Annoucement of Protest Outside Fisheries Minister's office May 1 from 12 to 1 PM

My local news media friend would like to know:

- Who is the official spokesperson(s)?

- Will there be a formal press release available?

- Is there an official website that readers and viewers can be directed to? - Due to anonymity of the users here, this forum cannot be used as an official source.
@searun
 
My local news media friend would like to know:

- Who is the official spokesperson(s)?

- Will there be a formal press release available?

- Is there an official website that readers and viewers can be directed to? - Due to anonymity of the users here, this forum cannot be used as an official source.

Hi Capilano,

We our a group of concerned anglers coming together to raise our concerns over the closure by DFO to Chinook. I am one of the organizers. Our spokes person is Jason Tonelli from Pacific Angler.

I sent you a PM with my contact information for your "media friend" to reach me.

Look forward to hopefully meeting you at the protest!
 
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cohochinook and a team of others behind the scene have put an incredible amount of time and effort into this. All acting fast to get this to happen on Wednesday despite working their 'day' jobs. My thanks go out to all those who have helped and volunteered their time and donated materials so the protest can happen. Thanks to cohochinook especially for the motivation and tenacity he has brought to get this event from an idea to an actual event. Please, please, show your support by attending. Everyone who can possibly attend, please come out on Wednesday to show your support for this cause. Having a great turnout will help us and certainly makes a protest like this all that much more successful. I will be taking time off work to be there so hopefully will get to see and maybe meet many of you there!
 
Trying to rally support in my hunting group and just got the "but Jon they're using the best available science" and he posts a link to the DFO announcement stating that. Is there any way of suing to have this misinformation removed from a public website?

These guys hunt and fish and still think I'm just being a rich whiney guy that wants to just kill all the fish.
 
Trying to rally support in my hunting group and just got the "but Jon they're using the best available science" and he posts a link to the DFO announcement stating that. Is there any way of suing to have this misinformation removed from a public website?

These guys hunt and fish and still think I'm just being a rich whiney guy that wants to just kill all the fish.
This is one of the reasons we are holding the protest. Minister Wilkinson is putting out inaccurate information about Chinook populations. Yes these early River Fraser Chinook populations are not doing well but there many examples of populations that are thriving, as we outline in our announcement.

I guess the question you can ask your friend is do you want your government making decisions based on NGO recommendations or an actual scientific data? Appreciate all your concern and look forward to seeing you at the protest! Thanks for trying to Rally your friends!
 
Trying to rally support in my hunting group and just got the "but Jon they're using the best available science" and he posts a link to the DFO announcement stating that. Is there any way of suing to have this misinformation removed from a public website?

These guys hunt and fish and still think I'm just being a rich whiney guy that wants to just kill all the fish.


this misinformation will be used as part of the class action that dfo will be facing.
 
Hi Capilano,

We our a group of concerned anglers coming together to raise our concerns over the closure by DFO to Chinook. I am one of the organizers. Our spokes person is Jason Tonelli from Pacific Angler.

I sent you a PM with my contact information for your "media friend" to reach me.

Look forward to hopefully meeting you at the protest!

I forwarded your contact info. No guarantees on whether my media friend will attend. As for me, I won't be able to attend due to work.
 
this misinformation will be used as part of the class action that dfo will be facing.

Care to elaborate on the supposed class action lawsuit. Who is organizing and backing it? Not trying to be negative, but these types of lawsuits can take years to wind through the legal system. And something like this was to be even remotely successful, taking on the DFO / Canadian government could very well end up at the SCC.
 
Would we like to have a Global guy there? I can arrange it. They'll want to know that they can get people on camera.
That would great if you could get Global at the Protest. Jason Tonelli will be available and myself to speak if they want to do an on camera interview. I have sent you a PM with my contact information.
 
Maybe this might provide a little motivation.... I will be there.
Information forwarded to me at 7:30 this evening, April 29. Native gillnetter fishing at Wellington point west of Ladner, top of Canoe Pass Arm of the South Fraser.Picture taken at 7:04 this evening, net partially picked up, CFV No. 24797. Blue hulled Double Eagle boat with a white cabin.

Native-gillnetter-on-Lower-Fraser-Lic-24797-April-29-7-04-PM.jpg
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As stated on another thread last week.
I contacted Ted Field on Global. He wasnt even aware of what has taken place with the Closures the Loss of Jobs inside and outside the straight, West Van Isle..... through out the industry including accomodations , restraunts, guides, marine repairs, etc etc....the small Commercial trollers loosing their livelihood. There income.......there homes.
Told him to call Pacific Angler talk to Jason. Told him to call Bon Chovys Jason. Dont know if he did or not. He never called me back.
CTV wasnt even interested. Brutal.

But when you speak the Truth to the Media of whats really going your deemed a racist. You bring up Culling Seals and Sea Lions your an animal killer. You ask for 1 Chinook even in a slot limit......your greedy, your the problem. Really?

Its sickening, soon as you bring up the Black Market Blatant selling of FNs fish at roadside your deemed a racist. The Dumps of unsold fish in ditches. Your a racist.
You bring up truths of Sound Science of our Avid Angler Program through DFO and ....... Its not used in their information. How pathetically disrespectful for our efforts.

Done with the lies from Gov.
Done with the FNs not being Accountable, not supplying truly accurate Harvest reports. Not answering to Governments.
Done with Courts throwing out proven cases.

