gamechanger
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, just wanted to give you the heads up that chum is closing in Areas 11-13 Wed night, until more chum make it into the Fraser.
gc
gc
Chum is closing in Areas 11-13
- Thread starter gamechanger
- Start date
GLG
Well-Known Member
| Category(s): | RECREATIONAL - Salmon |
| Subject: | FN1057-RECREATIONAL - Salmon - Chum Non-retention in Areas 11, 12, and 13 |
| | |
| Test fishing catches in the Fraser River are indicating a low abundance of chum salmon. There are considerable uncertainties regarding Fraser River chum salmon run strength at this time. In an effort to conserve Fraser River Chum stocks, a decision has been made to take a precautionary approach and as outlined in the 2011-12 South Coast Salmon Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP), commercial and recreational chum fisheries will close in Queen Charlotte and Johnstone Straits. Recreational fisheries will close to the retention (non-retention) of chum salmon at 23:59 hours Wednesday, October 26, 2011 in Areas 11, 12, and 13; these mixed stock fisheries may intercept chum salmon on-route to the Fraser River. Stock assessment information will continue to be monitored both in the Fraser River and Johnstone Strait test fisheries. Chum salmon may open for retention in Areas 11, 12, and 13 if stock assessment information shows that it is warranted. VO# 2011-502 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Brad Beaith (250) 756-7190 | |
| Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN1057 Sent October 25, 2011 at 1635 |
Well this sucks. Perhaps the commercials should not have taken so many.
There goes my fishing plans again.
GLG
salmonkiller01
Well-Known Member
No kiddin, 150 seiners were out for chum this season and about the same number of gillnetters, and they wonder wheres the chum!!!!!!!! Idiots. I guess I may as well go halibut fishing!!!
Barnacle Bill
Well-Known Member
Catch and release works, and as a by product, is hatchey cohoe open? I bet there is the odd winter spring around also..........BB
Fish Assassin
Crew Member
What a bunch of BS... FN pisses me off
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Even after the commercial fishery, there were still lots of chums moving south yesterday. And still chromers..
Derby
Crew Member
My understanding of it is... the Albion test is considered the return index for the Fraser runs....Based on the Albion test fishery and it's history it's showing a poor return in the Fraser this year...I believe Albion test fishery needs to show a returning run of 800,000 chums minium before they will consider any surplus for harvest...which currently it is showing a return of less...... The salt test fishery up Campbell River way I believe has shown a large surge of chums showing up late, as the local rivers a showing here, just in the last week....The DNA testing up that way has showed I believe 55% of that surge of Chums is Fraser river stocks...they just haven't entered the Fraser yet..
Does that make any sense?
Does that make any sense?
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Just a thought................... For those of you around Comox or CR who might go through chum withdrawal now 12-13 are closed, why not try looking for them around Bates/Kitty? Remember the good sockeye fishing there when guys started to actually target them in non-traditional waters ?????? Might get a surprise if the chums travel the same paths.!
gamechanger
Well-Known Member
Yep thats what's happening...hey GLG and Salmonkiller, the fishery isn't closed because the commercial guys got them all, you can believe what you want, but if you want to know the real story read the rest of these posts. The fishery will reopen if 800k plus hit the Fraser and they're not quite there yet. And just so you know the abundance has been low enough in the Fraser River that DFO could have closed the Straits before the derby too...but due to some good work looking at DNA from the test fishery, and a push by some people in the department it stayed open so you guys could fish. Keep things in perspective. Remember commercial guys have priority access to chum, 95% goes to them.
Fish Assassin
Crew Member
Bub and I were just up at the Puntledge Hatchery and one of the guys there said he has caught them trolling in Comox Harbour. Alot closer then BB for some of us.
GLG
Well-Known Member
So why was there a commercial opening if DFO was concerned with the low numbers?
Did they figure that out just before the chum derby?
Wait a minute they knew this on Sept 29, 2011
Subject: FN0958-Stock Assessment Update Chum Salmon stock assessments continue throughout Haida Gwaii. No surpluses have been identified. Next announcement will be provided on Monday October 03, 2011. Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN0958 Sent September 29, 2011 at 11:18
The same day they told us the numbers were low they came out with the commercial openings.
What does that tell us? Wait it gets better......
So the commercials hammer on the chum and DFO comes with a second opening for area 12 and 13.
