Upset about the Chinook Closures? What to do next?

[cohochinook]

We're all feeling shell shocked by DFO's decision to close Chinook salmon by going with option A and adding in that our Chinook possession limit will go from 30 to 10, which wasn't even part of the consultation. Discussions are taking place behind the scenes on what the next steps will be with some sport fishers and organizations that were heavily with the process. More information on this will be coming forward in next couple of days.

What can you as individual anglers do right now to voice your concerns?:

• Write or phone your local MP to express your concerns. Here is an easy way to search it up if you don't have their contact information https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members

• Make sure you call or write the Fisheries Minister at both his DFO email and his constituency office email, also copy any email to your MP to the Fisheries Minister. Here's his contact information: Jonathan.Wilkinson@parl.gc.ca min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca 102 - 3rd Street West (Main Office)North Vancouver, British Columbia V7M 1E8 Telephone: 604-775-6333​

• Lastly I suggest that you contact as many Liberal MP's as possible. Here's a link to help with contact information https://www.liberal.ca/mp/ Not trying make it just about the Liberals, but they need to know that your upset about the Minister's decision. Our ability to put political pressure has never been higher than now, with upcoming October election and nervous Liberal MP’s! This pressure could lead to Minister making some adjustments to the Chinook closure areas. We're already hearing that he might be open to this.

Last suggestion I know its easy to go on a rampage of rage when doing this, but try to specific points of concern that you can back up, rather than just going off the rails. Hurling insults, as much as they make you feel better, won't help.

 

[wildmanyeah]

For anyone Fishing in the vancouver area, Jason from pacific angler somes up the issue.

lots of good points to include in your letter https://www.pacificangler.ca/pacific-angler-friday-fishing-report-april-19-2019/

Also for thoes that dont want to take the time to write a letter perhaps we should put togeather a form letter like the ENGO's did.

 

[cohochinook]

For anyone Fishing in the vancouver area, Jason from pacific angler somes up the issue.

lots of good points to include in your letter https://www.pacificangler.ca/pacific-angler-friday-fishing-report-april-19-2019/

Also for thoes that dont want to take the time to write a letter perhaps we should put togeather a form letter like the ENGO's did.

Jason put together some great points! Always best to try write a personal letter than a form letter, but if someone put together a draft template for a letter, that would be helpful. Not all of us are comfortable writing letters.

The other option is making a phone call or visiting your MP's office if you don't like to write.

 

[ziggy]

I don’t know about form letters although I do know both them as well as online petitions are often used. Not sure if they help, but they sure can’t hurt!

 

[Tin Mann]

Just spent an hour on my letter...thx for that link.

 

[Tin Mann]

Very satisfying I might add!!!

 

[Rain City]

Is it worth going to the news with a really good spokesman that can lay out the points we as fisherman all know are the facts? You know basically smear the opposition and make the story about how lies are being told. I wouldn't go too deep into the why but perhaps some real journalism could?

 

[cohochinook]

Is it worth going to the news with a really good spokesman that can lay out the points we as fisherman all know are the facts? You know basically smear the opposition and make the story about how lies are being told. I wouldn't go too deep into the why but perhaps some real journalism could?

There is some work going on in the background to organize some stuff that would engage the media. More details to come soon.

In the interim above is what individual Anglers can do to help.

 

[feelin swell]

I'm getting pretty f'ing mad at what's transpiring. I think the rec fishing sector and all its reps at some point should consider pulling out of everything and boycotting every interaction with DFO for 2019 and let everyone know why. Send out letters of withdrawal from all rec committees connected to DFO and send copies to provincial and federal politicians and press, and whoever else they can think of. Also boycott the latest FN/stateholder/public input meetings. DFO already knows what they are going to do. Let silence and absence go to work. Make sure letters state the reasons why. That DFO's extreme fishing restrictions are premature and based on weak and incomplete science. That the larger negatives impacts of pollution/toxicity, loss of marine/stream habitat, pinniped, herring fishery, and disease ridden salmon farms are not being adequately addressed. That DFO's restrictions will unnecessarily impact many businesses and small communities . DFO and Feds need to get a clear message from the Rec Fishing Sector that extreme fishing restrictions are unacceptable while there is only lip service and weak funding proposed to address the other systemic problems affecting BC fish stocks. Compare what the feds are proposing to help our fish stocks compared to Washington State's $1.5 billon dollar effort to help their stocks.

I am even considering boycotting the entire 2109 season and personally shut 'er down. No fn licence purchase, cancel my fn boat trailer insurance, no fn repairs, no fn gas, no fn bait, no fn gear purchases, no fn launches, no fn lunches, no fn coffees, no fn nothing, no fn seagull **** on my hull, no fn me for rcmp/fisheries to check, fn flyover's?.... I'm not fn there.

FN BS pure and simple.

 

[wildmanyeah]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=405091256957148

 

[Rob H]

Jason put together some great points! Always best to try write a personal letter than a form letter, but if someone put together a draft template for a letter, that would be helpful. Not all of us are comfortable writing letters.

The other option is making a phone call or visiting your MP's office if you don't like to write.

