... Appears plenty of spawners for hatchery brood. Not quite as bad as feared...
While I Applaud and indeed Admire your Optimism there searun, I ain't quite buying in to the "
Everything's Ducky" line quite yet.
The noted escapement of chinook adults (14498) is still basically 10 Thousand
SHY of meeting the Egg Target Requirements for this system. And while the hatchery personnel note they are "
holding enough chinook for our egg targets.", we both recognize that number represents the bare minimum to meet those egg targets. Egg targets btw that have been subject to reduction after reduction over the past decade.
I have been up to the hatchery, and seen the holding springs. While they
may have enough to meet today's greatly reduced standard, the fish overall are very much on the "small" size, and the holding tanks look damn near empty compared to a "decent" year. The numbers that were holding out side of the fence were the lowest I have ever seen - the Lagoon was damn near empty, and that trend continues up and down the system on the various spawning reaches. I walked a great many of these, and in areas that you usually can not even see the river bed due to the numbers of spawning springs, there are but a handful at each site.
What happened this year was a Travesty. However I
STRONGLY Agree that we
MUST "
determine what needs to be done to ensure we do not have a repeat over harvest situation." I sense there will be No Accountability from either
The Dino nor those who participated in the commercial fishery that wantonly slaughtered exponentially more than their allotment. As difficult as it is to me to accept that, IF we actually do manage to instill a system of checks and balances that will prevent future over-harvests (especially of such Magnitude!) then just perhaps something somewhat beneficial may come from the whole Fiasco. While I strongly support such targeted action, given the history here, I won't be holding my breath...
I would have loved to be front and center at the upcoming Open House in November, but with an active Moose LEH and some serious long-term plans in the works for that particular timing, I won't be able to. I do wish you and the others who attend
All The Best in working towards prevention of the long established "routine" of over harvests on our salmon stocks here.
To that end, I'd like to suggest a couple of points that should be considered for doing so:
- LIMIT the Number of Participants in any and all local fisheries;
- LIMIT the Areas they can operate in;
- LIMIT the Time they are allowed to fish;
- ENFORCE the Regulations regarding pre-opening Poaching;
- Monitor & ENFORCE the Harvest Limits as established;
- Impose Serious Fines and Equipment Seizures for those who choose to act outside of these confines.
None of that is
Rocket Science. All of it can be attained, and should already have been in place had DFO been paying anything more than
Lip Service to their job.
Again,
Best Of Luck with moving forward. I can't help but think you (and the resource) are going to need it...
Cheers,
Nog
.
