So the issue of Aboriginal, First Nation fisheries comes up once again. And Agian. And Again. And Again. And Again. Some people just cant' get past this issue. My opinion is that it is because there is a jealous and racist attitude towards their fishery, these people get to fish while others do not. People need to get past this mental hurdle.
Whoever wants to blame Aboriginal Fishing for the decline in Salmon stocks is just ignorant. Aboriginal Fishing is NOT the issue here. In the seal thread, I posted a lecture given showing that an estimated 250-400K smolts are being eaten by seals in the Cowichan River estuary alone. What's a bigger impact there? That the Cowichan band harvests fish like they have for 20'000 years, or the seals? Well, it must be the indians. Log booms have blocked out sunlight and deposited acidic bark in the eel grass beds, wiping them out. This has eliminated the habitat for juvenile salmon. But those damned indians are still netting fish. Sea Otters have been hunted to near extinction. Which has caused an explosion of Sea Urchins. Sea Urchins eat kelp. The kelp forests are all but gone. There's no habitat for maturing ocean salmon. But again, It must be those filthy welfare collecting red skinned bastards. Open water fish farms have created huge infestations of sea lice on migrating salmon. But oh man, can you believe that DFO is letting the Sto:Lo net fish?
The racist and jealous attitude towards aboriginal fishing has got to stop. However many fish they catch is not the problem here.
Che they only report what their FSC allocation is not what they sell, .
Yes, the BLACK MARKET for salmon is something that needs to be addressed. Everyone knows about it, but nobody wants to talk about it. The easiest way to hit it? Go after the people BUYING black market salmon. Shame them publicly. #NOPOACHEDSALMON. Call out your friends, family, neigbours, co-workers or whoever else is buying this ill gotten fish.
Selling poached fish is the same as selling drugs. Its an illegitimate economic opportunity for people who otherwise do not have any legitimate economic opportunity before them. Why don't they have legitimate economic opportunity? That's something for a different thread, but it has a lot to do with the residential school system and the sixties scoop. So let's not go there.
I get it’s hard to actually see what goes on within the Fraser when you are on Vancouver island.
I love how you assume I'm some son of a logger Islander townie. I may have been born in this sportsman's paradise, but I grew up in the Fraser Valley. I have spent over 20 years fishing on the Fraser River. I have intimate knowledge of what's going on over there, minus the past few years since I've come home.
I used to get so mad when I'd see Aboriginal fishing on the Fraser. I thought it was unfair, and thought who the hell were they to do this, and don't they care about the fish, and every emotional thought you experience about it. Then I started reading and learning. First about aboriginal people's history in BC, and pre and post European contact. Then about the legal cases. Then I actually got to spend some time with some Aboriginal guys while doing Salmonid enhancement work in several river systems. I realized how wrong I was. My opinion changed, and I will confess that I previously had a very racist attitude towards these people. I have completely changed my perspective.
Aboriginal fishing, is not the cause for the decline in salmon stocks in the Salish Sea. These people are very much concerned about the preservation of these stocks, more so than sport anglers. Salmon are these people's identity and their culture. The racist attitudes towards Aboriginal Fishing has got to end.
