I agree that ultimately it is a public relations issue but I don’t think we can win it. The FN’s have the most powerful political lobby in Canada and huge tax dollars for lawyers, PR people and consultants. In the public mind and that of the courts, they are only catching a few fish for eating over the winter, so what’s wrong with that. There is a total disconnect between that image and the reality and scope of what has been actually happening with the lower Fraser river net fishery. Still in this age of cell phone cameras it would be useful to have some pictures and video.
It is not difficult to have empathy for the upper Fraser and tributary Bands who are only seeing a few fish retuning to spawn, especially since they generally fish responsibly and use selective fishing methods such as dip nets. It must be frustrating for them to know that their fish are being slaughter trying to get by the wall of indiscriminate nets in the lower Fraser. It also seems to me that the lower Fraser Bands have been successful in deflecting responsibility for the problem off of themselves and onto sport fishing in area 19 and 20. That area 19 and 20 sport fishing has little impact on the stocks of concerns because of the original slot restriction is not a concern. The extension of the slot restriction and additional retention restrictions and boundary extension was unnecessary from a conservation perspective and only makes sense from a political perspective. We know the impact of the Fraser nets is huge and has been the single largest impact on the stocks of concern, especially if one discounts habitat degradation and water leases in the River valleys. I doubt anyone knows the true extent of it and from DFO’s perspective, since they really can’t do anything about it, it is probably better not to know.
It is not difficult to have empathy for the upper Fraser and tributary Bands who are only seeing a few fish retuning to spawn, especially since they generally fish responsibly and use selective fishing methods such as dip nets. It must be frustrating for them to know that their fish are being slaughter trying to get by the wall of indiscriminate nets in the lower Fraser. It also seems to me that the lower Fraser Bands have been successful in deflecting responsibility for the problem off of themselves and onto sport fishing in area 19 and 20. That area 19 and 20 sport fishing has little impact on the stocks of concerns because of the original slot restriction is not a concern. The extension of the slot restriction and additional retention restrictions and boundary extension was unnecessary from a conservation perspective and only makes sense from a political perspective. We know the impact of the Fraser nets is huge and has been the single largest impact on the stocks of concern, especially if one discounts habitat degradation and water leases in the River valleys. I doubt anyone knows the true extent of it and from DFO’s perspective, since they really can’t do anything about it, it is probably better not to know.
]
