DFO Proposes Complete Fishing Closures on Spawning Chinook in Freshwater

[easydoesit]

Source: Times Colonist June 2, 2018,

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/l...hing-will-be-closed-to-boost-orcas-1.23322813

Rebecca Reid Regional Director for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (aka DFO) is quoted as follows when commenting on saltwater recreational fishing closures for Chinook in Juan de Fuca (Area 20) and Gulf Islands (Area 18)

"So any fish that aren't caught by the whales will be able to get back to their streams and spawn, which will be beneficial as well.

Its a kind of a dual strategy: Make them available and if they are not harvested by the whales, allow them to return to spawn."

Obviously things have happened in the last two weeks including a complete ban on recreational salmon fishing in the Fraser River and major tributaries, however, if they enforce this as stated it will mean a complete ban on in river net fisheries during Chinook runs as I interpret it.

Could this be true?

Is this a trial balloon to test for a response or will DFO follow through?

What can we do to hold DFO to this promise?

Comments please

 

[IronNoggin]

... if they enforce this as stated it will mean a complete ban on in river net fisheries during Chinook runs as I interpret it.

Not true whatsoever.
More bafflegab from a government talking head, speaking well beyond her place to do so.
No way in hell the FN's are giving up their nets & the in-river fishery.
And The Dino WELL understands that little fact.

Next...

Nog

 

[california]

If river fishing is to be closed to sportfishing, then sportfishing and commercial fishing concerned approach areas must be closed as well. Conservation is at the top, then aboriginal FAC and aboriginal commercial opportunities fall next. DFO has broken a Public TRUST. Public RIGHTS are at risk.

How has DFO broken a public trust? The allocations are a result of supreme court decisions. Cases that took dozens of years and $millions and DFO still lost.

 

[wildmanyeah]

How has DFO broken a public trust? The allocations are a result of supreme court decisions. Cases that took dozens of years and $millions and DFO still lost.

Yep

Blaming DFO for certain fish policies is about as dumb as blaming the people that work at revenue canada for raising taxes. No ones dumb enough to think that revenue canada raises taxes they know the politicians in ottawa are. The same thing goes for DFO, It's the parties in Ottawa and the court's ruling of law that are responsible. They historical give in to all user groups to over harvest. They look at fish as reward Vs return not in terms of conservation. Im sure the Liberals or Conservatives love it when the media blames DFO rather then the title of the news being "
Liberal Government Proposes Complete Fishing Closures on Spawning Chinook in Freshwater"

Not true whatsoever.
More bafflegab from a government talking head, speaking well beyond her place to do so.
No way in hell the FN's are giving up their nets & the in-river fishery.
And The Dino WELL understands that little fact.

Next...

Nog

Bingo

Rebecca Reid is full of BS, How about she release the stolo fishing plan showing the reduction? oh wait she won't, just like they don't release most of the FN fishing plans. Everything is on the table for Recreational fishermen and commercial fishermen but FN plans are top secret.

How many nets are the allowed per opening? how many communal license have they issued per band? what are the negotiated FSC quotas for each band, If the returns are higher how does the plan ramp up? How is the catch being counted? how are the being enforced? ect...

Fraser River is the wild wild west with Zero transpacy when it comes to FN bands.

 

[The Jackel]

Hell i am just going to sell my boat, save a **** pot full of money and buy my fresh caught ceremonial spring salmon from the early fraser runs off of craigslist, just a short trip to chilliwack, and very cheap to boot. Maybe fir up a smudge pinner to enjoy the feast...

 

[Whole in the Water]

How has DFO broken a public trust? The allocations are a result of supreme court decisions. Cases that took dozens of years and $millions and DFO still lost.

True that the courts have given unique harvesting rights to FN's. Wrong that DFO has no say in how those harvest rights are managed. Time to stop throwing up the generic smoke screen/excuse generator that the courts have left no room for management flexibility on the part of DFO. DFO and their political masters have a fair bit of room to manage FN salmon harvesting - they just choose to do very little for political reasons. DFO can set FN harvesting rates and monitor and enforce them for conservation purpose (their legislated mandate) - they unfortunately choose not to. DFO and their political masters are too afraid of upsetting any FN's and their ENGO supporters right now. The Trudeau govt. current focus re. FN's is about reconciliation (a good thing IMO) and minimal management of FN harvesting is one big tool they are using to the long term detriment of Fraser River salmon stocks (a bad thing IMO).

