DFO Head Recovery Program

[Doug]

I belong to the DFO head recover program for guides. All the head I submit for my client are recorded and at the end of the season DFO sends me a list of what hatcheries produced the fish and when. This provides me a good understanding of where the fish we are catching originally came from and the time frame they travel through our waters in zone 20.

This year I received an additional bond of $200+- worth of gear (flasher, jigs....) and a nice Leatherman knife. I guess I won some kind of a draw.

Last week I also received a call from a past client requesting a booking because his memory was sparked by receiving a letter and gift from DFO for a head I submitted during a charter.

Did anyone else receive anything? I heard they are giving away a few fishing lodge trips and other gifts.

All gifts were donated.

 

[Hook'Em Hard]

I have not gotten anything this year (aside from maps and pins) but a couple of years ago I got a hat and a nice travel mug in the mail (prize draw).

 

[cpony]

I just picked up a box of tackle at the post office for my head returns. It's from Gibbs and Delta and all stuff I can use. I had put in a total of 12 heads so not a bad return. Maybe the lodge trip next year.

 

[baddogg]

Nothing for me so far, not even a note, on about a dozen heads.

 

[Fins -n- Skins]

Just received a Leatherman for turning in one head, not a bad return. In the past some people i know received Islanders reels as a top draw prize, but not sure if they still do that. The letter said there were 150 prizes handed out.

 

[high tide]

Nothing for me either ........ I know it may appear like a good thing ...... but as many have wondered over the years ....... are we helping our selves or destroying ourselves as we have seen DFO basically use a deck of cards with 52 different plans in it. What ever cards lands on the top is the plan they will try this year, guess or by golly. I really wonder if they even care about what the Sport fishing brings into our Province and country economy wise. I have lost almost all faith in them.

This said, glad to hear some of you at least got something in return, over the years I have received many pin and place of origin of the fish ....... which is fine ..... but this government needs to see how important the Recreation Sector is on this coast.

HT

 

[Foxsea]

Nothing for me either ........ I know it may appear like a good thing ...... but as many have wondered over the years ....... are we helping our selves or destroying ourselves as we have seen DFO basically use a deck of cards with 52 different plans in it. What ever cards lands on the top is the plan they will try this year, guess or by golly. I really wonder if they even care about what the Sport fishing brings into our Province and country economy wise. I have lost almost all faith in them.

This said, glad to hear some of you at least got something in return, over the years I have received many pin and place of origin of the fish ....... which is fine ..... but this government needs to see how important the Recreation Sector is on this coast. HT

HT, you're not the only one thinking they have abonded their post. Tom Davis, writing in the April issue of Boat Journal, says that "It may well be that DFO doesn't care about ocean fisheries any more."

Community groups and programs that have been working to protect and restore salmon and salmon habitat for decades are no longer supported: ..."DFO seems intent on pursuing courses of action that directly undermine those goals." ... "DFO is finding any way possible to offload its mandated responsibilities to look after our marine resources"... their attitude seems to be that "if it's too hard to manage, just close it."

"I don't see the (DFO) commitment to restore or enhance fish or to take into account their economic and cultural value" ... or that DFO understands the importance of salmon "as an iconic example of what the west coast of Canada is all about." - all quotations credited to Tom Davis; copyright 2012.

"Save wild salmon - can DFO." PN&T

 

[Dave S]

Just received a large Stanley thermos with sport head recovery logo on the side. Stoked! I am trying to figure out how turning in heads will come back to bite us.....anyone?

 

[scott craven]

Dave, if the heads are early Fraser fish with coded wire tags we risk further restrictions.
while I realize these fish need help, i think sports fishers, particularly in area19/20
have already paid the price.
If our license fees were simply put to good use in habitat preservation and hatchery production
we wouldn't be in this mess.

 

[Tips Up]

If DFO wants to recover some heads... they should check up their butt!
That's where there heads are.

Tips

 

[scott craven]

If DFO wants to recover some heads... they should check up their butt!
That's where there heads are.

Tips

too true Tips !

 

[Lipripper]

If DFO wants to recover some heads... they should check up their butt!
That's where there heads are.

Tips

LMAO.. Too funny

 

[GLG]

Dave, if the heads are early Fraser fish with coded wire tags we risk further restrictions.
while I realize these fish need help, i think sports fishers, particularly in area19/20
have already paid the price.
If our license fees were simply put to good use in habitat preservation and hatchery production
we wouldn't be in this mess.

Perhaps it's the fish feed lots that are to blame.
Virus here, virus there, everywhere a virus.
Some runs just can't take the load and they are showing us.
There has been a heck of a lot of work being done over the last 10 years.
You would think we would see the results but we are not.
I have watched my local run of Coho go down hill over the last few years.
It's not in trouble yet but it will be if this trend continues.
Bothers me that my kid will see the day when there is none left.

Got a clipped fish the other day and will be sending the head in.
Hope it's not an early timed Fraser spring.
GLG

 

[Deewar25]

Dave, if the heads are early Fraser fish with coded wire tags we risk further restrictions.
while I realize these fish need help, i think sports fishers, particularly in area19/20
have already paid the price.
If our license fees were simply put to good use in habitat preservation and hatchery production
we wouldn't be in this mess.

That train of thought though is what is biting us in the arse. Its because of peoples unwillingness to turn in heads that we are in the situation in the first place. That is where the voodoo numbers come from. If we have 'faith' that we don't take that many Fraser fish, we need to turn in the heads and assume it will show that a large percent are US fish. That is better than saying screw you DFO and allowing them to plug a massive penalty over our heads for us not providing them data.

To clarify simply as I understand the way its done, if they get 2 tagged fish from Fraser and only 10 tags total, they automatically assume we account for 20% of the Fraser (+- I'm sure they throw a few other assumption in there to come up with final number). If we submitted a pile though, and they then get 10 tagged fish from Fraser out of 100 submitted, then they assume 10%. Even though we now provide 8 more Fraser fish for them, they have cut assumed take in 1/2!

Have to take the lessor of the two evils, and turning it in and providing a more accurate story is a much better way to go in my books.