Islandgirl
Well-Known Member
This following is from Bob Cole, recieved 10/07/2011
I did email Check 6, not that I want to hurt P.A. BUT I want this BS from Dfo and the commercial sector to stop.
I have not got a reply
"Hello ____
Thank you for the offer of support. I foresaw this problem a week and a half ago and when nobody at the roundtable would listen and there was no consideration of the economic and reputation damage that a “full on” commercial fishery throughout our area would do, I walked away from the flawed process. We need to count more than fish numbers. We need to count people and economic values into fishing plans. The 2001 Fisheries Standing Enquiry into DFO’s mishandling of our Sockeye fishery in 2000 stated that the economic value to the local community should come first in any fishery plan. It hasn’t.
I, too, was at Clutesi this morning to meet some friends who had come over from Powell River to fish for our “famous” Sockeye and stay in our local hotels, eat in our restaurants, hire a guide, etc. In 8 hours yesterday they caught 5 Sockeye, that’s $100.00 each for the guide alone plus the 2 nights in the Howard Johnson, dinner a Little Bavaria, brunch today at Solda’s, their ferry and travel costs to get here, etc. They fished 5 hours this morning, one bite! They ended up buying Sockeye from the natives so at more than $1500.00, they may never return here to fish. Multiply that by the thousands of others and you can figure out what Pattison and company are robbing from us.
The creel surveyor talked to boat after boat who had no fish. Most likely 400 boats and 40 fish caught total. One for every 10th boat or 40th fisher. The recreational catch has fallen off the bottom of the scale.
Unless some drastic measures are implemented right away, we will have squandered any opportunity to rebuild our sport tourism economy and to build on the Ultimate Fishing Town title.
There must be at least 3 full days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) without any commercial fishing of any sort below Lone Tree Point and above Hocking Point for some fish to gather and school up and for there to be any chance of the rec fishery catching any Sockeye. If too many fish make it into the lakes, the lakes can be fertilized to help with nutrients for the fry. Right now, our citizens and businesses are fish food for the commercial fleets.
I will try once more at Monday’s call to see if there is any movement by the other sectors and DFO, if not, I hope the whole town goes public and political. We can’t afford this to happen!
Bob "
I did email Check 6, not that I want to hurt P.A. BUT I want this BS from Dfo and the commercial sector to stop.
I have not got a reply
"Hello ____
Thank you for the offer of support. I foresaw this problem a week and a half ago and when nobody at the roundtable would listen and there was no consideration of the economic and reputation damage that a “full on” commercial fishery throughout our area would do, I walked away from the flawed process. We need to count more than fish numbers. We need to count people and economic values into fishing plans. The 2001 Fisheries Standing Enquiry into DFO’s mishandling of our Sockeye fishery in 2000 stated that the economic value to the local community should come first in any fishery plan. It hasn’t.
I, too, was at Clutesi this morning to meet some friends who had come over from Powell River to fish for our “famous” Sockeye and stay in our local hotels, eat in our restaurants, hire a guide, etc. In 8 hours yesterday they caught 5 Sockeye, that’s $100.00 each for the guide alone plus the 2 nights in the Howard Johnson, dinner a Little Bavaria, brunch today at Solda’s, their ferry and travel costs to get here, etc. They fished 5 hours this morning, one bite! They ended up buying Sockeye from the natives so at more than $1500.00, they may never return here to fish. Multiply that by the thousands of others and you can figure out what Pattison and company are robbing from us.
The creel surveyor talked to boat after boat who had no fish. Most likely 400 boats and 40 fish caught total. One for every 10th boat or 40th fisher. The recreational catch has fallen off the bottom of the scale.
Unless some drastic measures are implemented right away, we will have squandered any opportunity to rebuild our sport tourism economy and to build on the Ultimate Fishing Town title.
There must be at least 3 full days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) without any commercial fishing of any sort below Lone Tree Point and above Hocking Point for some fish to gather and school up and for there to be any chance of the rec fishery catching any Sockeye. If too many fish make it into the lakes, the lakes can be fertilized to help with nutrients for the fry. Right now, our citizens and businesses are fish food for the commercial fleets.
I will try once more at Monday’s call to see if there is any movement by the other sectors and DFO, if not, I hope the whole town goes public and political. We can’t afford this to happen!
Bob "
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