Ottawa Says No Fish For You

[ziggy]

Nobody cares about fishing or fishermen.
Bottom line.
We do of course, but politicians work for the majority.
The majority cares about reconciliation.
The majority cares about Orcas.
People don’t give a **** whether or not we can bonk Chinooks.
Reality bites.

The only thing you got wrong was “politicians work for the majority”! In fact more and more, it’s evident they work for vocal minorities, special interest groups and follow the path of least resistance to the next election. It has been a very long time since most gave a damn about anything other than the next election. Be it Liberal, Conservative or NDP, they have their firm committed numbers ( which are pretty stable) and all that’s left to compete for is the uncommitted vote. That’s what gives you the win. Unless fishing somehow becomes and election issues and they have to commit one way or the other, nothing will change. The challenge is making this an election issue and getting the people onside who don’t vote the same party every year.

 

[cohochinook]

The only thing you got wrong was “politicians work for the majority”! In fact more and more, it’s evident they work for vocal minorities, special interest groups and follow the path of least resistance to the next election. It has been a very long time since most gave a damn about anything other than the next election. Be it Liberal, Conservative or NDP, they have their firm committed numbers ( which are pretty stable) and all that’s left to compete for is the uncommitted vote. That’s what gives you the win. Unless fishing somehow becomes and election issues and they have to commit one way or the other, nothing will change. The challenge is making this an election issue and getting the people onside who don’t vote the same party every year.

Get out to the PFA protest on July 6th. Let's make it an election issue that counts!

 

[the butcher]

The rec sector has been civil, respectful, followed by the rules even though the rules were rigged, been patient....... Alot more patient than any other interest group. If similar restrictions were imposed on thr commercial or FN sector year after year, here would be riots and all hell would have broken loose. It is these reasons why we have been attacked and used as scapegoats because we are too nice and civil.

As much as I wish we can all work together with DFO to come up with solutions, that option does not exist until other sectors are respectful and don't hoard the resources. More importantly, there has been numerous public announcements and written articles from the commercial and FN sector pressuring the gov to shut us down. The process during the past 2 years is an example of the imbalance and partialiality and extreme bias the "process" is as it relates to decisions by DFO...

It's all ******** and I am disgusted and steam is coming out from my ears. For me, fishing is a passion. But more importantly I feel like a 2nd class citizen who isn't even entitled to scraps and leftovers as we have been virtually stripped of our civil and constitutional rights. The land and resources within and around our lands belongs to everyone. If there is truly a conservation concern, shut everyone down. I am pissed that we have been stripped of a right which we all are entitled to due to political and economical reasons.

 

[wildmanyeah]

I would think a letter signed by all user groups demanding the government to come up with a recovery plan would be something awesome all groups could get behind.

 

[the butcher]

The past is over and so is the present and the future as it relates to fishing and our rights.. Lets no forget the close to 50% reduction in spot prawn reduction earlier this year.... Are spot prawns also a species of concern???? Easier said than done to move on and see if we can get everyone to work together and we can ride off in the sunset on our new shiny unicorns.

Sorry but DFOs decision making and treatment of this sector is ******** and unacceptable. Move on and let them screw us over again and again? I am glad people are starting to get pissed and fed up...

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Tell us what you’re going to do then.

I want to know as well @the butcher ?

 

[the butcher]

I want to know as well @the butcher ?

I appreciate that there is no clear answer and the difficulty is in that we don't have a lot of clout. Let's start by not doing the same **** over and over again with this playing nice, waiting and hoping and writing letters and then when we get screwed again write some not letters. I say if playing nice and being civil doesn't work and it whatever it is that you are fighting for is worth it, then get nasty, make noise and get your voices heard. The problem here is there isn't enough of us from the rec sector who gives a **** and are willing to do something about it.

Among the thousands of anglers in this province, do we not have any lawyers who can chime in and tell us whether we have a case to challenge these policies and what our chances of winning would be, how much it would cost tp fight this battle..then figure out how we can raise the funds to start legal action. Even if we aren't successful in the first challenge, it will start a precedence showing we won't go down without a fight and without clawing and pinching back.. That would make them think twice next time they try to pull the same **** again. If the sport fishing industry is actually a multi billion dollar industry as we state, there should be many people, businesses, and industries willing to back us up and to contribute money towards the cause.

FN have consistently challenge ruling and laws many times... Some they win and others they don't... But the point is they fight and challenge what they believe they are entitled.

When there is an issue that affects other interest groups, they all band together and show up and support the cause. How many thousands of anglers do we have in this province? How many have we heard from who are fed up and pissed due to the recent fisheries annoucement ? Not enough to make an impact. DFO knows that there isn't enough of us who get pissed and are willing to make their lives miserable and that's why they continue to trample all over us. If the rest of the angling community doesn't speak up and get off their asses to fight for their rights and for injustice, we are screwed. Period.

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

So I have attended rallies......big rallies, like enough that the police show up and so do the news. I volunteer my time and energy to salmon.....my whole family.....restoring creeks and habitat. So what do you plan on doing that is different and will make a bigger impact?

 

[the butcher]

So I have attended rallies......big rallies, like enough that the police show up and so do the news. I volunteer my time and energy to salmon.....my whole family.....restoring creeks and habitat. So what do you plan on doing that is different and will make a bigger impact?