The same day they put that notice out they come out with this notice
Thursday, October 13, 2011 General Overview: Chum escapement levels in the Mid Vancouver Island and Lower Georgia Strait area systems remain low. There has been no significant change in escapement numbers over the past 7 days. In-stream assessments are ongoing in Areas 14 to 19 systems. Area 14 Escapement estimates to date are as follows: Puntledge River – 200 chum - target escapement 60,000. Little Qualicum River - 600 chum with a target of 130,000. Big Qualicum River - 200 chum with a target of 100,000. Chum abundance in Area 14 continues to be low at this time. The Puntledge hatchery is reporting a few chums at the hatchery. There has been no significant change in escapement in both the Big and Little Qualicum Rivers in the past week. At this time no commercial fishing opportunities are anticipated in the upcoming week. Area 16 Skwawka, Deserted Bay, Vancouver Bay, and Brittain River systems were inspected this past week. No chums were observed. Lang Creek hatchery is reporting 800 chum, with those fish showing up in the past 2 days. Weekly assessments will continue. Commercial fishing opportunities are not expected in 2011 due to low forecast levels of abundance. Area 17 Weekly swim surveys are conducted on the Nanaimo River to count chinook ,coho and chum. The chum escapement estimate for the Nanaimo River is 1,750 chum, up slightly from the previous week. Assessment of the area will continue. No commercial fisheries are planned for Area 17 at this time. Area 18 The Didsen sonar was installed on Tuesday, October 11 on the Cowichan River. 10 chums moved through the Didsen in the first 24 hours of operations. The Area 18/19 seine test fishery will commence October 19. Test fishing will take place each Monday and Tuesday over a 5 week period. No commercial fisheries are planned for Area 18 at this time. Area 19 It is early in the run timing for the Goldstream River. The Goldstream was assessed on Tuesday, October 11; 9 chum were observed. Assessment of the area will continue. No commercial fisheries are planned for Area 19 at this time. The next Mid Vancouver Island Chum Update will be on Thursday, October 20.
Wonder why the rivers south of BB are low on chum numbers could it be the commercial openings?
Yes I have read all the other posts and it does look like it will open again.
BUT my plans are on hold until it is open again next week or the week after that.
Promises have been made and are now broken, DFO looks like the bad guy.
I'm not happy with some of the DFO guys that's for sure.
I do know many that work there and most are A1 in my books.
Just not the guys that want to shut down us regular folks.
Yup I would fish Kitty but have you looked at the weather?
BB is protected water when the SE winds start to blow.
So how many chum get taken in a day up in BB?
100 maybe 200 is that going to put a dent in the numbers or is it the commercial guys pushing to shut us down.
Yes I do remember the 95% priority access and that IMHO is wrong.
Whose fish are they anyway, last I checked they belong to the people of Canada.
Not the government or the commercial fisherman.
Islandgirl
Well-Known Member
gamechanger
Well-Known Member
The commercial fishery started because of testfishing, 50-60% of the fish that were sampled in the test fishery initially were of Fraser origin. If we waited until the rivers had their escapement before fishing, nobody would be fishing anywhere except at the end of the season in river mouths...not reality. The test fishing is why there was a commercial fishery and thats why it stayed open for the derby. The more days that continued to go by without those fish showing up in Albion makes their run estimate drop, which limits FSC in the river and therefore shuts down commercial and rec until the numbers >800k. As for the allocation policy, the rec sector negotiated that in exchange for priority access to chinook and coho...better deal for sporties
GLG
Well-Known Member
How many chum were caught by the commercials in area 11,12 and 13?
In the same time period how many were caught by the rec sector?
It now looks like Fraser river FSC, Rec & Commercial chum is closed because of low numbers.
How could this happen if the test fishing near port hardy showed good numbers?
Where did the chum go? Are they still out in the SOG?
Perhaps DFO will send the bag fleet to Comox to find out.
GLG
In the same time period how many were caught by the rec sector?
It now looks like Fraser river FSC, Rec & Commercial chum is closed because of low numbers.
How could this happen if the test fishing near port hardy showed good numbers?
Where did the chum go? Are they still out in the SOG?
Perhaps DFO will send the bag fleet to Comox to find out.
GLG
D
DHA
Guest
I posted on the 29th, that was going to happen, no one seemed to care then.
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/showthread.php?11462-Kitty-Coleman/page88
DHA.
gamechanger
Well-Known Member
Chum is opening again as of midnight tonight...sorry GLG, your stories of doom and gloom don't hold, the fish went through Albion as we hoped they would...don't know why they delayed, but fish behaviour is unpredictable sometimes as we all know. There will be an Area H troll fishery for a couple of more days, but seine and gillnet are done in the Straits.
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