DFO Seized 250 Illegal Traps in English Bay
- Thread starter Ringo
- Start date
the butcher
Well-Known Member
Last 2 years on 2 separate occassions, 1 in the north arm and the other in the south arm, while waiting for the crab traps to soak I toss over a light anchor to slow down my drift so that my kids can drift fish for flounder and jig for herring. The anchor would snag on something solid.. when retrieving the anchor, it was extremely difficult to bring up my anchor. When the anchor got to the surface it was obvious why it was so difficult. It caught a hidden line that was at the bottom. The light was a leaded thick line.. not the 5/16 line that rec crabbers/prawners use.. Much thicker... I grabbed the leaded line and pulled as hard as I can to see if I accidently snagged onto a lost trap but couldn't move it.. there was a lot of tension on the line.. Didn't know what the heck it was or what it was tied too and at that time never heard of ghost traps.
Over the past 2 years I have also noticed a 70-80% decrease in the amount of crabs in my traps all along the north to south arm and in boundary bay.....what used to be easy for me or me and my boys to get a limit during the peak months of may and june, wasn't even worth our time and efforts in the past 2 years to set any crab traps in those areas due to how much those areas have been cleaned out.
My question is, why is it that DFO can't do operations to find these illegal traps on their own? WHy is that something that needs to be reported? If I was able to stumble on illegal lines by simply dragging an anchor, it shouldnt be a highly sophisicated nor expensive endeavor for DFO. The general public and media should call out DFO for their incompetence.. Either way this crap needs to stop and DFO needs to do their jobs!!!! If not DFO, then the RCMP as this is a serious criminal offence.
IF DFO and the cops won't do a damn thing about this, which is obvious because these perps are back at it after the annual DFO trap raids, we need to make it unprofitable for them to be in the illlegal crab business... While we wait for our crab pots to soak, if each of us dragged an anchor or hook and reported these ghost traps more often, it could drive them out of business... If the illegal traps were taken out of the water multiple times each year it could be unprofitable... just a thought.
Over the past 2 years I have also noticed a 70-80% decrease in the amount of crabs in my traps all along the north to south arm and in boundary bay.....what used to be easy for me or me and my boys to get a limit during the peak months of may and june, wasn't even worth our time and efforts in the past 2 years to set any crab traps in those areas due to how much those areas have been cleaned out.
My question is, why is it that DFO can't do operations to find these illegal traps on their own? WHy is that something that needs to be reported? If I was able to stumble on illegal lines by simply dragging an anchor, it shouldnt be a highly sophisicated nor expensive endeavor for DFO. The general public and media should call out DFO for their incompetence.. Either way this crap needs to stop and DFO needs to do their jobs!!!! If not DFO, then the RCMP as this is a serious criminal offence.
IF DFO and the cops won't do a damn thing about this, which is obvious because these perps are back at it after the annual DFO trap raids, we need to make it unprofitable for them to be in the illlegal crab business... While we wait for our crab pots to soak, if each of us dragged an anchor or hook and reported these ghost traps more often, it could drive them out of business... If the illegal traps were taken out of the water multiple times each year it could be unprofitable... just a thought.
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the butcher
Well-Known Member
Good idea.. Perhaps when one of us get tangled or purposely goes out and drags and anchor looking for these ghost traps, in addition to notifying DFO, let's post the info including coordinates here so that we can log this info... Gives other members and idea where the ghost traps have been set in the past since most of the times my guess is they will reset in same area once they get new gear... If DFO and the RCMP does nothing about this issue, at least we have data and logs of the occurences we have found in a historical log book. The info could be brought to a reporter with a news agency to appear in the paper or the 6pm TV news... Only way to get DFO or RCMP to "PROACTIVELY" do something about this problem rather than being reactive is to shame them.
It furiates me that the recent article about the diver finding the ghost traps our in front of Jerico, had DFO making a final statement saying they admit that catching the offenders is a difficult task... I call BS.... drag a hook or anchor, find a line, and do surveillance for next few days.. All that is need is some effort. If they put in the effort and catch these idiots, I am certain they would get intel on who is buying the illlegal crabs and put those wholesalers/distributors/ or if it happens to be a rogue commercial fisherman... put them all out of business...
Finding them redhanded isn’t the difficult part but it’s not easy to take the stewards of land and sea to court without risking some political set back. At the end of the day, DFO’s enforcement will remain poor and selective unless there’s some real and strong political will to protect the resource.
the butcher
Well-Known Member
surely I am assuming only a very small handful of bad apples are a part of this group... would the majority of FN people not support criminal prosecution? I assume this illegal activity only profits a small handful of people and yet it taints and paints a broad brush on all FN people? This sort of activity is way outside of any protective rights that FN have is it not? If there is nothing that DFO can do about it, why are these perps doing this so secretly with hidden traps and pulling them under the cover of darkness? Surely there is some risk to them?
Captain PartyMarty
Crew Member
Not hard to find them at all! Look I found the boats
Every time I go by this launch there are guys moving traps around. But I am pretty sure I know why DFO doesn't spend any time at this launch.....
