You might want to be concerned.

I find it interesting that our Orca population has declined over the past century and yet the ones we have now are just targetting Fraser River stocks?
I think they have always taken these salmon there just happened to be a lot more around before.
It won't be long before the fish farm sites are linking this article to their sites as to why stocks are declining.
 
When you figure out which stocks are important, it's information that fisheries managers might want to take into consideration when making decisions," said Hanson.

Victoria and West coast fisherman should pay attention to this.
 
No wonder I was out in Pedder Bay the other day as this was the best chinook fishing season right in this bay. I have seen springs jumpin'and some boats went home with the fish. When the killer whales came in, there were no fish, most boats got skunked for a few days until a wave of fish came in. We will have let the nature runs on its course. No complaint about killer whales eating on springs.
 
I like the idea of boosting hatcheries on the runs they feed on.
Any thing else sounds like trouble.
 
More precisely the article reads
quote:A joint Canadian-U.S. study that used highly refined molecular genetic techniques to look at the DNA of fish scales and whale feces found that, during spring and summer, up to 90 per cent of Chinook eaten by the whales come from the Fraser River.

The southern resident population seems to prefer the Frasier not the Puget Sound Chinook. I guess they taste better.

I don’t think the point was that they eat fish. The point is that the Fraser fish need to be protected (closed for fishing) so that the orcas could eat them.
GLG
 
I applaud any study that brings attention to our local killer whales and fishing , but this is pretty fuzzy science. The testing of the whale feces was only performed during the months in which the Fraser runs were happening and the whales were in this area ,primarily July and August. Yes , local runs are important , but whales need food 12 months of the year ,not just the two months of the main Fraser runs. What about the fall Chum runs from the Puget that the Southern Resident Killer whales are known to feed on? What about the Sacramento run which the whales need in the winter that have had little or no returns for two years?

Do the Southern residents turn to eating Halibut in the winter like their Northern cousins? We may never know as no research is being done on feeding patterns other than in the summer!!

My thoughts are that if we do a couple of relatively small things we can change the whole Georgia Basin(sorry haven't bought in on the Salish Sea) in a matter of a few years.

1. Stop the Herring fishery in its entirety. Big fish need food. Most of this fishery is ground up as fish pellets and fertilizer.What a waste.
2. Habitat protection. Any salmon bearing stream should not be disturbed and existing ones should be rehabbed.

3.Support your local hatchery and allow diversified species in rivers that are not bearing stock presently.(coho)

4. All sewage and storm water should be closelooped. No dumping of any water in the ocean. This may seem a little radical , but most of the mammals at risk are suffering from PBDE contamination , it's believed that most of these contaminants are coming from street run off and believe it or not the fire retardant in childrens clothing. Most european countries have closeloop systems and it could be easy to achieve. (do we really need to flush our toilets with drinking grade water?)

Lofty goals I know , but if we don't get moving THIS DECADE I am afraid we may as well not bother after that.

beemer www.killerwhale.ca
 
Maybe it will help shed some light, but two things immediately come to mind:

1) How much did that study cost? It would have been cheaper to take the "whale" experts and introduce them to the "fish" experts and explain to each other, what we have known for years? And, put that research money into salmon smolt production.

2) If they did that study either while the Cowichan were running... or between October and March (the other six months of the year & Orca's life) while the they aren't directly in front of the Fraser, moving around more, what would the "feces" show them then?

IMHO I it is kind of a "half baked" study but again, if it helps save the Orca & wild salmon... I am still for it! :D
 
quote:Originally posted by beemer
1. Stop the Herring fishery in its entirety. Big fish need food. Most of this fishery is ground up as fish pellets and fertilizer.What a waste.

Might as well shut down all fisheries including sports fishing. A spring is a small fish for a whale..
 
Hey fish4all , The point I was trying to make was that herring is a base food for many species ,seabirds, dolphins, porpoises, striped bass, seals, sea lions, whales, sharks, dog fish, tuna, cod, salmon, and halibut. Overharvest herring and the whole food chain collapses, as we are witnessing before our very eyes.
As the top predators on the food chain we have a responsibility not to overharvest and be too greedy. Might have a hard time selling that to the owner of the Pacific herring Fishery Fleet , Jimmy Pattison.
 
quote:Originally posted by beemer

Hey fish4all , The point I was trying to make was that herring is a base food for many species ,seabirds, dolphins, porpoises, striped bass, seals, sea lions, whales, sharks, dog fish, tuna, cod, salmon, and halibut. Overharvest herring and the whole food chain collapses, as we are witnessing before our very eyes.
As the top predators on the food chain we have a responsibility not to overharvest and be too greedy. Might have a hard time selling that to the owner of the Pacific herring Fishery Fleet , Jimmy Pattison.

I get your point but learn a little before you type.

1) the stocks of herring are once again building on the coast.

2) the commercial fleet targets the older herring that have a high natural mortality and most of what they catch will die off this year any way.

3) the biomass of pilchards is huge out here(direct competetion with herring). More than enough to feed every salmon and whale in the area. Last few salmon I caught were loaded with pilchards.

4) Believe it or not there are still many people that make a living harvesting herring and it is a very very tightly monitored fishery. Unlike the free for all you participate in.

5) start to look in your own back yard or freezer as to why the salmon are failing. Again 2.2 million rod days and there is going to be nothing left.

I am sure we are all wanting the same thing out here and that is for the stocks of all species to rebuid. Here are a couple of suggestions you may have over looked.

1) close the rivers to all fishing.

2) reduce the bag limits on all species and put in reasonable seasonal limits for the effort that is now here. or go to a tag system like hunting so we know what is being taken.

3) build some decent sewage plants so that we are not polluting the gulf.

4) put water restrictions on the up river users so when we have low snow pack like this year the water temp can be maintained and what fish do show up may have a chance.

5) have the natives on the river deliver to one port and actually monitor what is being taken.

6) last but not least get the farms off the migration route of our salmon.
 
1) the stocks of herring are once again building on the coast.

2) the commercial fleet targets the older herring that have a high natural mortality and most of what they catch will die off this year any way.

3) the biomass of pilchards is huge out here(direct competetion with herring). More than enough to feed every salmon and whale in the area. Last few salmon I caught were loaded with pilchards.

4) Believe it or not there are still many people that make a living harvesting herring and it is a very very tightly monitored fishery. Unlike the free for all you participate in.


[:eek:)] I NEED TO GET INFORMED?????
 
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