My understanding is that it is illegal to intentionally kill any fish that you do not intend to consume. IMO the idea of killing any animal out of spite, either because they are a pain in the butt, or because of a perception that they compete for the resource, is philosophically flawed. DFO used to cut basking sharks in half with blades on the bows of their patrol boats because they wrecked nets, now they are so rare as to be a newsworthy sight in bc:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ing-shark-in-b-c-thrills-scientists-1.3618708. Dolly Varden were once the subject of a bounty because they preyed on salmon eggs, and now they are rare enough to be catch and release in most BC waters.
On a fishing trip as a young kid I saw a dogfish killed and thrown back in the water and that memory has stuck with me and unsettled me for a long time. That being said I probably unavoidably killed two this weekend that were hooked deeply (left the hook in one and removed from the other), but still, my two cents is that we should all do our best to release unharmed anything we don't need. Sorry for the non-report digression, but salmon fishing is slow enough in Vic right now that we almost need some filler! Tight lines.
Late report from the weekend. Had a campsite booked at Pedder Bay so Thursday afternoon I motored the boat over there and dropped a crab trap then decided to drop the lines before my ride showed up. Didn't take long before rod goes off. Scrappy fish with lots of energy to fight,and no flasher made for a good battle. Netted a 14 lb wild. 97' on the rigger in 180' of water. AP herring spoon. Got the gear back in order and made another pass in the hookup zone and another fish was on. Same side. Same depth. Didn't pop the pin but once this fish got near the boat I could tell it was decent. Then it woke up and bolted. It took a long run, then came back to the boat. Netted this 18lb wild, measured, and was good to go. 83cm. Quick limit and my best solo salmon fishing I've had.
