Cowichan Chinook

[traveller]

Mark your Calendars!

April 29th is the second open Public Meeting hosted by Cowichan Tribes and the Cowichan Bay Sport Fishing Committee. In the Cowichan Cultural Center, next door to the new Casino, a Public Meeting will be held to hear DFO present their rebuilding plans for Cowichan Chinook. This meeting was an out growth of the last one held in December where DFO told us what they knew about the Cowichan Chinook, and what they believed was contributing to the decline. This meeting is to discuss what the are going to do about the decline. We need people from all over who are impacted by the decline of Cowichan Chinook to attend the meeting, and let DFO what they think of the presentation that night. Same meeting format as last time, which people told us they liked.....welcome, presentation by DFO, small group discussion, and then reporting out with questions from each table. Coffe and tea served, 7:00 PM start, please plan on coming!

 

[traveller]

Thanks for the help Concerned Angler, hope we'll see you at the meeting! Just for the record, the Band has been working to help the rebuilding by voluntarily reducing the number of days of the week their members can fish, joining our Habitat working group, and doing significant river channel and riparian enhancement within their reserve area. We have spent over 2 million dollars in the last 3 years on habitat rebuilding, focussing on Sediment reduction, with more work planned. DFO is not planning any more exploitation reduction......maybe you will want to ask a question about that at the meeting? Two main problems to address ought to be extremely low survival rate of the juvenile stages, and the number of fish leaving the river, I believe. Certainly hope the "simple" solution exists.

 

[Barbender]

quote:the Band has been working to help the rebuilding by voluntarily reducing the number of days of the week their members can fish

The problem was the band members that were not "voluntarily" reducing their fishing time. There is no enforcement to keep them off the river. I know of one elder that actually reported some of his fellow members to DFO for overfishing and basically was told it was not their problem. As per usual it is always the few who ruin it for the many.

 

[Rum Buddies]

they also reported only 600 or so returning chinook, while it turned out the number was around 2500, what gives?

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks Traveller
I will be there.

Tips

 

[traveller]

Thanks for the question Poppa Swiss, the DFO staff will report on the change from 600 to 2500, you are quite correct in your numbers. basically, they spent some money to do a "by the Book" study using dead pitch and marked recapture during the dead pitch survey work to really try to be accurate in escapement numbers....first year it has been this labour intensive.....interesting isn't it? They are perhaps not considering that coincidentally the low return in Sockeye to the Fraser meant seriously reduced US netting in the approach waters, with really reduced chinook by catch, coupled with very high and dirty water during times of traditional fishing.

Whatever, there probably was return of 2500, but only 1800 made it to the spawning beds after broodstock collection and some FSC fishing.

The key, I believe, is to ensure steadily increasing numbers of naturally spawning fish, and increased output of hatchery fish to supplement and provide for a variety of fisheries to benefit. Just my personal opinion though. I do know that this won't happen unless there is public pressure, and numbers of people at the meeting.