Thanks for posting the link to Jason's letter. He did a good job of explaining the situation. It is a good read for everyone. I could live with being shut down if it is the only way to keep the nets out of the river, provided that every net is kept out till August 1 when my area re-opens (20-5). If there are any nets in the river prior to Aug 1 I and everyone else should feel betrayed by our Liberal Government and DFO as well. There is no hope for the threatened runs in the Fraser if the netting continues as in previous years.
...Rob

 

[barkerfam]

I'm getting pretty f'ing mad at what's transpiring. I think the rec fishing sector and all its reps at some point should consider pulling out of everything and boycotting every interaction with DFO for 2019 and let everyone know why. Send out letters of withdrawal from all rec committees connected to DFO and send copies to provincial and federal politicians and press, and whoever else they can think of. Also boycott the latest FN/stateholder/public input meetings. DFO already knows what they are going to do. Let silence and absence go to work. Make sure letters state the reasons why. That DFO's extreme fishing restrictions are premature and based on weak and incomplete science. That the larger negatives impacts of pollution/toxicity, loss of marine/stream habitat, pinniped, herring fishery, and disease ridden salmon farms are not being adequately addressed. That DFO's restrictions will unnecessarily impact many businesses and small communities . DFO and Feds need to get a clear message from the Rec Fishing Sector that extreme fishing restrictions are unacceptable while there is only lip service and weak funding proposed to address the other systemic problems affecting BC fish stocks. Compare what the feds are proposing to help our fish stocks compared to Washington State's $1.5 billon dollar effort to help their stocks.

I am even considering boycotting the entire 2109 season and personally shut 'er down. No fn licence purchase, cancel my fn boat trailer insurance, no fn repairs, no fn gas, no fn bait, no fn gear purchases, no fn launches, no fn lunches, no fn coffees, no fn nothing, no fn seagull **** on my hull, no fn me for rcmp/fisheries to check, fn flyover's?.... I'm not fn there.

FN BS pure and simple.

While it may make you feel better. My thoughts are that your boycott of one does nothing to the organization that draws your anger.

 

[High Time]

Thanks for posting the link to Jason's letter. He did a good job of explaining the situation. It is a good read for everyone. I could live with being shut down if it is the only way to keep the nets out of the river, provided that every net is kept out till August 1 when my area re-opens (20-5). If there are any nets in the river prior to Aug 1 I and everyone else should feel betrayed by our Liberal Government and DFO as well. There is no hope for the threatened runs in the Fraser if the netting continues as in previous years.
...Rob

Rob raises a very good point, if area 20-5 is closed until Aug. 1 and the natives start hammering the Fraser on July 15, they will in fact be catching the early stocks that were being conserved and passing through Area 20-5 and through the Gulf Islands and Southern Georgia Strait from July 1 on wards. So basically reallocating more fish into the river for the natives. Another brilliant move by DFO....to conserve the endangered early stocks. The timing of passing through these stocks applies to everyone but the natives. What else would we expect.....

 

[cohochinook]

Thanks for posting the link to Jason's letter. He did a good job of explaining the situation. It is a good read for everyone. I could live with being shut down if it is the only way to keep the nets out of the river, provided that every net is kept out till August 1 when my area re-opens (20-5). If there are any nets in the river prior to Aug 1 I and everyone else should feel betrayed by our Liberal Government and DFO as well. There is no hope for the threatened runs in the Fraser if the netting continues as in previous years.
...Rob

There's already fisheries scheduled for Chinook in the upper Fraser this week. To think that this will lead to any reduction substantially in The netting is fooling yourself unfortunately!

Here's the link:

https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/fraser/docs/abor-autoc/UpperFraser/UMFOpenTimes-eng.htm

 

[Deewar25]

There's already fisheries scheduled for Chinook in the upper Fraser this week. To think that this will lead to any reduction substantially in The netting is fooling yourself unfortunately!

Here's the link:

https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/fraser/docs/abor-autoc/UpperFraser/UMFOpenTimes-eng.htm

this was posted prior to the DFO restrictions - we have to 'hope' they have since been removed or minimized since. Can pretty well guarantee all hell breaks loose if its still status quo for the nets.

 

[cohochinook]

this was posted prior to the DFO restrictions - we have to 'hope' they have since been removed or minimized since. Can pretty well guarantee all hell breaks loose if its still status quo for the nets.

You think they didn't know the restrictions were going in when they allowed this opening? Look a sport fisherman were really easy targets. Simply put this is what DFO has done to us. If we sit back and happily wait with our hands by our sides, we're going to be screwed even more next year!

 

[island idiots]

Why would fisherman who care about conservation, endure closures while "others" fish endangered fish stocks, not ensure that those vessels fishing those endangered stocks never leave the dock?

 

[Aces]

Rob raises a very good point, if area 20-5 is closed until Aug. 1 and the natives start hammering the Fraser on July 15, they will in fact be catching the early stocks that were being conserved and passing through Area 20-5 and through the Gulf Islands and Southern Georgia Strait from July 1 on wards. So basically reallocating more fish into the river for the natives. Another brilliant move by DFO....to conserve the endangered early stocks. The timing of passing through these stocks applies to everyone but the natives. What else would we expect.....

This is simply a reallocation from sport and commercial to fn. to think it’s anything else is delusional

 

[RBL]

Well I personally think that DFO should be put on the spot to explain how they can justify closing the rec and commercial fisheries but allow First Nations to put nets across the river. If these runs are in such a critical state, how does it make sense to harvest any of these fish. I would really like to hear them explain that one. Or maybe they have and I haven’t read it? If they have and someone has seen it can you post a link to it.

 

[fogged in]

Well I personally think that DFO should be put on the spot to explain how they can justify closing the rec and commercial fisheries but allow First Nations to put nets across the river. If these runs are in such a critical state, how does it make sense to harvest any of these fish. I would really like to hear them explain that one. Or maybe they have and I haven’t read it? If they have and someone has seen it can you post a link to it.

No doubt conservation action is needed to help protect out Fishery.
A good start would be reduce the Seal and Sea Lions populations to historical levels, protect our spawning grounds and get Disease riddled Fish Farms out of our waters BUT... DFO are simply following the Political wishes of our Liberal Federal and Green and NDP Provincial government.
Reallocation of the fishery comes 1st to the First Nations, 2nd to the Orcas, 3rd to the rest of us.
No change in site!! Enjoy what you can when you can.
It is only most likely to get worse!!