With out Accountability by all .... How can we ever have Sustainability???

These closures will Not Grow More Fish Period.

EPIC FAIL BY GOVERNMENT and DFO.

Very Sad state indeed.
 
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Response from my MP finally re DFO Chinook restrictions........

Dear Mr.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the government’s reductions in recreational Chinook salmon fishery. I apologise for the delayed response.

As you noted, the recreational fishery is very important to local BC communities. Every dollar spent is leveraged many times over.

The Department of Fisheries aims to have the best available science considered in making stock management and conservation decisions, with the goal of sustaining a healthy and productive aquatic ecosystem.

Our government has restored the previous Conservative government’s drastic cuts to fishery research and staffing. This was necessary in order to address the complex factors underlying the decline in stock of salmon and some herring runs and work to restore abundance.

Further, science is needed to better understand the potential impact of harbour seals and sea lion predation on the Chinook salmon which are so critical to the survival of our local southern resident killer whales.

Responsible fishing by families like yours remains important, not only for recreation and family relations, but as a way to teach young people a range of skills and understanding – including conservation. Thank you for your part in that!

Best regards,
The Hon. Joyce Murray, P.C., M.P.
Vancouver Quadra
 
Response from my MP finally re DFO Chinook restrictions........

Dear Mr.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the government’s reductions in recreational Chinook salmon fishery. I apologise for the delayed response.

As you noted, the recreational fishery is very important to local BC communities. Every dollar spent is leveraged many times over.

The Department of Fisheries aims to have the best available science considered in making stock management and conservation decisions, with the goal of sustaining a healthy and productive aquatic ecosystem.

Our government has restored the previous Conservative government’s drastic cuts to fishery research and staffing. This was necessary in order to address the complex factors underlying the decline in stock of salmon and some herring runs and work to restore abundance.

Further, science is needed to better understand the potential impact of harbour seals and sea lion predation on the Chinook salmon which are so critical to the survival of our local southern resident killer whales.

Responsible fishing by families like yours remains important, not only for recreation and family relations, but as a way to teach young people a range of skills and understanding – including conservation. Thank you for your part in that!

Best regards,
The Hon. Joyce Murray, P.C., M.P.
Vancouver Quadra
Boy they are always quick to try and stickhandle the blame on to their predecessors. It’s a great political tactic to deflect the issue from yourself. Harper May be guilty of drastic cuts, but that doesn’t give the many many Liberal governments a free pass . I guess we are all supposed to think this situation all developed on the previous governments watch. A great way of never taking responsibility, unless of course a miracle happens and their plan works. Pretty sick of all politicians right about now!
 
There our lots of issues facing early Fraser Chinook. DFO has mismanaged this stock severely and is a large part of why we're in the situation that we're today. I just want to remind everyone of the main focus of the protest is that:

"DFO's decision to close recreational fishing to the retention of chinook. Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and DFO have announced large blanket closures which are an ineffective way to manage the recovery of early Fraser River chinook stocks. There is no scientific data to support the effectiveness of these closures. The announcement has serious and substantial socioeconomic impacts on coastal communities. We’re encouraging all concerned individuals, groups and businesses to join us to protest the following and push for a sustainable solution.

The Recreational Fishery has proven through CWT and DNA submission that there is very little interception of threatened Fraser River Chinook Stocks in the Strait of Georgia. In 2018, DNA shows that less than 1 percent of the total recreational catch was of Fraser Stocks of Concern. To say the DFO did not have sustainable Chinook retention options in the spring and early summer in Areas 13 to 19 is simply not true. The same can be said for the West Coast of Vancouver Island and from Campbell River to Port Hardy. The Recreational sector is committed to conservation, enhancement initiatives and standing up to politically motivated management decisions.

The closures to chinook retention in our local area between Vancouver and Nanaimo include Bowen Island, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast and Gabriola Island. These areas have been experiencing amazing chinook fishing (for non-interior Fraser stocks) for the last 10 years. This closure is being done for the opportunity to keep First Nations nets out of the Fraser to save interior Fraser stocks. Minister Wilkinson and DFO need to recognize that the chinook salmon that are off Bowen Island and across to Nanaimo are not early Fraser stocks of concern. DFO has confirmed this through CWT (coded wire tag ) data and DNA sampling. The resulting data clearly shows that the fish we catch in those areas are not the Fraser River stocks of concern we need to protect. This is a scientific fact, not speculation. The fish we are catching in the Spring and Early Summer are known are mainly East Coast Vancouver Island, Puget Sound, Fall Run Fraser River Stocks of hatchery origin.

We want DFO to take real and meaningful action on a recovery plan for early Fraser chinook that includes chinook predator control, habitat rehabilitation, key hatchery enhancement and adequate funding of fisheries officers and habitat staff. Currently there is no plan with funding in place for these crucial actions to take place and that needs to change now! We are requesting a retention fishery of 1 Chinook per day for all South Coast Areas currently without Chinook retention opportunities due to the 2019 Fraser River Chinook Conservation Measures. We support hatchery only retention where science shows elevated interception of threatened Fraser River Chinook Stocks. There is no conservation concern for these stocks and a 1 per day chinook limit or a 1 per day hatchery chinook limit, is certainly sustainable, extremely conservative and acceptable from a scientific fisheries management viewpoint."
 
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