OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
On a day when most in the know have accepted there is no one in the federal government who understands the term conservation (i.e. the decision to not list Interior Fraser Steelhead under Canada's Species At Risk Act) comes blockbuster news from Skeena country. Check it out:
Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Subject: FN0743-ABORIGINAL - Salmon - Sockeye - Skeena - Areas 3, 4 and 5 - Non-retention and Gill Nets Prohibited in First Nations Food, Social and Ceremonial Fisheries
Returns of Sockeye to the Skeena River continue to be at extremely low levels. As of July 30, the mid-point run estimate was 409,420 Sockeye. First Nations that harvest Skeena Sockeye have been consulted and agree that this return size is a conservation concern.
The recreational harvest of Sockeye in Areas 4 and 5 was closed as of July 11. In addition, there is no fishing for salmon for the entire Skeena River in effect 00:01 hours July 27.
As of 00:01 hours Monday July 29, 2019, the following measures were implemented to the First Nations food, social and ceremonial (FSC) fishery to further protect Skeena Sockeye:
1. For Area 4, Subareas 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-10, 5-11 and Subareas 3-1, 3-2, 3-3
and 3-4:
- Retention of Sockeye will not be permitted;
- Use of gill nets will not be permitted;
- Fishing for other species using gear types other than gill net will continue to be permitted, in accordance with communal licences.
2. For the Skeena River from the Area 4 commercial boundary (Mowitch Point to Vetch Point) to the confluence with the Babine River and up to the Babine weir:
- Retention of Sockeye will not be permitted;
- Use of gill nets will not be permitted;
- Fishing for other species using gear types other than gill net will continue to be permitted, in accordance with communal licences.
The Department continues to work with First Nations partners to develop and, where appropriate, implement adaptive management actions for FSC harvesting to
protect Skeena Sockeye.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sandra Davies 250-627-3426
This is a monumentally significant precedent we can only hope will begin the shift from horribly indiscriminate gill nets to selective harvest methods that may finally do something to reverse the steady declines in a growing list of stocks of salmon and steelhead. For all the criticism I have heaped on DFO for many years for their intransigence with respect to in-river gill nets I'll offer cautious applause for today's announcement. One would hope that the southern division of DFO is paying attention to this important move by their northern counterparts. If 400K sockeye in the Skeena can elicit such measures, we're owed an explanation for why a couple of hundred Interior Fraser Steelhead spread over some of the most productive fish habitat in the Fraser system doesn't get anywhere near the same level of consideration and protection from the same agency.
Soldier on DFO (North) and Skeena First Nations. Show the world how it's done.
