Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
The time has come for the rec sector to start organizing to protect our access to fish salmon around Southern Vancouver Island. We must show a strong, unified voice to DFO and the Govt. that shutting down fishing is not the answer! The data on orca Chinook consumption tells the real story - if we shut down all Chinook fishing in Areas 19 & 20 for the entire season it would only save enough Chinook to feed them for approximately 2 weeks while causing havoc to the local communities/economies and businesses that rely on rec fishing. This is not a solution!
We need to produce more Chinook while we work on improving the other factors that contribute to the SRKW's decline (i.e. pollution, noise, marine traffic, etc.). If we do not fight this we could face fishing closures for years to come. Time to write DFO, your MP the Prime Minister, etc. Also time to support rec fishing lobbying groups like SVIAC, SFI-BC BCWF, etc. who can lobby the govt. on our behalf. This is about to become very serious, quite soon!
Here is a link to the actual petition to the Federal Govt:
https://www.nrdc.org/resources/peti...ent-killer-whales-under-s-80-species-risk-act
It contains the wording of the request complete with tables and maps of proposed fishing closure zones
Newspaper Article:
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-conservation-groups-seek-emergency-protection-for-southern-resident-killer-whales
B.C. conservation groups seek emergency protection for southern resident killer whales
Randy Shore
More from Randy Shore
Published on: January 30, 2018 | Last Updated: January 30, 2018 1:19 PM PST
Emergency action is needed under the Species at Risk Act to halt and reverse the decline of endangered, salmon-eating killer whales in B.C. waters, according to a coalition of conservation groups.
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the David Suzuki Foundation and others are petitioning the federal government to curtail sport fishing and whale watching in feeding areas essential to the survival of the orcas and to restrict fishing on specific Chinook salmon populations that sustain the southern resident killer whales.
Commercial shipping traffic should also be slowed down as the vessels pass critical feeding areas to limit acoustic interference that hampers the orcas’ ability to locate and catch prey, they say.
The southern residents are a genetically and culturally distinct population that feed on salmon, rather than on marine mammals.
There are only 76 members of the southern resident group left, down from 83 two years ago, according to the Center for Whale Research in Washington state.
“These animals have been listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) since 2003 and so far the federal government has done nothing to reduce the threats that actually face these whales,” said Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon program director at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “We’ve gotten to the point where urgent action is needed.”
The southern resident group is listed as “endangered” under SARA.
It would be enough if the government simply implemented its own Resident Killer Whale Action Plan released last year, the groups say. The detailed federal plan aims to ensure access to food, reduce disturbance due to human activities, protect whales from pollution and protect critical habitat for northern and southern resident killer whales.
Federal marine scientists have several research projects underway — bankrolled by the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan — to better understand the health of the southern residents, their foraging habits and the acoustic impact of small vessels.
“The federal government has invested a lot in understanding these issues, but that have done nothing to actually reduce the threat,” said MacDuffee. “They’ve done lots of research, they hold symposiums, they are saying good things, but they have been saying this for some time and done nothing.”
The petition calls for restrictions on fisheries that target south-migrating Chinook salmon, the southern residents’ favourite food.
“We are asking to reduce Chinook fisheries on populations that are important to southern residents and that are on their way to critical (orca) habitat and foraging areas,” she said.
Foraging areas along southwest Vancouver Island, Boundary Pass and the approaches to the Fraser River should be closed to recreational salmon fishing and whale watching, they say.
“There are 14 to 28 whale-watching boats following those whales every day when they enter the Salish Sea for summer feeding,” MacDuffee said.
Fisheries Minister Dominic Leblanc announced in October that special restrictions of 200 metres would soon apply to southern resident killer whales, reflecting their precarious status, and putting Canada in line with a 200-yard ban applied by the U.S.
“There are about 55,000 boat trips a year by recreational fishing vessels that are targeting Chinook and the boats are so dense that the whales can’t access the fish,” MacDuffee said. “Those are their prime feeding areas.”
rshore@postmedia.com
-With files from Larry Pynn
We need to produce more Chinook while we work on improving the other factors that contribute to the SRKW's decline (i.e. pollution, noise, marine traffic, etc.). If we do not fight this we could face fishing closures for years to come. Time to write DFO, your MP the Prime Minister, etc. Also time to support rec fishing lobbying groups like SVIAC, SFI-BC BCWF, etc. who can lobby the govt. on our behalf. This is about to become very serious, quite soon!
Here is a link to the actual petition to the Federal Govt:
https://www.nrdc.org/resources/peti...ent-killer-whales-under-s-80-species-risk-act
It contains the wording of the request complete with tables and maps of proposed fishing closure zones
Newspaper Article:
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-conservation-groups-seek-emergency-protection-for-southern-resident-killer-whales
B.C. conservation groups seek emergency protection for southern resident killer whales
Randy Shore
More from Randy Shore
Published on: January 30, 2018 | Last Updated: January 30, 2018 1:19 PM PST
Emergency action is needed under the Species at Risk Act to halt and reverse the decline of endangered, salmon-eating killer whales in B.C. waters, according to a coalition of conservation groups.
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the David Suzuki Foundation and others are petitioning the federal government to curtail sport fishing and whale watching in feeding areas essential to the survival of the orcas and to restrict fishing on specific Chinook salmon populations that sustain the southern resident killer whales.
Commercial shipping traffic should also be slowed down as the vessels pass critical feeding areas to limit acoustic interference that hampers the orcas’ ability to locate and catch prey, they say.
The southern residents are a genetically and culturally distinct population that feed on salmon, rather than on marine mammals.
There are only 76 members of the southern resident group left, down from 83 two years ago, according to the Center for Whale Research in Washington state.
“These animals have been listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) since 2003 and so far the federal government has done nothing to reduce the threats that actually face these whales,” said Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon program director at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “We’ve gotten to the point where urgent action is needed.”
The southern resident group is listed as “endangered” under SARA.
It would be enough if the government simply implemented its own Resident Killer Whale Action Plan released last year, the groups say. The detailed federal plan aims to ensure access to food, reduce disturbance due to human activities, protect whales from pollution and protect critical habitat for northern and southern resident killer whales.
Federal marine scientists have several research projects underway — bankrolled by the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan — to better understand the health of the southern residents, their foraging habits and the acoustic impact of small vessels.
“The federal government has invested a lot in understanding these issues, but that have done nothing to actually reduce the threat,” said MacDuffee. “They’ve done lots of research, they hold symposiums, they are saying good things, but they have been saying this for some time and done nothing.”
The petition calls for restrictions on fisheries that target south-migrating Chinook salmon, the southern residents’ favourite food.
“We are asking to reduce Chinook fisheries on populations that are important to southern residents and that are on their way to critical (orca) habitat and foraging areas,” she said.
Foraging areas along southwest Vancouver Island, Boundary Pass and the approaches to the Fraser River should be closed to recreational salmon fishing and whale watching, they say.
“There are 14 to 28 whale-watching boats following those whales every day when they enter the Salish Sea for summer feeding,” MacDuffee said.
Fisheries Minister Dominic Leblanc announced in October that special restrictions of 200 metres would soon apply to southern resident killer whales, reflecting their precarious status, and putting Canada in line with a 200-yard ban applied by the U.S.
“There are about 55,000 boat trips a year by recreational fishing vessels that are targeting Chinook and the boats are so dense that the whales can’t access the fish,” MacDuffee said. “Those are their prime feeding areas.”
rshore@postmedia.com
-With files from Larry Pynn
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