First Nations call for closure of Recreational Chinook fishery.

OldBlackDog

Well-Known Member
Skeena First Nations call for closure of recreational Chinook fishery
Bill Fee
July 25, 2019 10:21 pm
July 25, 2019 10:21 pm
First Nations along the Skeena Watershed are calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to close the recreational Chinook salmon fishery.

The Gitxsan, the Wet’suwet’en, and Gitanyow, who rely on salmon for food and cultural purposes, are sounding the alarm about this year’s salmon returns to the Skeena River

The Nations say they are considering not engaging in any food fishery for Sockeye over concerns that returns of the prized species are not plentiful enough to maintain it in future years.

“We encourage all First Nations to conserve sockeye this year. Conservation of the salmon resource, which has sustained our culture, communities, and families for millennia is paramount. DFO needs to enforce closures. The sockeye shortage this year will result in First Nations families running short of their preferred food this winter, and any time we can’t fish or get enough fish there is a significant cultural impact.” said Wet’suwet’en Chief Namoks (John Ridsdale) in a news release.

Due to the sockeye shortage, the Nations plan to harvest as much Chinook as possible and say all fish beyond what is required for conservation should be available to their communities for food.

“We need DFO to understand the plain facts and act in accordance with Canadian law which gives First Nations a priority right to salmon after conservation needs are met. The numbers show that there is no surplus of Skeena Chinook for any non-First Nations harvest. The recreational fishery for Chinook in the Skeena River and bound for the Skeena River has to be closed now to preserve that valuable food for our people,” said Charlie Muldon, Coordinator of the Gitksan Watershed Authorities.
 
all salmon fishing on Skeena closes tonight at midnight https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=223639&ID=all

Chinook retention in the ocean has been reduced to 1 in areas 3,4 and 5 https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=223635&ID=all

Their plan is to hammer chinook instead well chinook returns to the skeena not that good this year....in fact they are worse then last year and last year it was closed. http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/northcoast-cotenord/skeenatyee-eng.html

The cumulative index for chinook to date is 74.42 last year at this time it was 92.09.

Its management like this why people have no faith in DFO.

remeber it was shut down last year https://www.thenorthernview.com/news/dfo-contemplating-sweeping-north-coast-salmon-fishery-closure/
 
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So the next thing will be the Skeena Chinook are endangered, so no fishing to be allowed for those stocks.
Exactly like the Fraser.
 
So the next thing will be the Skeena Chinook are endangered, so no fishing to be allowed for those stocks.
Exactly like the Fraser.

and to top it off announcement coming today....

"Vancouver, British Columbia – Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Jonathan Wilkinson and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett will make an important announcement with B.C. Coastal First Nations regarding community-based fisheries.

Media are invited to attend. Both Ministers will be available to take questions following the announcement."

https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-...nouncement-with-bc-coastal-first-nations.html
 
Makes sense, wipe out another species in place of another that is in the dumps.
So they won’t target Sockeye...yet sockeye, early coho and steelhead will be a direct bycatch of the increased netting effort. I have no problem with SELECTIVE methods to help FN get their food fish(moricetown) but anytime gill nets are used conservation can’t be used in the same sentence.

And on a river like the Skeena and how it is smaller than the Fraser it’s pretty easy to net all the travelling lanes!
 
Makes sense, wipe out another species in place of another that is in the dumps.
So they won’t target Sockeye...yet sockeye, early coho and steelhead will be a direct bycatch of the increased netting effort. I have no problem with SELECTIVE methods to help FN get their food fish(moricetown) but anytime gill nets are used conservation can’t be used in the same sentence.

And on a river like the Skeena and how it is smaller than the Fraser it’s pretty easy to net all the travelling lanes!

Think they will go out and buy a 8 inch mesh Chinook gill net, Naw its going to be a sockeye gillnet because that's what they have and they will keep all the sockeye by catch.

Just more BS, Smoke and mirrors to make the dumb public think they are doing something and get all the eyes off the water. Bob Hootons post went viral and he received a number of death threats for posting gilnet fisheries.
 
Do some people not have grocery stores?

"the Nations plan to harvest as much Chinook as possible and say all fish beyond what is required for conservation should be available to their communities for food"
 
The First nations group now also determining run size?
DFO says 400k, FN says 625k ?

19000 Chinook for the whole Skeena system as sustainable? Is this a joke?
The Kalum was seeing almost 15k only a handful of years ago.
Escapement for Chinook was estimated at 45k above the Kalum only a few years ago.

Sustainable towards extinction?
 
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