Saanauk- Your are absolutely correct. The Commercial Fishers have over fished Esperanza & Nootka for at least 5yrs.
The Local Sports Fish Advisory Committee (SFAC-Area25/125) has been telling DFO that there is a problem for several Yrs.
SFAC has Commercial catch data from DFO for Area 25 that is very clear. The Catch per unit effort (CPUE) for commercial prawning has been on a steady decline since 2009 when CPUE was 1.20kgs. per trap haul to 2013 CPUE was o.69kgs. That is a 43% reduction. Also the Commercial catch from 2014 t0 2015 dropped from 194,747kgs to 73,165kgs of prawns in Area 25. That is a 121,582kgs drop in Catch or a 266% decrease. In 2009 there were 1,960 commercial trap haul per day in 2014 there were 4,869 trap hauls per day.
This data is a clear signal that Commercial OVER FISHING has decimated the local Prawn Stocks.
SFAC has given DFO several suggested reg. changes to consider. Like 1) Returning berried prawns to the water. Why - because ea. female prawn carries up to 4,000 eggs. There are verifiable studies which the Sports Fish Advisory Board (SFAB) Shell Fish Working Group is aware of that report that 50% of berried prawns survive & release their eggs/larvae. Then Commercial Prawn fleet already is required to put Berried Prawns back in the water immediately after a trap haul. 2) Biologically identify and CLOSE prawn fishing in Prawn Protection Areas (PPA)
PPA would follow the model of Rock Fish Protection Areas (RCA) PPA would typically be be areas near the heads of inlets but not always.
PPA would act as nurseries for spawning prawns for recruitment of prawn stocks. PPA would be closed to ALL prawn fishing year round. Possible exception might be FSC. 3) Nootka/Esperanza is a high use Commercial Prawn Fishing Area. The only Gauge being use by DFO for Commercial & Recreational fishing in Area 25 is the Spawner Index. Right now it is 110%. That translate to a minimum of 1 spawner/female prawn per hauled trap when test surveys are done by DFO. The Area 25 SFAC has requested that the the Commercial Spawner Index be raised to 150% to leave more spawner/females in the water to SPAWN so the stock can recover. The recover cycle is 30 to 36 months
4) Winter Closure for prawning in all of Area 25 every yr. (Jan. 1st- March 31st) until the stock recover to the 150% spawner index.
ALL 4 recommendation are Conservation Measures to stabilize, recover and Sustain the Area 25 prawn stocks.
Why DFO has yet acted on the Local SFAC recommendations is related directly to DFO's Prawn Management Staff. SFAC has been told that the Department does NOT manage prawns by fishery Areas like Salmon where it is managed in some cases right down to a specific river or stream.
The Department's Prawn Management Staff says they mange prawns coast wide the same way by use of the Spawner index levels.
In fact that is NOT TRUE in other high use fishery areas they have upped the Spawner Index to 135% for Recreational and 150% for Commercial and have introduced "pulse" prawn fishing ( 2 wks on/2wks off prawn fishing from Labour Day wkend to April 1st )in Saanich Inlet, Stuart Channel and Alberni Inlet to increase prawn escapement and prawn abundance. These are both Conservation & Sustainability measures.
Area 25 SFAC is asking for similar measures to get the same results.
"Conservation & Sustainability of the local Prawn Stocks"
Sannauk you say you have contacted DFO in Gold River & Campbell River and have not got a response.
Now that we have an open and transparent government.
Here is some contact info. that may get you a response to your concerns.
Laurie Convey Prawn Resource Mgr. Laurie.Convey@dfo-mp.gc.ca 250 756 7233
Mike Kattilakoski Prawn S. Coast mike.kattilakoski@dfo-mpo.ca 250 756 7315
David Fogtmann Prawn S. Coast david.fogtmann@dfo-mpo.ca 250 339 3799
Ken Fong Prawn Science ken.fong@dfo-mpo.ca 250 756 7368
FOJ