Possible river fishing closures on van island
- Thread starter kingblazer84
- Start date
OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Let’s be very specific here, some group is pushing this agenda.
Something smells bad.
Fearing that recent droughts are stressing out fish, the B.C. government is proposing fishing closures in several rivers on the South Island.
The province says it wants to implement an extended fishing closure in the Koksilah and Chemainus River watersheds from July 1 to September 30 next year "to reflect the increased severity and duration of conditions typically experienced in those systems."
Rivers including Big Qualicum, Puntledge, Quinsam, Oyster and Nitinat would be exempt from the closures.
In the Cowichan River, fly fishing would only be permitted upstream of the Mile 66 railway trestle between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15, and no fishing would be permitted downstream for those dates.
The closures would help balance out fish populations during periods of stressful conditions, such as when flow levels are near or below five per cent mean annual discharge or when stream temperatures are greater than 20 degrees, according to the province.
"The cumulative impacts of elevated water temperatures and severely reduced stream flows generate additional stress on fish populations by reducing stream energy and insect drift," the province said in its rationale for the proposed closures.
That ends up disrupting patterns of movement into and out of sanctuaries like rivers and increasing metabolic stress, especially in places where fish are "angled to exhaustion" by fishermen.
Something smells bad.
Fearing that recent droughts are stressing out fish, the B.C. government is proposing fishing closures in several rivers on the South Island.
The province says it wants to implement an extended fishing closure in the Koksilah and Chemainus River watersheds from July 1 to September 30 next year "to reflect the increased severity and duration of conditions typically experienced in those systems."
Rivers including Big Qualicum, Puntledge, Quinsam, Oyster and Nitinat would be exempt from the closures.
In the Cowichan River, fly fishing would only be permitted upstream of the Mile 66 railway trestle between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15, and no fishing would be permitted downstream for those dates.
The closures would help balance out fish populations during periods of stressful conditions, such as when flow levels are near or below five per cent mean annual discharge or when stream temperatures are greater than 20 degrees, according to the province.
"The cumulative impacts of elevated water temperatures and severely reduced stream flows generate additional stress on fish populations by reducing stream energy and insect drift," the province said in its rationale for the proposed closures.
That ends up disrupting patterns of movement into and out of sanctuaries like rivers and increasing metabolic stress, especially in places where fish are "angled to exhaustion" by fishermen.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte/content/summer-closures-streams-southern-vancouver-island
Summer closures on streams of southern Vancouver Island
Regulation Number:
2019-01-05
Status:
Proposed
Region:
Region 1 - Vancouver Island
MU:
1-1
1-2
1-3
1-4
1-5
1-6
Regulation Type:
Season
Species:
All
Closing Date:
January 11, 2019 at midnight
Decision Statement:
Pending
Current Regulations:
There are no blanket summer closures in streams within Management Units 1-1 to 1-6.
Proposed Regulations:
Summer Closure: No fishing in any streams of Management Units 1-1 through 1-6 from July 15 to August 31, with exceptions:
• Streams in Management Units 1-1 through 1-6 consistently experience periods of critically low and/or warm conditions during the summer. This regulation will suspend all angling activity during the period from July 15th to August 31st, when these conditions are most acute and consistent, but excluding the Big Qualicum, Puntledge, Oyster, Nitinat and Quinsam Rivers. These named exceptions contain flow augmentation, thermal regulation and/or provide sustainable salmon based fisheries.
•An extended period of closure is proposed for the Koksilah and Chemainus River watersheds (July 1 to September 30), to reflect the increased severity and duration of conditions typically experienced in those systems.
•These proposed regulatory changes are intended to achieve a balance between the maintenance of sustainable fishing opportunities and the protection of fish and fish populations during periods of stressful conditions, as well as provide consistency with emerging provincial direction on drought-based fisheries management. Key considerations when evaluating the available data were identification of periods when flow levels were frequently near or below 5% mean annual discharge (%MAD; data from unregulated streams monitored by Water Survey Canada), and periods when stream temperatures are routinely greater than 20 degrees Celsius (based on data available for Cowichan River station 08ha002). These criteria are consistent with the recently developed guidelines in the ‘Provincial Fisheries Management: Drought Response Plan’, and reflect periods of significant stress to fish and fish populations.
• The cumulative impacts of elevated water temperatures and severely reduced stream flows generate additional stress on fish populations by reducing stream energy and insect drift, disrupting patterns of movement into and out of sanctuary habitats and by increasing metabolic stress, particularly where fish are angled to exhaustion by anglers.
Summer closures on streams of southern Vancouver Island
Regulation Number:
2019-01-05
Status:
Proposed
Region:
Region 1 - Vancouver Island
MU:
1-1
1-2
1-3
1-4
1-5
1-6
Regulation Type:
Season
Species:
All
Closing Date:
January 11, 2019 at midnight
Decision Statement:
Pending
Current Regulations:
There are no blanket summer closures in streams within Management Units 1-1 to 1-6.
Proposed Regulations:
Summer Closure: No fishing in any streams of Management Units 1-1 through 1-6 from July 15 to August 31, with exceptions:
- Koksilah River*: No fishing from July 1 to September 30.
- Chemainus River*: No fishing from July 1 to September 30.
- Big Qualicum, Puntledge, Quinsam, Oyster, and Nitinat Rivers: Exempt from summer closure.
- Cowichan River: Fly fishing only upstream of the CNR Mile 66 trestle Sept 1-Nov 15
Cowichan River: No fishing downstream of the CNR Mile 66 trestle Sept 1-Nov 15
• Streams in Management Units 1-1 through 1-6 consistently experience periods of critically low and/or warm conditions during the summer. This regulation will suspend all angling activity during the period from July 15th to August 31st, when these conditions are most acute and consistent, but excluding the Big Qualicum, Puntledge, Oyster, Nitinat and Quinsam Rivers. These named exceptions contain flow augmentation, thermal regulation and/or provide sustainable salmon based fisheries.
•An extended period of closure is proposed for the Koksilah and Chemainus River watersheds (July 1 to September 30), to reflect the increased severity and duration of conditions typically experienced in those systems.
•These proposed regulatory changes are intended to achieve a balance between the maintenance of sustainable fishing opportunities and the protection of fish and fish populations during periods of stressful conditions, as well as provide consistency with emerging provincial direction on drought-based fisheries management. Key considerations when evaluating the available data were identification of periods when flow levels were frequently near or below 5% mean annual discharge (%MAD; data from unregulated streams monitored by Water Survey Canada), and periods when stream temperatures are routinely greater than 20 degrees Celsius (based on data available for Cowichan River station 08ha002). These criteria are consistent with the recently developed guidelines in the ‘Provincial Fisheries Management: Drought Response Plan’, and reflect periods of significant stress to fish and fish populations.
• The cumulative impacts of elevated water temperatures and severely reduced stream flows generate additional stress on fish populations by reducing stream energy and insect drift, disrupting patterns of movement into and out of sanctuary habitats and by increasing metabolic stress, particularly where fish are angled to exhaustion by anglers.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
B.C. must take lead on salmon preservation, say west coast fishers
https://www.albernivalleynews.com/n...n-salmon-preservation-say-west-coast-fishers/
https://www.albernivalleynews.com/n...n-salmon-preservation-say-west-coast-fishers/
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