@Stizzla...you asked for my thoughts on this, so here they are.
Given the fact that the sport fishing sector, and to some extent, the commercial fleet have taken the brunt of these restrictions it is understandable that everyone is angry, frustrated and ready to do almost anything to get the attention of DFO and the Ministry. There has been a wide range of suggestions in numerous threads in the forum, so the level of frustration is unprecedented. Should people be angry and frustrated-yes, should they push for a cohesive message-yes, should we start a social media campaign-yes, should we be prepared to get off our wallets and our butts to help raise funds to support the cause-yes, should we, in our state of anger and frustration, start protests, blockades and generally be confrontational to gain attention-IMO no.
Today's protests are much more subtle, well planned and executed by a constant delivery of messages that help educate a much broader audience than the old style, wrap yourself around a tree and let the news media tell your story days. It was pointed out by Profisher that, in today's world, either you control your message or somebody else will. This is so true. Given the way mainstream media works, the minute an armada of boats shows up in protest, the reporter is going to identify the person who looks the most pissed off and they are going to stick a microphone and a camera in their face and let him or her rant on, and hope that it goes instantly viral. They are also going to highlight the most expensive 2 or 3 boats from the armada to show what the average sport fishing vessel looks like and the world at large is going to have yet another reason to perceive us as spoiled, somewhat more affluent than the average person whiners, who are only interested in fishing until the last Salmon is dead. Why...because facts don't sell, stories do. Will they mention all the hard work that countless fishermen put in to Salmon enhancement, or the many hours people spend sitting on volunteer boards, or point out the work that happens at hatchery facilities that could actually make a difference to the Killer Whales? Of course not..and if they did it would likely be with a slant toward the selfish motivation of creating more fishing opportunities for ourselves.
Again, a few members have preached patience while a cohesive plan can be worked out to attack the falsehoods that have been perpetuated against the sport fishing community for far too long. I have had some preliminary conversations, with people who know more than I do regarding the battles that have been ongoing for many years, about how our platform can best be used to help spread the word and assist in organizing the resources needed to push for change. These plans will take time to formulate and input will come from a number of places, but if we don't have a cohesive plan that is carried out with discipline and purpose, only chaos and further divisiveness will occur, which of course plays right into the hands of those who would love to see us off the water forever.
While I understand everyone's feeling of wanting to do something immediately to counter the injustice that has been brought upon our community, I would ask for patience and a willingness to be ready to help, in anyway possible, when the time comes to move forward. As Rollie pointed out, these things don't happen overnight, but the mere fact that so many of you are ready to pitch in is encouraging. Don't let your anger and frustration disappear, just let it simmer for the time being.
Brian