The Beginning of the End of our fishery?

oldtimer

Active Member
The recent devastating regulation announcements by the DFO may have spelt the death knell to what was once a world class coastal wide fishery. A fishery that is now suddenly on the brink of total collapse. Once the DFO takes away fishing opportunities they rarely if ever reverse their decisions. These new regulations are unfortunately engraved in stone and they are going to be with us for many years to come. What is left of the bottom fishery is going to be hammered into near extinction over the coming weeks and it will not be long before the DFO takes action to protect
what is left of this fishery. On a brighter note, the DFO has just announced a 600 trial Seal harvest for our waters that will be conducted by the FN. 200 Seals in the Fraser River, 200 in the GOG and 200 in the Campbell River area. They also announced a 200K seal harvest for the East Coast. If we can start to eliminate the Seals, maybe there is still some hope for our Salmon?
 
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... On a brighter note, the DFO has just announced a 600 trial Seal harvest for our waters that will be conducted by the FN. 200 Seals in the Fraser River, 200 in the GOG and 200 in the Campbell River area. They also announced a 200K seal harvest for the East Coast. If we can start to eliminate the Seals, maybe there is still some hope for our Salmon?
There is no action without reaction. The relationships between predators and prey is no exception. From 1130 News: "Two separate pods of Bigg’s transient whales say hello
Twice within two weeks two pods of transient whales popped into Vancouver harbour to say hello.

By observing dorsal fin patterns biologists were able to identify the most recent group of whales as the T049As. The group of five travels with matriarch female born in 1986 and her four offspring.

Last Tuesday, it was a different group of Bigg’s whales: matriarch T101, born before 1973, with her three sons.

According to scientists at Ocean Wise, Bigg’s killer whales, unlike resident killer whales, feed on marine mammals like seals, sea lions, and other cetaceans like dolphins and whales.

The Vancouver Aquarium-based program says proposed seal and sea lion culls are not necessary and could harm Bigg’s populations.

“Killing pinnipeds to protect Chinook salmon and help resident killer whales is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Barrett-Lennard, director of the Marine Mammal Research program at Ocean Wise.

“A cull of the seal population in the Salish Sea will negatively impact mammal-eating killer whales, and because seals eat more salmon predators than they do salmon, it could even harm the fish-eating whales.”
 
There is no action without reaction. The relationships between predators and prey is no exception. From 1130 News: "Two separate pods of Bigg’s transient whales say hello
Twice within two weeks two pods of transient whales popped into Vancouver harbour to say hello.
By observing dorsal fin patterns biologists were able to identify the most recent group of whales as the T049As. The group of five travels with matriarch female born in 1986 and her four offspring.
Last Tuesday, it was a different group of Bigg’s whales: matriarch T101, born before 1973, with her three sons.
According to scientists at Ocean Wise, Bigg’s killer whales, unlike resident killer whales, feed on marine mammals like seals, sea lions, and other cetaceans like dolphins and whales.
The Vancouver Aquarium-based program says proposed seal and sea lion culls are not necessary and could harm Bigg’s populations.
“Killing pinnipeds to protect Chinook salmon and help resident killer whales is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Barrett-Lennard, director of the Marine Mammal Research program at Ocean Wise.
“A cull of the seal population in the Salish Sea will negatively impact mammal-eating killer whales, and because seals eat more salmon predators than they do salmon, it could even harm the fish-eating whales.”

Please explain how the culling of 200 Seals in the Fraser River, 200 in the Salish Sea and 200 in the Campbell River area is going to impact our transient Orca population who frequent all parts of our coastline all the way up to Alaska and beyond.
Please see following results from recent studies.
“The harbour seal population in the Salish Sea is estimated at about 80,000 today, up from 8,600 in 1975.”
AND there is no mention of Sea Lions who have increased in huge numbers as well.
Me thinks the transients will have lots to eat!
 
There is no action without reaction. The relationships between predators and prey is no exception. From 1130 News: "Two separate pods of Bigg’s transient whales say hello
Twice within two weeks two pods of transient whales popped into Vancouver harbour to say hello.

By observing dorsal fin patterns biologists were able to identify the most recent group of whales as the T049As. The group of five travels with matriarch female born in 1986 and her four offspring.

Last Tuesday, it was a different group of Bigg’s whales: matriarch T101, born before 1973, with her three sons.

According to scientists at Ocean Wise, Bigg’s killer whales, unlike resident killer whales, feed on marine mammals like seals, sea lions, and other cetaceans like dolphins and whales.

The Vancouver Aquarium-based program says proposed seal and sea lion culls are not necessary and could harm Bigg’s populations.

“Killing pinnipeds to protect Chinook salmon and help resident killer whales is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Barrett-Lennard, director of the Marine Mammal Research program at Ocean Wise.