Every time I go by this launch there are guys moving traps around. But I am pretty sure I know why DFO doesn't spend any time at this launch.....
the butcher
Well-Known Member
Yes I agree... DFO is afraid of the bogeyman... they want to sleep well at night and don't want nightmares... also the reason why DFO doesn't do night patrols.....
They don’t do it at nights and they don’t need much cover. They know that they’re untouchable under the current government. This is a small group of bad apples who are abusing a limited commercial fishery. I can’t think of the seniors within the band to be aware if this criminal act and still supporting it. This is just not right from every angle that you look at it but then DFO doesn’t have the tooth to fight with this small group of criminals.
The entire fishery on the westcoast is politically driver. Heck, if it wasn’t so effed up, we wouldn’t be here typing on a Friday afternoon. It’s prime spring fishing season on the south coast but we don’t even know when the government MAY give us any openings. These are pieces of the same ugly puzzle.
@Captain PartyMarty - good aerial shot. I see similarities between that aluminium boat and the one that I’ve seen many times dropping/pulling strings of ghost traps in English bay in the open day light.
The entire fishery on the westcoast is politically driver. Heck, if it wasn’t so effed up, we wouldn’t be here typing on a Friday afternoon. It’s prime spring fishing season on the south coast but we don’t even know when the government MAY give us any openings. These are pieces of the same ugly puzzle.
@Captain PartyMarty - good aerial shot. I see similarities between that aluminium boat and the one that I’ve seen many times dropping/pulling strings of ghost traps in English bay in the open day light.
Derby
Crew Member
searun
Well-Known Member
No doubt this is organized crime. Virtually no serious penalties and if caught a slap on the wrist in most cases. These guys are running an industrial scale operation, with plenty of markets overseas. Getting the occasional fine and losing your traps is just the cost of doing business.
Tinny
Well-Known Member
And we suffer because when I take my family out for a day of leisure there’s almost no crabs left in the harbour. What was very sustainable has been destroyed by these criminals. And because of their “heritage” they have no fear doing it in broad daylight.
Just a thought I’d like to put up here for discussion. There’s definitely more involved in this story than what CBC’s article is showing. Valid question to be asked: what has DFO been doing to identify and prosecute the criminals who’ve been supporting the entire supply chain?
Can the SFI support a petition to the fisheries minister and circulate for signature where it highlights:
1- Need for active enforcement to push some hard and real consequences to these criminals - seizing the ghost traps in Boundary Bay obviously didn’t fix the problem. A lot more enforcement is required to protect the resource.
2- Role of the sport fishermen in identifying the rule breakers - the two divers in this story have been sport fishermen in first place who saw something and took the initiative to go in and document the evidence
3- Ask for DFO’s justification around shutting down the recreational angling in areas where a lot more enforcement is required - how is this going to support the overall conservation efforts when other sectors are actively abusing the resources?
I see some silver lining in this story. Can we as a community of sport anglers, capitalize on the opportunity?
Can the SFI support a petition to the fisheries minister and circulate for signature where it highlights:
1- Need for active enforcement to push some hard and real consequences to these criminals - seizing the ghost traps in Boundary Bay obviously didn’t fix the problem. A lot more enforcement is required to protect the resource.
2- Role of the sport fishermen in identifying the rule breakers - the two divers in this story have been sport fishermen in first place who saw something and took the initiative to go in and document the evidence
3- Ask for DFO’s justification around shutting down the recreational angling in areas where a lot more enforcement is required - how is this going to support the overall conservation efforts when other sectors are actively abusing the resources?
I see some silver lining in this story. Can we as a community of sport anglers, capitalize on the opportunity?
searun
Well-Known Member
This isn't a new problem that DFO C&P is unaware of. Its been on the radar for several years now. Its awesome that some citizen observers are calling into the Report Line (if you see these guys, report them). We obviously need more people on the water observing and reporting. From the story, its clear that when credible reports come in, DFO will jump on them. If that wasn't the case, the ghost traps discovered by the free divers would have just been left for the criminals to pick up before they were removed by DFO. I wouldn't expect the C&P Officers to start posting all their activities and intelligence so there is likely more going on. Easy for us to jump to conclusions nothing is being done, when something is.
Lastly, just my opinion, criminals are criminals not sectors. Every sector or group has their warts.
I suspect illegal harvest represents ~75% or better of the crab harvest in English Bay. I've snagged lines on the bottom, I often see commercial boats moving around in the evening with no lights on. Drop a trap with fresh, quality bait in spring (outside commercial season) and you're lucky to get a legal one. With the biomass and extend of prime crab habitat, there should be *WAY* more crab than there are.
Tinny
Well-Known Member
The aluminum boat was out there again today hard at work. Out in water way too deep for a free diver this time. But it’s all under the cover of a food fishery.
I really hope DFO is working hard behind the scenes with some criminal charges pending. They did catch someone doing just this in Burrard Inlet a few years back with charges after a stakeout.
I really hope DFO is working hard behind the scenes with some criminal charges pending. They did catch someone doing just this in Burrard Inlet a few years back with charges after a stakeout.
searun
Well-Known Member
If they are dropping strings of unmarked sets (no buoys), it would be a great idea to note the GPS location and call it in.
