2019 Port Alberni and Alberni Inlet Reports

[agentaqua]

Unless there’s something specific to this band i’m unaware of, this is is still illegal.
But they will still abuse their FSC flag.
Friend of mine is a DFO officer and they caught a FN man from up north Port Hardy way on a Nanaimo reserve. They caught him red handed with thousands of pounds of halibut handing it over to a member of the Nanaimo band. They didn’t observe money exchanging hands and they claimed it was a gift. Port Hardy FN smirking at the officer saying “ Nothing more social than free fish.” they had to drive away. they had nothing.

Possibly the reason they had nothing - is because it is legal.

The sockeye that is fished and sold in the commercial fishery in Alberni is part of a legal EO sockeye fishery.

For commercial communal goundfish fisheries - they are allowed to dual-fish - and often bycatch is dolled-out as FSC fish.

In addition - there are three components to any FSC fishery - Food, social, and ceremonial. The social component includes the right to a "moderate livelihood" - it's in the case law - if anyone wishes to educate them selves on what is "legal" - instead of what they "believe".

Some weblinks:

http://kukukwes.com/2019/05/13/defining-a-moderate-livelihood-part-1/
http://kukukwes.com/2019/05/15/defining-a-moderate-livelihood-part-2/
http://www.ratcliff.com/sites/defau...s_Millerd_ATR_to_Cdn_Fisheries (00569512).PDF
https://www.canlii.org/en/#search/sort=decisionDateDesc&text=fishing Moderate Livelihood​

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[Olde School]

Sockeye fishing in the inlet is very slow right now. Very slow.

 

[Foxsea]

Sockeye fishing in the inlet is very slow right now. Very slow.

We are heading to China Creek on Friday so I hope "very slow" can be updated to "hot".

 

[wildmanyeah]

 

[Olde School]

Still slow ;-)

 

[RiverBoy]

Possibly the reason they had nothing - is because it is legal.

The sockeye that is fished and sold in the commercial fishery in Alberni is part of a legal EO sockeye fishery.

For commercial communal goundfish fisheries - they are allowed to dual-fish - and often bycatch is dolled-out as FSC fish.

In addition - there are three components to any FSC fishery - Food, social, and ceremonial. The social component includes the right to a "moderate livelihood" - it's in the case law - if anyone wishes to educate them selves on what is "legal" - instead of what they "believe".
Some weblinks:

http://kukukwes.com/2019/05/13/defining-a-moderate-livelihood-part-1/
http://kukukwes.com/2019/05/15/defining-a-moderate-livelihood-part-2/
http://www.ratcliff.com/sites/default/files/publications/Harris_Millerd_ATR_to_Cdn_Fisheries (00569512).PDF
https://www.canlii.org/en/#search/sort=decisionDateDesc&text=fishing Moderate Livelihood​

guy has a record and they tailed him from Hardy. doubtful it was legal. thanks for the info. informative stuff as usual. lotsa stuff i didn’t know

 

[wildmanyeah]

 

[Thunder21]

I was told by a band member the FN netted 1700 fish just this morning.

 

[sailfisher]

Heading up in week with the kids. Any sockeye reports out of China Creek?

 

[Olde School]

Sockeye catching for sporties is sssssssssslllllllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwww.

 

[sailfisher]

That's unfortunate! Hard to keep the kids entertained when there are no fish.

 

[wildmanyeah]

Looks like the test fishery did a lot better yesterday...I imagine if it continues to not rain these fish will really start to stack up.

https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fos2_Internet/Testfish/rptdtfdparm.cfm?fsub_id=236

 

[Foxsea]

Just back from 3 days at China Creek looking for sockeye. The catching was almost non-existant. On Sunday the creel survey noted five fish came in. That is with about 100 boats between Lone Tree and the Narrows. A C.O. on the dock said recreational fishing may be shut down July 1st until they get more fish into the Great Central Lake system. Apparently F.N. and commercial was being shut down too.

 

[Foxsea]

Sockeye catching for sporties is sssssssssslllllllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwww.

I saw your boat out there Sunday. We couldn't even catch a suntan. The worst sockeye fishing in many years.

 

[MikeB]

I came over from New Zealand and had an absolute disaster of a time trying to catch my first Salmon, being a **** poor fisherman really didnt help, i managed to spend a number of days trying for Sockeye Camped at Gill Road, never caught a thing, then fished a heap of small lakes through BC and managed to catch one trout about the size of my pinky finger which i put back before it came to any harm. I finally made my way to Vancouver island and managed to pull in a Pink up the top of the island. First ever Salmon.

Luckily a hell of a good bugger called Jesse Touzin who runs Arrowsmith Adventures in Port Alberni got ahold of me and told me if i came over his way he would take me out on his boat, would you believe it free of charge. He is only in the second year of business and should have been taking paying clients out but went out of his way to take me and my girlfriend out fishing, just because he is a good bugger (and he could see i was broke and also struggling like hell to catch fish). He also put us up in his home for a couple of nights because we were living in a van and it was pouring with rain.

If you are ever over on the island looking to get out on the water consider him as your first choice, he is one hell of a good guy and deserves the business.

We managed to land a few decent fish and had the time of our lives.

We are heading back to Canada in three weeks to finish out the rest of our 2 year working holiday visa so ill be trying my hand at catching a sockeye again for sure. Cant let the buggers get the better of me two years in a row.

 

[chevy guy]

I wonder if the nets have something to do with the fish not getting up? Duuuuuh

 

[Fishingwest]

Fished 6-10am yesterday around China creek to lone tree point no fish, didn’t see any nets out or any jumpers.

 

[wildmanyeah]

From Facebook gillnetters page, thanks Ryan for keeping us updated


Barkley Roundtable met today at 4pm.

Sockeye run downgraded to 300,000 at the moment. Escapement still lagging behind what would be necessarry to indicate 350,000.

FN in-river gillnet was closed last week and remains closed this week, except for limited effort for communal fish.

Sports catch remains very low, with less than half a fish per trip average.

Next meeting Thursday, unless something exceptional happens, in which case we can always call an emergency meeting.

Sorry there isn't better news.
-Ryan

 

[meathook]

From Facebook gillnetters page, thanks Ryan for keeping us updated


Barkley Roundtable met today at 4pm.

Sockeye run downgraded to 300,000 at the moment. Escapement still lagging behind what would be necessarry to indicate 350,000.

FN in-river gillnet was closed last week and remains closed this week, except for limited effort for communal fish.

Sports catch remains very low, with less than half a fish per trip average.

Next meeting Thursday, unless something exceptional happens, in which case we can always call an emergency meeting.

Sorry there isn't better news.
-Ryan

 

[meathook]

Just got back from 3 days at China creek. Trying to wash the smell of skunk off the boat. Talked to a lot of people and no one was catching except for the ones going outside for springs.