 

[fogged in]

For starters is there any reason why DFO can't keep accurate and complete records of the first nations catch, where, what and when?

 

[california]

True that the courts have given unique harvesting rights to FN's. Wrong that DFO has no say in how those harvest rights are managed. Time to stop throwing up the generic smoke screen/excuse generator that the courts have left no room for management flexibility on the part of DFO. DFO and their political masters have a fair bit of room to manage FN salmon harvesting - they just choose to do very little for political reasons. .

This is true, they can mange based on conservation as the primary consideration, the courts have upheld that, They could stop all FN netting on the fraser based on conservation concerns. What they do has ramifications for the sport sector though since FN allocations come first. SO a complete closure on the fraser would mean a complete Closure of sport fishing on Fraser stocks (Which would mean coast wide sport closures. The politics include Sport allocations.

 

[Whole in the Water]

For starters is there any reason why DFO can't keep accurate and complete records of the first nations catch, where, what and when?

Yes, because it is not politically expedient for DFO and the federal govt. If the general public knew how poorly it is monitored and enforced and how this negatively impacts any long term conservation efforts they would be mad as hell!

The only way to get to the truth of the matter is a combination of Freedom of Information requests from DFO and citizen monitoring with photos, video and drones and show the public what is really happening out there. Just ask Whitebuck on this forum or read his posts - he knows!

I know personally that DFO has been asked numerous times over the last few years for this information and they stall/refuse to provide it, or give just rough estimates, no real data. As citizens of an elected modern democracy we should be infruiated at the biased and corrupt treatment we get from DFO!!! Time we work to change this BS treatment

 

[Whole in the Water]

This is true, they can mange based on conservation as the primary consideration, the courts have upheld that, They could stop all FN netting on the fraser based on conservation concerns. What they do has ramifications for the sport sector though since FN allocations come first. SO a complete closure on the fraser would mean a complete Closure of sport fishing on Fraser stocks (Which would mean coast wide sport closures. The politics include Sport allocations.

How about reducing the FN harvest levels to promote some level of conservation? The rec and commercial sectors where reduced and additional 35-50% this year while the FN's where NOT reduced at all. Add to this the same old 'catch as many as you like' non-enforcement as years before and ask how is this good resource management, let alone conservation? Answer: It is not it is biased politics plain and simple and it won't stop until the general public knows how poorly managed this fishery is.

 

[Cuba Libre]

This just out-- Albion test fishery....

In 2018, the Albion Chinook test fishery began operating on April 22. The
total catch for the period of this update (May 6 to June 16) was three (3)
Chinook. Based on this input, the current predicted return to the mouth of the
Fraser for the Fraser River Spring 5-2 and Summer 5-2 Chinook aggregates ranges
from 21,000 to 61,000 Chinook (median value of 35,360). This predicted return
is consistent with management zone 1 where returns to the Fraser River are
below 45 thousand Chinook and conservation concerns for Fraser chinook are the
primary management consideration.

This is the final in-season update for 2018.

Did you get that ????? THREE !

 

[profisher]

The Albion fishry never gets very many...it is a BS indicator...look at the spread in numbers they are estimating. 21,000 to 61,000 that is like a weather man saying it might be sunny or cloudy it even could rain...one of those for sure.

 

[IronNoggin]

This while the KNOWN FN take exceeds 1,000, climbs daily (is pretty much guaranteed to be under-reported) and DFO continues to offer them openings after openings.

Starting to see the complete insanity of it all yet?

Nog

 

[Whitebuck]

Pretty funny how the bands above and below the Albion have way higher numbers than what the Albion seems to get.

 

[SpringVelocity]

The Albion fishry never gets very many...it is a BS indicator...look at the spread in numbers they are estimating. 21,000 to 61,000 that is like a weather man saying it might be sunny or cloudy it even could rain...one of those for sure.

I always question this one as well.

 

[Whitebuck]

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/fraser/docs/abor-autoc/UpperFraser/UMFOpenTimes-eng.htm
http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/HTMLs/CommunalOpeningTimes.html
Here are more openings to help with conservation measures for these early Chinook.
The mid Fraser gill net openings will,wipe out anything that makes it past the canyon!