2024-25 DFO proposal and survey on salmon measures

Question 6: Do you have comments or considerations regarding the proposed Speed Restricted Areas (Green Hatched Areas in the map above) off the west coast of Vancouver Island around Swiftsure Bank?​



Speed restrictions are needed for all vessels on Swiftsure Bank. Yet, we are concerned that the 10 knot speed limit for small vessels may still be too high, and does not reflect the most recent findings of vessel disturbance that shows foraging can be disrupted within 1 km of vessels. As such, lower speeds or vessel exclusions may be required to support foraging SRKW. Increased monitoring & surveillance of non-AIS vessels and their compliance with speed restrictions is needed.

Question 7: Do you have comments or considerations regarding the proposed salmon fishing closures (identified in blue in both maps above) off the West Coast of Vancouver Island around Swiftsure Bank?​


Successful feeding from spring to fall is important to the survival and recovery of Southern Residents. As such, Option 2 is the preferred scenario for SRKWs as it provides a greater opportunity for whales to feed with minimal competition from fishing, disturbance and noise from vessels in the important foraging area near the mouth of Port Renfrew

Question 7: Do you have comments or considerations regarding the proposed salmon fishing closures (identified in blue in both maps above) off the West Coast of Vancouver Island around Swiftsure Bank?​


Successful feeding from spring to fall is important to the survival and recovery of Southern Residents. As such, Option 2 is the preferred scenario for SRKWs as it provides a greater opportunity for whales to feed with minimal competition from fishing, disturbance and noise from vessels in the important foraging area near the mouth of Port Renfrew

Question 8: Do you have comments or considerations regarding the proposed approach distance and/or the impeding the path prohibition?​


The 400m vessel approach distance is not in alignment with the best available science, which shows negative effects of vessel noise and disturbance on foraging within 1000m. Increasing the buffer to 1000m for all killer whales is necessary to further reduce foraging impacts and will harmonize Canadian regulations with upcoming changes in US waters.

Question 9: Do you have comments or considerations regarding the continuation of these voluntary measures?​



These voluntary measures are supported, however, the extent of compliance and their effectiveness needs to be assessed. In previous years, there has been no surveillance or reporting on the extent of compliance by government. An assessment of the numbers of boaters who participate and their overall effectiveness is required.

Question 10: Do you have any comments you would like to share with the Government of Canada regarding the transition from interim management measures to long-term protections?​


Yes. Effective, long term recovery measures are needed. The seasonal actions identified here need to be a broader set of comprehensive threat reduction measures on a scale biologically meaningful for SRKW survival and recovery. This includes robust measures for prey, noise and contaminants such as moving west coast Chinook interception fisheries, noise reduction targets in the Salish Sea that are meaningful for whales, and taking action to reduce contaminants in SRKW critical habitat and prey.
 
Our ENGO friends in action. I'm sorry but they are not any harvesters friend. I can not support them on any cause as this happens more often then not. You can bet they will be flooding these responses in. Hopefully DFO gets that these responses are all "staged" and does not think they are the average citizens input.
 
LOL.. I would expect anything less from these folks ;) Love blowing smoke up peaple arses.
 
any survey done online is mute. I could sit and write 1000’s of responses. Waste time and money on the governments part. You know they do will not use the science when they can use opinions as the science will prove them wrong
 
What's all this nonsense on the news about whales not having enough to eat?

Anyone who fishes BC waters will tell you that last season was a 30-year high point. And this winter’s fishery has been just incredible. Data from the 2023 Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) reports and 2024 forecasts, highlighted in a recent SFI newsletter, tell the tale:

  • 2023 returns of Summer 4.1 Chinook, which enter the Fraser July to September and spawn in the Thompson/Shuswap area, were estimated by DFO to be an unprecedented 627,000 fish. For the past decade, the average returns have been 75,000 to 100,000.
  • The Harrison River stock, closely monitored to provide a proxy for all the other rivers that make up the larger Fall 4.1 stock group, saw returns at 150,000—more than double the escapement goal.
  • Cowichan Chinook, another carefully monitored indicator stock, are estimated at 21,000, well over its escapement goal of 6,500 for over 7 years.
  • From 2023, enhanced Chinook returns to Barkley Sound are estimated at 200,000, and all West and East Coast Vancouver Island enhanced run returns are at high levels of abundance.
As for 2024, the DFO anticipates similar returns. I’m not one that enjoys political conversations, but seeing Chinook abundance in BC waters it’s hard not to engage when you see a news piece on TV with a narrative that the whales are starving, and claiming that a baby whale died because of “lack of food.” Speaking of whales, the last time I checked, whales were transient animals that follow equally transient food. Why would DFO think that no-fishing and no-go whale sanctuaries for recreational anglers are effective to aid whales? We suggest looking to the avoidance model that even the US embraces—see page 20 in the issue. Let’s think critically.

Michael Crichton said it best:

"The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. We must daily decide whether the threats we face are real, whether the solutions we are offered will do any good, whether the problems we’re told exist are in fact real problems, or non-problems."

