DFO Meeting re Pender Bluffs Aug 13

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Key notes:

Not a single person spoke up in favour of the sanctuary zone / closures, several people spoke up pointing out many Pender fishers do not possess large enough boats to transit to the non closed areas and if they did, it would produce a higher carbon footprint in this climate emergency. There was general frustration at the fact that basically only locals are affected because nobody else knows/cares about it and that the exercise was futile with 0 (zero) SRKW activity in the area year to date.

Real time monitoring hydrophones are in place that can detect whale activity reasonably reliably (and improving by the month, a team from Google and others wrote the algorithm) - the given explanation why areas cannot be closed when whales are detected was we don't have the legislation that permits it.

More BS From DFO! If we don’t have the Legislation to temporarily close areas whose fault is that? Have they made any proposals to the law makers, their bosses? I’m guessing no!
How is it that they invoke temporary closures other every year? How is it they can close Prawning when the spawners index hits a certain level? How is it they can enact closures for Red tide or high coliform? How is it the can shut down commercial fishers when a quota is caught? DFO has the tools but it appears not the craftsmen to operate them.
Maybe a start for them seen as how the can’t figure out how to draft legislation is to adopt the bubble avoidance concept until a government capable of crafting what is pretty basic legislation can takeover from them.
I applaud you guys who attended and put up with the BS. Either DFO is completely stupid or thinks we are.

 

[Slammin' Salmon]

I've been out and about around Pender a couple of times this year, and every time I've seen a number of boats cruising through the No-Go zone. If I'm seeing them why aren't the authorities seeing them?

Pretty sure I saw at least one boat trolling in front of the Bluffs on the long weekend too but I couldn't get close enough to tell. Because, you know, it's a No-Go zone.....

 

[ryanb]

I've been out and about around Pender a couple of times this year, and every time I've seen a number of boats cruising through the No-Go zone. If I'm seeing them why aren't the authorities seeing them?

Pretty sure I saw at least one boat trolling in front of the Bluffs on the long weekend too but I couldn't get close enough to tell. Because, you know, it's a No-Go zone.....

Not every Canadian is excluded from the zone...

 

[High Time]

The meeting on Pender was a very lame attempt by DFO,Dept of Transport,and Parks Canada to try and defend the ridiculous closures that they have implemented. You could tell by their mannerisms that they were very uncomfortable trying to make a case for what has been done. We got a rambling explanation that it was based on historical data,etc. etc. and we all know that it is based on the position put forward by the ENGO's 3 years ago, when they were threatened to be taken to court. There was nobody there with any decision making power, just a variety of people that have been tasked by their political masters to implement a useless plan, doomed to failure but ordered to do so. I almost felt sorry for them, almost.... Hard to defend a whale sanctuary No-Go area that from day one has not had one SRKW pass through it, has had a constant stream of boats pouring through which now numbers several thousand, and it is obvious that they have given up trying to enforce it. I tried to suggest a couple times that a Fishery Avoidance regulation , ie "Bubble Zone" was all that was necessary to allow the whales, should they ever appear, to pass through undisturbed , but was met by a stony silence. Obviously not what they wanted to hear. These were people being told what to do and the whole show was rather depressing. It is obvious that the affected fishers in area 18 and particularly Pender Bluffs, are being written off as collateral damage and being dismissed. If we don't get rid of the Puppetmaster in Ottawa and his puppet in North Van., we are in big trouble. Wish I could be more positive.