“A cull of the seal population in the Salish Sea will negatively impact mammal-eating killer whales, and because seals eat more salmon predators than they do salmon, it could even harm the fish-eating whales.”
I've never seen a killer whale in the Fraser River...seen plenty of seals at the Vedder and Stave...
 
There is no action without reaction. The relationships between predators and prey is no exception. From 1130 News: "Two separate pods of Bigg’s transient whales say hello
Twice within two weeks two pods of transient whales popped into Vancouver harbour to say hello.

By observing dorsal fin patterns biologists were able to identify the most recent group of whales as the T049As. The group of five travels with matriarch female born in 1986 and her four offspring.

Last Tuesday, it was a different group of Bigg’s whales: matriarch T101, born before 1973, with her three sons.

According to scientists at Ocean Wise, Bigg’s killer whales, unlike resident killer whales, feed on marine mammals like seals, sea lions, and other cetaceans like dolphins and whales.

The Vancouver Aquarium-based program says proposed seal and sea lion culls are not necessary and could harm Bigg’s populations.

“Killing pinnipeds to protect Chinook salmon and help resident killer whales is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Barrett-Lennard, director of the Marine Mammal Research program at Ocean Wise.

“A cull of the seal population in the Salish Sea will negatively impact mammal-eating killer whales, and because seals eat more salmon predators than they do salmon, it could even harm the fish-eating whales.”

I am not buying this at all. First of all most on here don't need a lecture on the difference between fish eating and mammal eating Orca.

Secondly the Vancouver Aquarium and Ocean Wise are not without bias in that they serve as a rehab service for Pinnipeds. In effect fixing up seals that would otherwise have died. This is an excellent tool for them for advertising and fund raising. If they accept that there is an actual overpopulation of seals and some seal lion species then they would have to accept that what they are doing is not only unnecessary but counter productive, perhaps even environmentally damaging in the big picture. Then those pictures of a cute little rehabbed seals would not be as useful for fundraising campaigns. A valid argument could be made for the closure of the Ocean Wise Pinniped rehab. facility. Why are they interfering by increasing already over populated species. Indeed asking why DFO allows this to continue under the current circumstances is a question worth asking.

Some Pinniped populations are at historical highs. I don't think there is any doubt of that. Anecdotally where I spend a lot of time on the water, just in the past 3 years the observable numbers have exploded. Further those seals that fish certain lighted man made structures up rivers at night for example, is not natural or historical and is new learned behavior that is devastating to salmon and is caused by humans modification of the environment.

Finally this is a limited extremely small harvest of seals by First Nations, who for thousands of year were a natural predator and population control mechanism for Pinnipeds on this coast. It seems to me that restoring this population control mechanism is just restoring nature in a small way to its historical natural state.
 
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I've never seen a killer whale in the Fraser River...seen plenty of seals at the Vedder and Stave...

I must of missed the Killer Whales when I was in pit lake, all I saw was 10 seals going after salmon smolts no Killer whales chasing them tho
 
... According to scientists at Ocean Wise, Bigg’s killer whales, unlike resident killer whales, feed on marine mammals like seals, sea lions, and other cetaceans like dolphins and whales.

The Vancouver Aquarium-based program says proposed seal and sea lion culls are not necessary and could harm Bigg’s populations.

“Killing pinnipeds to protect Chinook salmon and help resident killer whales is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Barrett-Lennard, director of the Marine Mammal Research program at Ocean Wise.

“A cull of the seal population in the Salish Sea will negatively impact mammal-eating killer whales, and because seals eat more salmon predators than they do salmon, it could even harm the fish-eating whales.”

The sources here are VERY little more than ENGO Shills.
See Rockfish's post above, it is rather obvious he well understands.

For any that don't, have a boo at Carl Walters (a REAL Scientist rather than a pseudo-biostitute) presentation in this thread: https://www.sportfishingbc.com/foru...-balance-pinniped-scociety-the-science.74345/

Damn near had enough of the ******** being spewed by agenda driven pretend scientists - both within fisheries matters, as well as wildlife.

Cheers,
Nog
 
You bet its the beginning of the end......If Gov and DFO keep steering in the same direction. Terrible.

Sold my boat this week. The Gov has sucked enough $$$ out of me to not support this BS any more.

Screw you DFO,Governments past and present. Hang your heads in shame for your lack of sound management. Your terrible models of Fish sustainability.
Its only going to get worse.

Im Done coughing $$$ into this BS management.

Getting the fly tying gear back out......only a matter of time till that gets destroyed as well under this type of mismanagement and Favoured laws for special groups.

