There is nowhere on the coast that is plugged with anything except maybe fish farms and freight traffic anyone who thinks the sog is plugged with chinook is either extremely inexperienced, completely basing numbers off the last five years or intentionally misleading for some reason. Herring in the sog should make up 62% of chinook diet, 58% for coho, and 71% for lingcod, how could anyone defend commercial fishing the last little group of them. If we were to look at historical numbers there would have been millions of tons of herring across the coast. Basing everything off near history doesn't take into account that current baseline numbers aren't sufficient to provide abundance necessary to sustain historical salmon numbers or rebuild diminished populations. If anyone feels that the chinook numbers are better in the last couple years don't forget that is a pretty good argument to continue the restrictions on retention and that may be the difference they are seeing in abundance is sports fishing's former impact on stocks.
Herring Fishery
- Thread starter Hardy Guy
- Start date
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
From some old timers who I’ve talked to that have fished the northern SOG for for years, Vancouver to Campbell river fishing for chinook is better now then it was in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000. It started to improve before any of the recent restrictions were in place. Some say fishings lfor chinook in this area is like what it was in the 1970s.
hard tho to have a real good comparison tho because some of the more recent successes may be related to changes in technology.
it’s not all doom and gloom tho for chinook stocks.
coho in the SOG tho is nothing like it was. Tho there are some sighs that it has been improving.
hard tho to have a real good comparison tho because some of the more recent successes may be related to changes in technology.
it’s not all doom and gloom tho for chinook stocks.
coho in the SOG tho is nothing like it was. Tho there are some sighs that it has been improving.
Derby
Crew Member
Question do we have adequate spawning habitat for herring right now ? or are they just like some salmon runs are right now @there at the habitat carrying capicaty ?
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wildmanyeah
Crew Member
have you compared the current commercial tac to seal and sealion consumption.???
let alone harbour purposes and humpback whales ect..
the commercial herring fishery is not the driver in herring abundance.
if all this reduction does is increase the the seal and sealion population by another 1-2% .
has it really helped the salmon at all
searun
Well-Known Member
nailed it...ask yourself why herring have not recovered on WCVI and other areas despite no commercial fishing for herring in over a decade....who's eating them all impacting recovery?
To be fair, the commercial troll fishery used to open in the SOG on April 1st. This was a very productive fishery for about 2 weeks then it died out as the easy ones got caught. At that point most of the guys then went to the west coast or the north coast. There was a small portion of the troll fleet that used to stay in the SOG all year.
There has not been a chinook troll fishery in the SOG for many years. This happens to coincide with the very good chinook fishery that we now see in the SOG.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I thought Watershed closed for holidays. No?
G
gone fishin
Guest
I know of at least 3 sites around the southern tip of Vancouver Island where you could count on herring spawn EVERY spring.
None of these sites have changed and are receptive to spawn just as they did in the past.
No spawning herring to be found at those sites for some time now.
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SpringVelocity
Crew Member
What are you taking about? While there may be a smaller amount of herring in Gorge your making a false claim again. Anyone who fishes knows there are herring in South. Is it like 80s. No it isn't but come on nothing is. It's like saying Saanich Inlet is going to have a large Chinook fishery again.
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G
gone fishin
Guest
no...not BS
A simple fact you don't seem to like
When is the last time you spent time in and around Victoria waters where these herring once spawned?
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I fish down there quite a bit still. Started in 80s in Saanich inlet and also grew up next to Gorge. Yes was one of bridge guys. Also know fully of pollution in Gorge and is effects. Very polluted waterway. It's getting better/cleaned up but you cannot deny the industrial and sewage problem that existed there.
You can keep taking runs online with your NGO clowns, but I value what we have left for a fishery. Unfortunately guys like you will shut opportunities down because you look at the 10ft view. It's sad because some of you just don't get it.
As far as no herring on Gorge that is pure BS. Sorry.
If recreational fisherman like you care so much and it is such a big problem why are there none of you helping rebuild them? Is this the answer shutting down other sectors, and treating them same way the department has with our Chinook fishery?
FACT: We need a department that uses science to make it's decisions, and we as group should not be advocating taking down other sectors if the science says otherwise. There was no reason for the reductions. It is political move to get the NGO groups to shut up nothing more.
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G
gone fishin
Guest
Not sure where you are getting your facts from Spring Velocity but there is probably nothing I can say to convince you the Herring Stocks around Victoria are at an all time low level.
If you grew up in Saanich Inlet you will recall the frequent herring spawn around Deep Cove and if you have not been into the Gorge in the last 10 years you have not seen just how clean it is when you say "Also know fully of pollution in Gorge and is effects. Very polluted waterway. "
Hard to understand your comment "I value what we have left for a fishery. Unfortunately guys like you will shut opportunities down. It's sad because some of you just don't get it. Don't cry to me when it's all shut down. "
Rebuilding the dwindling herring stocks will NOT CONTRIBUTE to future salmon restrictions.
Check out these facts.
Estuaries like the Gorge Waterway and Portage Inlet have been called “nurseries of the sea” for their important role providing sheltered habitat, food and spawning areas for a variety of fish species
STORY OF HERRING The herring population of the waterway is genetically distinct, and herring numbers have decreased considerably over the past few decadesThe reasons for this are not clear.
Humans are not the only species with an interest in herring. Birds such as the blue-listed Double[1]crested Cormorant feed on herring.
A decline in the cormorant’s numbers in recent years may in part be due to the reduced numbers of herring.
For more information on the Gorge Waterway Initiativefish-of-the-waterway.pdf (crd.bc.ca)
fish-of-the-waterway.pdf (crd.bc.ca)
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
It’s amazing how much the commercial herring fishery in the northern SOG is responsible for.
G
gone fishin
Guest
Yes, another amazing fact
"Herring make long migrations each year from spawning ground to feeding ground and back, distances of up to 2000 km"
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
they fish on the spawning grounds, the eggs need to be developed to a certain ripness before they open up the fishery on the spawning grounds.
and this graph clearly shows the spawning bio mad as that they are fishing on is not in a decline l.
Ancient Mariner
Member
G
gone fishin
Guest
Thanks for the graph again Wildman. You know you posted it less than a week ago
If anyone wants to read the DFO report it came from, here it is
2021_st of georgia.pdf
AND everyone believes DFO research is perfect. Right?
If anyone wants to read the DFO report it came from, here it is
2021_st of georgia.pdf
AND everyone believes DFO research is perfect. Right?
Very interesting read thanks for sharing.
G
gone fishin
Guest
When early Spring halibut fishing in Haro was very good 5 or more years ago we would see large schools of herring off Discovery and near Kelp Reef passing under the boat migrating north. No doubt these herring were migrating up to mid coast where the Herring Roe Fishery would reduce their numbers by tons. Can anyone tell me how many herring are in a ton?
This link will give you more info on the migration of herring albeit not exclusively to our area.
www.sciencedirect.com
This link will give you more info on the migration of herring albeit not exclusively to our area.
Herring - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
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