Heads up to all, I "lost" some prawn traps this weekend. They were set just off the Pender Bluffs on Saturday in about 200ft of water. I had 400 ft of line on them with 14 pounds of weight and a big red float. I had them set for 3 hours over the tide change. Hard to believe they drifted off... Lots of other traps in the area, but apparently no one saw anything.
2019 Pender Bluffs
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High Time
Crew Member
Hello Heron, I was on the Bluffs Sat. morning and saw what appeared to be a prawn set slowly drift by, heading south to Wallace point . It had a small green ball and yellow float. Didn't have my big boat so couldn't save it. Past Wallace Pt. the depth drops off and it's good bye... Big tides that morning . Lost a set four years ago. Only fish now on small tides.
High Time
Crew Member
A-a-Ron, I believe the total no-go crap starts on June 1 as per the attachment below. Apparently that is when there actually could be a SRKW somewhere in the area, although last year there were no confirmed sightings until July... Somebody is going to have to inform the thousands of U.S. recreational boats that clear Customs in Bedwell Harbour every Summer and then come around Wallace Pt. and steam past up the Bluffs, heading North. Maybe every time one goes by, I'll give DFO a call and tell them to get their A$$e$ over here and protect the whales...
Interim Sanctuary Zones –To maximize protections in three key foraging areas, interim sanctuary zones will be created off Pender Island, Saturna Island and at Swiftsure Bank. In addition to fishery closures, no vessel traffic will be permitted in these areas from June 1 to October 31, subject to certain exceptions for emergency and Indigenous vessels.
RogersonCrusoe
Well-Known Member
So does that mean I have to take the long way round to get to Port Browning from Sidney?
High Time
Crew Member
Hello RC, As best as I can deduct from the crappy little maps that DFO has provided with no co-ordinates or distances listed, the no-go zone appears to go from Wallace Pt. at the bottom end of North Pender to the breakwater at Thieves Bay and extends about a nautical mile offshore. This provides a lovely "happy zone" for the SRKW to frolic in, should they ever decide to come by...
carpeweekend
Crew Member
fogged in
Well-Known Member
I have a friend with the very view you speak of and he is happy not to have all those guys not fishing as he prefers to whale watch from his patio.
He is still waiting for his first sighting of the Orca, but expects to see some one day.
He is still waiting for his first sighting of the Orca, but expects to see some one day.
High Time
Crew Member
Update on the Pender Bluffs "No-Go Zone". Was on the bluffs for 5 days this weekend and estimate that about 250 vessels transited through the area over the 5 days. Most appeared to be U.S. boats clearing customs in Bedwell harbour and heading North
but there was a good number of other boats heading in both directions. Either they are unaware or are just ignoring the regulation. Apparently there is no enforcement happening. The only sign of a fisheries vessel was a large Coast Guard/DFO boat towing a zodiac heading from Bedwell Harbour straight to Sidney about 4:30 Friday afternoon. End of their day shift I guess... at the Customs dock in Bedwell next to the Pub. None of the full time residents have seen an Orca for the last six weeks. So the farcical No-Go Zone at Pender and the equally farcical non-retention of all Chinooks is accomplishing nothing but destroying a small local fishery. The ENGOS got what they proposed 2 1/2 years ago from their whipping boy Wilkinson. Save the SRKW my a$$...
but there was a good number of other boats heading in both directions. Either they are unaware or are just ignoring the regulation. Apparently there is no enforcement happening. The only sign of a fisheries vessel was a large Coast Guard/DFO boat towing a zodiac heading from Bedwell Harbour straight to Sidney about 4:30 Friday afternoon. End of their day shift I guess... at the Customs dock in Bedwell next to the Pub. None of the full time residents have seen an Orca for the last six weeks. So the farcical No-Go Zone at Pender and the equally farcical non-retention of all Chinooks is accomplishing nothing but destroying a small local fishery. The ENGOS got what they proposed 2 1/2 years ago from their whipping boy Wilkinson. Save the SRKW my a$$...
jasonj
Member
Thanks for the update. It's really ridiculous.
It makes no sense to have a stationary sanctuary no-go zone for a species that travels all over the place. I'm totally OK with having a large no-go zone that follows the Orcas as they travel. But banning all boats (including kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and fishing boats) 100% of the time in these zone when the Orcas visit less than 1% of the time is just insane.
I suspect the Gov is doing this because they are unable/unwilling to properly help the Orcas and instead they are doing something that sounds good to the public on paper but has no real effect in reality. It's sad.
ziggy
Well-Known Member
I plotted out the closed area as per the notice. It appears that the no go zone is only from the beach to out about 1/2 a nm seaward?
High Time
Crew Member
Hi Zig, I estimated the outside boundary at about a kilometer and only counted those inside that distance, plenty more outside and as Summer approaches the numbers transiting the area will grow exponentially. Maybe DFO has decided not to create an international incident. I suggested this would be a problem a few months ago but of course DFO doesn't pay any attention to the local rabble...
Strait shooter
Member
We saw whale watching boats there Saturday afternoon
Flatlander
Member
Saw the Orcas off Tilly point south pender yesterday 4pm not sure if they were srkw or transiets
High Time
Crew Member
Will attach below the link to orcanetwork.org who are an outfit in WA. Puget Sound area that monitor sightings of whales in the lower Georgia Straits, Puget Sound, and E. Jaun de Fuca. No confirmed sightings of SRKW in the whole area in May or June. All confirmed sightings are Transients. Similar to the the last two years. Of course all of DFO's decisions and regulations are based on science. Yah right....
https://www.orcanetwork.org/Main/index.php?categories_file=Sightings#recent
https://www.orcanetwork.org/Main/index.php?categories_file=Sightings#recent
PenderBluffsFisher
Member
As of July 7th I can report 0 (zero) SRKW's sighted near Thieves Bay end of the "sanctuary" zone. Some 300 boats steaming right thru it on July 4th however and plenty more every other day. Several going around transmitting AIS showing their track right thru it.
Law enforcement has decided it has more productive things to do than chase vessels out of waters where whales are not (the right call) - I'm all for keeping all vessels away from the whales when they are there but this 24/7 closure zone is well-intended but pointless. With the other short sighted measures Thieves Bay has been pretty quiet with WAY more empty slips than is normal this time of year.
I reckon we're all in agreement of staying away from the whales, but not these other short sighted measures. A few noisy folks on Pender are screaming for enforcement of the "sanctuary" and wanting to put up signs etc but most island residents are far more reasonable and see it for what it is, pointless at the minimum.
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