Anglers eagerly await return of pinks

[Nimo]

Quote from TC today:
Venture seeks to revive sport fishery by releasing hatchery-reared fry
Sandra Mcculloch, Times Colonist
Published: Monday, February 11, 2008
They're growing fast now, and the 250,000 pink salmon fry have lost the egg sacs from their bellies.

It's starting to look like about 8,000 of them might survive a two-year journey to the open ocean and return to be caught on a fishing line in Cowichan Bay.

Paul Rickard is optimistic that a venture to release pink salmon from a net pen in Cowichan Bay this spring will bring a thriving sport fishery back to the seaside community south of Duncan.

This is a joke. Let's release thousands of pink fry just in time for 2010 and hide from the World the incompentence and environmental disasters including fish farms and overfishing perpetuated by our governments. Does anyone remember expo 86'? Coho Everywhere. They released more coho fry to be adults for that event than any other year (at least that was our experience in CR.) We never had it so good. It was all down-hill from there. What was it... 2-3 cycles to total collapse and closure of the coho sports fishery? (reminds me of the Broughton predictions.) The fish couldn't be worse off.

[walleyes]

So why don't they do this every year,, why just for special events..

[Nimo]

I haven't followed it closely but I understand that they are putting this out as a "test." It's being promoted to various areas including the Victoria waterfront as a potentially ongoing program. Reading the article further, these fish will not spawn, they are to return to the community that raised them and sit near the beaches until they are caught. It's called a "put and take" fishery; I'd coin it "smoke and mirrors."

Why don't they do it every year? It's politics, tourism and money, but not necessarily in that order. It's way too expensive and there's no percentage in it. The fishery is not self sustaining and there's no way to directly measure the financial gain.

It's an insult to the small communities including the native villages that once depended on the salmon for their livelihoods and indeed sustenance.

I guess a long answer to your short question, sorry Walleyes. I think I'll stop there.

[walleyes]

Thats a fine answer nimo and thx.. Its funny how our governments have the money to shove into something like this and not into something more sustainable.. We go through similar things out here in A.B. with our Walleye.. Our government has basically made it illegal to keep one to eat but do you think they restock any lakes for us ?? oh no can't do that,, well very few anyways.. Mean while our licencing fees and tags keep going up, they say the money go's for conservation,, what conservation ?? more likely it go's to give themselves a raise.. Why they are reluctant to put the money directly back into our fisheries is beyond me..

[chris73]

Why wouldn't those pinks look for a close stream and actually do spawn? Maybe they will go up the Cowi and reproduce?

[Nimo]

According to the article: "The pink salmon will soon be transferred from the hatchery to a net pen off the Blue Nose Marina where they'll double in size before their release.

They'll return in a couple of years to be caught by the sports fishery. The fish won't spawn and reproduce because the waters of Cowichan Bay are too warm for their liking."

I wrote a great rant and it dissapeared. Anyway, I'd bet my hard earned dollars that the project won't live past 2010. The government will cite "newly emerging" scientific reports regarding fish farms and pink salmon - other needs for the eggs, lack of funding, etc etc.

How are 8000 non-spawning pinks returning to Cowichan Bay going to restart the Cowi's sportfishery? This is politically motivated disguised as a disguise.

[LastChance]

Seeing as you haven't been allowed to fish in the bay for some time, this ought to be interesting. Besides, it is JUST what we need, more damn pinks destroying bait as we target "real" fish.

[fishspoon]

when the pinks are in, it would be interesting that many avid flyfishers, young, old will have a good time catching pinks in the bay.

[Time]

The Cow Bay effort is not a "2010" adventure.
Intent is to have an ongoing fishery similar to what is occurring up-island.It is not DFO driven. In the Cowichan area the SFAB members seem to be the push behind it. The up-island pink rearings are also community driven.

Why Pinks?
Not sure exactly of all of the reasons, but I would guess:
Can be done without too much being required of DFO.
Relatively quick turnaround (2 year cycle).
Provides angling opportunities.
Pinks do not spend their first year in the freshwater rivers and streams. As we all know, freshwater habitat is, and has been, seriously degraded. The chinook, coho, and sockeye all require that first nurturing year in fresh before heading for the salt. Pinks (and chums) head almost immediately to sea, so I would think they have a much higher survival rate.

And they are 'real fish'.

Increased angler involvement and awareness, even if it is just for pinks, may lead to greater public recognition and pressure on politicians and DFO to enhance, maintain, and restore the once great runs of all samon species.

[Nimo]

Time: I agree with your last paragraph that it may provide awareness,and therfore increased enhancement etc, but it has to be heck of a coincidence that the province is putting money into this with a timing of 2010. And as for the fishing of them from shore, sure I think that would be fun, but not even a good bandaid.

I guess time will tell (no pun intended.)

Thanks for your thoughts.