IMPORTANT: SVIAC Town Mtg w/ Mel Arnold MP Re Fisheries Issues

[profisher]

Searun...that is my point..a properly controlled scientific study cannot be done. You can't make it a true quiet zone. Do you really think that all marine traffic is going to be prevented from transiting or visiting these zones to prevent data corruption?
Derby...why would I enjoy seeing fellow anglers suffer? I would enjoy seeing us all united in a serious push to get DFO to fix the Fraser and now Skeena watersheds and get this mess behind us all.

 

[scott craven]

You can have as many quiet area's as you want, if there isn't any food
the whales won't be there.

 

[ziggy]

Ziggy..take a look at the map that was the proposal for the marine park requested by Parks Canada only a few years back that got no traction back then. Once you compare the whale refuge area to the park proposal you will see that Parks Canada is as politically corrupt as DFO.

Your switching topics! I thought we were talking about the recent closure not a potential Parks Canada one. My point is that Area 18 got boned more than either 19 or 20 as opposed to your statement “ 19/20 took the brunt”, they didn’t. Funny how one area is seldom mentioned? I don’t believe Parks Canada’s proposal is at issue here. But I do appreciate you mentioning they further want to bone us

 

[ziggy]

You can have as many quiet area's as you want, if there isn't any food
the whales won't be there.

Bang on! Whales will move to where the food source is, or should! That’s why it’s important for business to have foraging areas close to where the public can see them foraging. No one wants them feeding at the mouth of Straits for example, where clients couldn’t view them! Sorry for the negativity, but this whole strategy employed by DFO seems about plucking the low hanging fruit! Us!

 

[scott craven]

You are right Ziggy, DFO (Gov't) has caved in to the NGO's demanding there be something done.
Instead of salmon habitat restoration they have chosen to limit rec fishing and create quiet zones
neither of which will fix the problem.

 

[profisher]

Ziggy my point is that Parks Canada wanted the exact same area 18 refuge zone to be a Marine Park with no fishing permitted inside it. They got what they wanted all along by using the whales to further their agenda.

 

[profisher]

The brunt I was refering to is the 10 years now of size restrictions on the early summer season, not the recent closures which everyone is now just 2 weeks into.

 

[High Time]

Thank you Wildman for the website of the Orca Network. Now I am even more choked, if that is possible! So this year in April,May,and June there has not been a confirmed sighting of SRKW in the inside waters, ALL TRANSIENTS
Looking back into the archives from 2017, there are no confirmed sightings from May through August. Only in September 2017 were SRKW indentified. My fishery in Area 18 has be destroyed to supposedly save a population
that might transit the area during one month of the year. CAN THIS WHOLE FARCE BECOME ANY MORE BIZARRE! DFO has to be exposed for being the political puppets that they are!

 

[profisher]

High Time now you see why our fight is with DFO and more specifically the minister not the whale watchers. He personally expanded boundaries beyond where the SfAB and his own west coast staff recommended. Guides have suffered cancellations, marinas have had people demanding their moorage payments refunded and the boat service yards are all seeing less business..all for nothing.

 

[wildmanyeah]

https://crosscut.com/2017/11/puget-sound-orcas-j-pod-disappearing-salmon-washington

From last year but still relevant to this conversation

As recently as 2004, the whales were spotted 150 days from May through September, or nearly every day. This year, they showed up on only 40 days in the same period, Balcomb said. Previously, the worst year was 2013, when there were 70 days of sightings.

The southern residents, a small, distinct population of orcas, historically spent much of the late spring through early fall cruising our inland waters in pursuit of large, fatty Chinook salmon, which make up the bulk of their diet.

But with this year’s record-low Chinook runs, the whales had no reason to waste their time in the Salish Sea, Balcomb said.

 

[wolf]

Well someone better go tell the whales the closed off areas are for them!!!!!!
and lots of fish to be found in all the areas.....yes sarcasim

 

[SpringVelocity]

Once again. We are missing the point of conducting a proper scientific study to determine if the area refuge strategy actually has scientific merit. So any study where we have the presence of other vessels like commercial crabbers or whale watchers in that closed area totally corrupts any data that would establish if the refuge works.

We don’t believe the refuge will be any more effective than a 400m bubble zone But how will we ever prove that with the current allowance of whale watchers and crabbers in the study area??

100% agree

 

[BeezNuts84]

Profisher, I am curious to know if you have friends in the Whale Watching community?
I see you defending them, and good on ya, but you can’t disregard the fact that they chase these Whales around daily and are constantly in and around them.
If they are not bothering the whales, then how can a rec fisherman jigging a Ling on a rock be bothering them?

I just feel like the WW would be WAY more organized than us, and maybe get a ball rolling if they actually joined the fight.

