey TC, perhaps when you have a chance you can share with us some of the proposed solutions from the symposium? I'm interested as I'm sure are many others as to what measures or combination of measures need to be taken? I agree a lot of stuff in nature is hard to believe.
 
So, did the discussion cover killing of a lot of the seal population?

They defiantly have had a huge effect on salmon and their population has grown immensely.



Ziggy, the symposium was more of a starting point than an action plan. I think one of the conclusions that several of the presenters came to was that there needs to be someone leading the charge. An expert panel of 3-5 people to lead this chinook recovery plan seems like a good idea to me. For a recovery effort this complex you need someone (or several people) steering the ship, bringing all of the info together, coordinating the work, reporting to the public, and being held accountable. I don't think gov't should be doing this alone. I don't think any particular industry group should be doing it alone. There were several great presenters at the event but I imagine most of them are extremely busy as is so it would take some convincing for them to lead this effort as it would be a full time endeavour for many years. I thought John Ford, Brian Riddell, Andrew Trites all gave excellent insight into the SRKW recovery options. Many other good presenters as well but I wasn't there for the whole thing.

I'll be following this issue closely so will update here with anything I hear in terms of next steps.
 
So, did the discussion cover killing of a lot of the seal population?

They defiantly have had a huge effect on salmon and their population has grown immensely.

I can't see that being politically palatable or possible. One of the main reasons the seals are eating more salmon is that their historic food source - herring is being overharvested. One of the best ways to help restore wild fish populations is to reduce the herring fishery. This would help reduce seal predation of salmon and provide much needed food source for juvenile outgoing and adult returning salmon.
 
Ziggy, the symposium was more of a starting point than an action plan. I think one of the conclusions that several of the presenters came to was that there needs to be someone leading the charge. An expert panel of 3-5 people to lead this chinook recovery plan seems like a good idea to me. For a recovery effort this complex you need someone (or several people) steering the ship, bringing all of the info together, coordinating the work, reporting to the public, and being held accountable. I don't think gov't should be doing this alone. I don't think any particular industry group should be doing it alone. There were several great presenters at the event but I imagine most of them are extremely busy as is so it would take some convincing for them to lead this effort as it would be a full time endeavour for many years. I thought John Ford, Brian Riddell, Andrew Trites all gave excellent insight into the SRKW recovery options. Many other good presenters as well but I wasn't there for the whole thing.

I'll be following this issue closely so will update here with anything I hear in terms of next steps.
That's awesome looking forward to your posts TC.
 
FYI,
Hey TC, perhaps when you have a chance you can share with us some of the proposed solutions from the symposium? I'm interested as I'm sure are many others as to what measures or combination of measures need to be taken? I agree a lot of stuff in nature is hard to believe.

Realizing the link below is an article put out by the David Suzuki Foundation, there is a list there of possible actions that conservation groups have come up with. #1, #2 and #6 are the main ones that would seem to effect fishers in southern portion of GS

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/media/ne...ymposium-failed-to-establish-concrete-action/
 
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