Be sure to see the proof in the March-April issue. We'll continue to show the science, and capture the essence of our fishery in each and every issue. It's not just fishing, it's our culture and tradition—it's who we are. Just take one look at how Sean Heart on the cover of this issue is admiring and respecting that hatchery Chinook. That right there, is a true Island Fisherman.

Also in the March-April issue:

  • Right Rod to the Rocks
  • Climate Change Part II
  • Got Guts? Become a Citizen Scientist
  • See a Whale, Avoid a Whale
  • Reel in Relaxation with Nootka Marine Adventures
  • Euro Nymphing: The New Kid in Town (kind of)
  • Fly of the Month: One-Eyed Salmon Fry
  • Review: Mustang MIT 150 Convertible A/M Inflatable PFD
If you don't already, be sure to subscribe today to receive this issue before we run out again. Samples at your favourite shops are becoming very limited and are snapped up super fast.

Best Fishes,

Joel Unickow
Click here for letters to the editor
 
Derby said:
What's all this nonsense on the news about whales not having enough to eat?

Anyone who fishes BC waters will tell you that last season was a 30-year high point. And this winter’s fishery has been just incredible. Data from the 2023 Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) reports and 2024 forecasts, highlighted in a recent SFI newsletter, tell the tale:

  • 2023 returns of Summer 4.1 Chinook, which enter the Fraser July to September and spawn in the Thompson/Shuswap area, were estimated by DFO to be an unprecedented 627,000 fish. For the past decade, the average returns have been 75,000 to 100,000.
  • The Harrison River stock, closely monitored to provide a proxy for all the other rivers that make up the larger Fall 4.1 stock group, saw returns at 150,000—more than double the escapement goal.
  • Cowichan Chinook, another carefully monitored indicator stock, are estimated at 21,000, well over its escapement goal of 6,500 for over 7 years.
  • From 2023, enhanced Chinook returns to Barkley Sound are estimated at 200,000, and all West and East Coast Vancouver Island enhanced run returns are at high levels of abundance.
As for 2024, the DFO anticipates similar returns. I’m not one that enjoys political conversations, but seeing Chinook abundance in BC waters it’s hard not to engage when you see a news piece on TV with a narrative that the whales are starving, and claiming that a baby whale died because of “lack of food.” Speaking of whales, the last time I checked, whales were transient animals that follow equally transient food. Why would DFO think that no-fishing and no-go whale sanctuaries for recreational anglers are effective to aid whales? We suggest looking to the avoidance model that even the US embraces—see page 20 in the issue. Let’s think critically.

Michael Crichton said it best:

"The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. We must daily decide whether the threats we face are real, whether the solutions we are offered will do any good, whether the problems we’re told exist are in fact real problems, or non-problems."

Be sure to see the proof in the March-April issue. We'll continue to show the science, and capture the essence of our fishery in each and every issue. It's not just fishing, it's our culture and tradition—it's who we are. Just take one look at how Sean Heart on the cover of this issue is admiring and respecting that hatchery Chinook. That right there, is a true Island Fisherman.

Also in the March-April issue:

  • Right Rod to the Rocks
  • Climate Change Part II
  • Got Guts? Become a Citizen Scientist
  • See a Whale, Avoid a Whale
  • Reel in Relaxation with Nootka Marine Adventures
  • Euro Nymphing: The New Kid in Town (kind of)
  • Fly of the Month: One-Eyed Salmon Fry
  • Review: Mustang MIT 150 Convertible A/M Inflatable PFD
If you don't already, be sure to subscribe today to receive this issue before we run out again. Samples at your favourite shops are becoming very limited and are snapped up super fast.

Best Fishes,

Joel Unickow
Click here for letters to the editor
Click to expand...
Maybe there a lot more salmon because the Orca's learned to eat seals instead!
I wonder how many times an Orca chowing down on ne of those cute little seals will be advertised as a reason to stop fishing altogether, so Orca stop eating seals?

Probably a lot more wild stocks due to FF's being closed. The decline was that fast, FF showed up and an instant 20% decline in salmon that year and each year after with an anomaly once or twice.
 
Listened to this interview on the potential Port Renfrew renfrew closure ( link is below). This is perfect example of the narrative from people like Misty McDuffee of Rain coast Conservation. Listen carefully to her response to the concerns from the guiding community.

Listen closely she says even though the salmon runs appear to strong in summer it doesn't help the whales through entire year. Obviously now they are wanting winter closures, and eventually year round closure.

It seems totally apparent that the goal here by the conservation groups is get people off the water across BC as soon as possible by using whale closures, or politics within the government.

Great job by Allistair clearing a lot of the misinformation up.

 
Last edited:
Raincoats, etc, complete bunch of liars. Not fit to call themselves Canadians.

Maybe the transients are the dominant species, well it appears they are.
Could they wipe out the other ones?

Survival of the most adaptable orca that has seals, whales and other types of salmon on its menu, instead of Chinook. Which is utter ********.
Something wrong with a powerful Apex predator who is allowing his/hers families to
perish when there are ample food sources to tap into.

Could they do the breeding with the the Southern residents females??

Or, not about the whales, it’s about the Chinook, lol, let’s talk about that instead of around it.

Who would that benefit the most, apparently not the Resident Orcas.
 
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