1 Law for all. A accountability by all. Consequences same for all.
 
The recent devastating regulation announcements by the DFO may have spelt the death knell to what was once a world class coastal wide fishery. A fishery that is now suddenly on the brink of total collapse. Once the DFO takes away fishing opportunities they rarely if ever reverse their decisions. These new regulations are unfortunately engraved in stone and they are going to be with us for many years to come. What is left of the bottom fishery is going to be hammered into near extinction over the coming weeks and it will not be long before the DFO takes action to protect
what is left of this fishery. On a brighter note, the DFO has just announced a 600 trial Seal harvest for our waters that will be conducted by the FN. 200 Seals in the Fraser River, 200 in the GOG and 200 in the Campbell River area. They also announced a 200K seal harvest for the East Coast. If we can start to eliminate the Seals, maybe there is still some hope for our Salmon?

I can't think of any DFO action that has ever been reversed. The "five year" mantra is pure BS, a con job to give the impression that things will be reviewed and improved in 5 years. Folks, these regs are the new standard from which further cutbacks and closures will come from, there will be no going back to the good old days. If you think these regs are bad just wait a few years. Ten years from now this will look like the golden era of fishing in comparison to what is coming.
 
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The reason why they are saying is because the Liberals use the Wild salmon policy that says they must review a stocks status every 5 years.

In 5 years I am positive they will open it up to more netting and then say that there is to much C&R pressure to open it up to sporties for retention,
 
What has happened with our fishery almost overnight is truly stunning. I think that history will show that many of the recent decisions that the out of control DFO have made have been made for the wrong reasons. The DFO have created such a multi faceted, complicated mess that it goes without saying that until the real problem, which is the Seal issue is addressed, things are only going to get worse and more closures to follow. At the rapid rate that things are going, five years will come and go in the blink of an eye and we will be saying five years from now. " I never in my wildest dreams thought that things could get any worse, but guess what?
 
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What has happened with our fishery almost overnight is truly stunning. I think that history will show that many of the recent decisions that the out of control DFO have made have been made for the wrong reasons. The DFO have created such a multi faceted, complicated mess that it goes without saying that until the real problem, which is the Seal issue is addressed, things are only going to get worse and more closures to follow. At the rapid rate that things are going, five years will come and go in the blink of an eye and we will be saying five years from now. " I never in my wildest dreams thought that things could get any worse, but guess what?
The reason this happened is because the rec sector doesn't pose a credible political risk to an ENGO Liberal government. They are doing everything possible to get their licks in before the election. Until the Recreational Dog has some bite, nothing will change. The ENGO's and others routinely threaten or initiate legal actions to back up their demands, and government runs scared. The real problem for the Rec Sector is no one wants to lift a finger to do anything. In my neighbourhood every second house has a fishing boat parked in the driveway...talk about a silent majority sitting on their hands. There is an election coming....time to wake up before its all over with. Go ask each of the candidates where they stand and ask to see their Party Policy!
 
Where were the SFI while all this was going on? I thought that the SFI were supposed to be representing us? Yet, I haven't heard a peep of protest from them. How could the SFI just sit back and allow this to happen? Why have the SFI been so completely silent while allowing the DFO to run roughshod over our industry? By default, I think that the SFI has to take full responsibility and blame for helping to create this gigantic mess that we now find ourselves. At the end of the day and that day is not that far off, it will be proven that the DFO's knee jerk, panic induced, political solutions were not correct and they did solve the problems. My guess is that the DFO are creating more problems than they are solving? Imagine in their ignorance, the DFO is causing all this pain and financial hardships and to what end?
.
 
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As usually u are trying to **** all over SFI agian .. what a surprise coming from u....as u hide behind your oldtimer name look in mirror and ask yourself what have you done ... i know your answer..........:rolleyes:o_O
 
Derby with due respect, if the shoe fits than wear it. This historic DFO train wreck to our fishery, just didn't happen overnight. Why did the SFI abandoned their mandate to support the Sports Fishery and just stand on the sidelines and do nothing? As I see it the SFI has ducked their responsibility to the fishing community and they deserve to be called out on this issue.
 
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As always Doug u pretty well have no idea the who , where & what is going on in the Fishery world.. even more now then days gone bye... u have a hard on for SFI & you always have :rolleyes: So why don't you go back to leasing your hali quota :(
 
Derby with due respect, if the shoe fits than wear it. This historic DFO train wreck to our fishery, just didn't happen overnight. Why did the SFI abandoned their mandate to support the Sports Fishery and just stand on the sidelines and do nothing? As I see it the SFI has ducked their responsibility to the fishing community and they deserve to be called out on this issue.

IMO (for what’s its worth which probably isn’t much) they do not deserve the whole blame as you stated. Or even majority. But it would be fair to say they deserve some. As they haven’t really had any tangible positive results for the sports sector in recent years. Opposite really. Don’t get all *****, it’s pretty fair assessment.
 
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