Listen guys.... I have never professed that I am an expert nor have I stated I have the answers. Far from it. What I am simply saying is let's not do the same **** year after year and expect a different result. If we are truly in a hopeless situation and there is nothing that we can do to make a difference, someone tell me so and I'll accept it and I'll shut up and move on. Some of the suggestions that have come up such as filming and documenting gillnettimg this summer I have put my hand up to volunteer my time. I am attending the upcoming rally and demonstration and have already taken the day off work to attend. I am planning on attending future rallies. I have spoken to all my friends and family and tried to educate them on the nonsense that DFO is imposing. Should there be an organized lawsuit against DFO I will donate to the cause. I have written countless letters last year and this year and have also encouraged other friends who are anglers who weren't willing to write letters to write them and chased them down until their letters were written and sent. I am disheartened and dissapointed that there aren't more angler in BC who are enraged by the recent events. We need the numbers in order to have legitimacy which whatever approach we pursue.

 

[sir-vivor]

All I can say is , its sure doesnt feel EQUAL !

 

[Whitebuck]

https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CeremonialOpeningTimes_Previous.pdf

Two more 24 hr openings to help with conservation.

 

[the butcher]

Catching and consuming non endangered Chinook needs to be a religion. I will go and workship at the georgia straight temple every weekend. I will make an offering in the form of shiny metal objects that flutter back and forth in the water tied to a line. The gods will give me a sign through a Chinook who takes the metal object. To appease the gods the fish must be processed and consumed in order to be one with my religion. I have a constitutional right to practice my religion without judicial or political interference. Amen.

 

[Ringo]

https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/0...s-appeal-of-trans-mountain-pipeline-approval/

This could change the way that the PM office pulls the puppet strings on DFO.

 

[wildmanyeah]

View attachment 54403
https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/0...s-appeal-of-trans-mountain-pipeline-approval/

This could change the way that the PM office pulls the puppet strings on DFO.

Was the right move politically by the courts

 

[Gilligan22]

Not sure if anyone has brought this up So sorry for any repeats but the Albion test fishery numbers are abismal this year. 7 Chinook vs 126 same period last year. Just wondering what is going on; I went back several years and nothing that bad. Looks scary. Any ideas.

https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fos2_Internet/Testfish/rptdtfdparm.cfm?fsub_id=242.

Appreciate all of your posts and all of the education I am receiving in this forum.

 

[tiller]

It is very interesting with Albion. The first handful of days in April there was sturgeon and chinook caught almost daily. High water hits and the fish virtually disappear at Albion. The Sockeye gillnets have seen 22 chinook in the last 10 days, more than double what Albion has seen all year. Lots of questions with Albion.

Not sure if anyone has brought this up So sorry for any repeats but the Albion test fishery numbers are abismal this year. 7 Chinook vs 126 same period last year. Just wondering what is going on; I went back several years and nothing that bad. Looks scary. Any ideas.

https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fos2_Internet/Testfish/rptdtfdparm.cfm?fsub_id=242.

Appreciate all of your posts and all of the education I am receiving in this forum.

 

[Neuronick]

https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/...7PkiUNI_neujUnVE_0DB9TQZPorVsh1oI4i6rrC9TDjU0

Petition to sign. Make sure to click the link in the confirmation email or it doesn't count.

 

[terrin]

Looks like our recreational fisher neighbors have a much better ear with their government.
More than 10 years ago, NOAA officially launched the National Recreational Fisheries Initiative with the opening of the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit on April 16-17, 2010. Days prior to the Summit, ESPN published a column musing about the demise of recreational fishing as we knew it. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded just three days later. Bookended by these events, the first national Summit opened a challenging long-term dialogue. It produced a very clear message: marine recreational fishermen had long-held frustrations with federal fisheries management they wanted addressed.

We left that first Summit understanding the need for institutional change, active public engagement, and the value of public-private partnerships. And we responded by changing the way we thought about recreational fisheries from top to bottom. We expanded agency planning, focus, and accountability around recreational fisheries through a series of detailed regional and national action plans between 2010 and 2019. And, we codified our new approach in the groundbreaking Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy in 2014.


Since 2010, active engagement and partnership with the recreational community has become deeply ingrained in agency culture. From quadrennial national summits to annual roundtable discussions in every part of the country, the agency works to stay current and connected. We have funded recreational fishermen to research and address many on-the-water priorities such as barotrauma and release mortality, marine debris, habitat restoration, and fish migration. We are working to educate the next generation of anglers, captains, and guides. We accomplish this by supporting programs as varied as the Marine Resource Education Program and the Bristol Bay Fly Fishing Academy.


Russell Dunn, National Policy Advisor for Recreational Fisheries, with a nice rainbow runner caught off Ft. Pierce, Florida.

In 2019, we reached another milestone when we signed a formal Memorandum of Agreement with leading recreational fishing community members at the Miami Boat Show. The MOA established a formal framework for communication and collaboration on mutually beneficial projects. They will advance our goals of supporting and promoting sustainable saltwater recreational fisheries for the benefit of the nation.

This year we established a new collaborative partnership with Bonnier Corporation—publisher of Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing magazines—to promote sustainable recreational fishing.

Over the past 10 years NOAA Fisheries has accomplished quite a lot with the recreational fishing community, but we know our work is not done. We will continue to support sustainable saltwater recreational fishing now and years into the future for the benefit of the nation.