We all know DFO’s “science” is ********, and I personally don’t think playing Mr Niceguy is going to get us anywhere.
I keep reading on here “let’s not throw anyone under the bus”
Hell, I say let’s throw as many people/organizations under the bus as we can!
If it gets people pissed off, then perfect.
Are they going to blame rec fishermen?
Or are they going to blame the people who have almost “managed” the species into extinction?

Profisher, im not trying to attack/ **** you off, it just seems like you are on the other end of the spectrum from me, and would like to see your thoughts on this matter.

I put a lot of opinions out there...... so here’s 2 more:
Lucky Lager is king and there’s nothing better than
Tight lines boys!

 

[ziggy]

The brunt I was refering to is the 10 years now of size restrictions on the early summer season, not the recent closures which everyone is now just 2 weeks into.

I don’t buy your “brunt “ argument, there are more stringent restrictions such as minimum size of 62 cm from 19-5 to 18 as opposed to 45 cm in 19-4 to 20.Also a 25% reduced annual catch limit in 19-5 to 18, 15 as opposed to 20. Also when you overlay the RCA and the annual closure area for the inlet and approaches during the Cowichan run, there isn’t much left. Arguably your area got off pretty light looking at the DFO map. Bottom line is that none of us like the slot limits or closures, but if your talking brunt, I don’t think you have a case.

At any rate all these conversations go to prove that there needs to be an organization that looks after the needs of the Coast and not just special interest groups! There is no doubt a lot of churn going on behind closed doors, out of sight of the Canadian Public. Just one example,I have requested minutes from the SFAB and SFAC. To date I have one set from DFO, but these minutes are supposed to be available to the public on the internet! They aren’t, instead they say they are available on request! In order to make a point I suggest everyone write DFO and request the minutes, it’s their job to post them, but they seem very quick to pass off this responsibility. Maybe if they get deluged with requests they’ll fulfill their mandate. It’s a start!

 

[Aces]

Our guide meeting last night was very enlightening. DFO has abandoned their Wild Salmon policy and is heading for marked retention only fishing in the future.

Also a new section in the Fisheries Act called Section 61 requires all guides and lodges to submit catch data via the Log Book program. Non compliance has hefty fines to an extreme of being prohibited to operate.

The future is now!

 

[calmsea]

It is hard to understand how you don't understand, searun. These whales couldn't care less who is in this refuge area! It won't make a bit of difference to these whales. For once because these whales aren't even there because there is no food for them there.

And for the some of yours strange strategy to wanting to pain the whale watchers in order to force them to fight harder (btw, at the SRKW Symposium last October in Vancouver, Dan Kukat, President of the Pacific Whale Watch Association spoke urgently of the fruitlessness of sportfishing closures but the need for immediate $10M for netpens and salmon enhancement), some might argue and send letters to Ottawa requesting an expansion of the refuge area all the way up to Tofino, just because the WCVI sportfishing group would fight so much harder against these idiotic actions. How does that sound?

 

[wildmanyeah]

some might argue and send letters to Ottawa requesting an expansion of the refuge area all the way up to Tofino, just because the WCVI sportfishing group would fight so much harder against these idiotic actions. How does that sound?

It sounds like DFO and SARA is going to do that...along with more areas

 

[calmsea]

At any rate all these conversations go to prove that !

...is that sportfishermen just a few miles apart rather **** on each other than rallying the troops as a unified force with all allies they can get. A truly pathetic bunch!

 

[ziggy]

...is that sportfishermen just a few miles apart rather **** on each other than rallying the troops as a unified force with all allies they can get. A truly pathetic bunch!

Yeah no kidding! Complete finfish closure in area 18 (even though the whales only eat Springs according to experts)and all we hear is how hard done by other areas are and how misunderstood the Whale Watching industry is(who can enter closed areas with high speed vessels because their noise isn’t an issue, like say a trolling motor is).Truly pathetic or extremely naive?I’m with you, not a whole lot of solidarity! Perhaps because the rationale just isn’t there? Sorry I’m not buying it and not out to try and convince anyone else. I’m out.

 

[profisher]

I have no connection what so ever to any whale watching company. Do I think the whale watchers spend to much time in a day with the whales...personally yes. If I joined the dark side LOL and joined your desire to get them kicked out of the refuge area ...is that going to do anything for us?..NO Me and you will still be shut out too. I see nothing to gain by getting involved in someone else's business. Just like I wouldn't want them sticking their nose in ours. Let nature (so to speak) run its course...the writing is on the wall and I think they know they are next on the chopping block. We don't need to make another enemy for our sector by getting involved...what you want will happen soon enough without our involvement.