Tugcapitan
Well-Known Member
Good point, I didn’t think much about the work volunteers and guides do, and I think you’re right we’d lose a lot of that.
Lets take DFO to court
- Thread starter fish brain
- Start date
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
I think a court case is an excellent idea. In fact I think it is the only thing that will improve access for the public fishery in the long term. Trying to reason with DFO and the Govt. is proven to be a waste of time. Let's take them to court! The ENGO's have used the courts successfully many times, we know that the FN's have and will continue to do so - so why doesn't the rec sector??? We need to STOP arguing amongst ourselves and shooting each other in the foot and unite, organize and start fundraising to launch a supreme court case before it is too late!
Will it be hard to do - yes. Will it be expensive - yes. Will we encounter problems and resistance - yes. Bottom line it is high time for this sector to fight for access rights, OR be prepared to lose them! What positive change for any minority group, or position has not come about through working hard to improve things?
IMHO its about time that rec fishing sector stop the endless hand wringing, whining, complaining and having petty arguments with each other and start organizing and acting as a unified force. We all get that there will be numerous challenges and issues that make such action hard - so what, just means we need to get started now!
Join groups like PFA, SVIAC, SFI, etc., or start your own, and let's start to change things for the better for the public fishery!
Will it be hard to do - yes. Will it be expensive - yes. Will we encounter problems and resistance - yes. Bottom line it is high time for this sector to fight for access rights, OR be prepared to lose them! What positive change for any minority group, or position has not come about through working hard to improve things?
IMHO its about time that rec fishing sector stop the endless hand wringing, whining, complaining and having petty arguments with each other and start organizing and acting as a unified force. We all get that there will be numerous challenges and issues that make such action hard - so what, just means we need to get started now!
Join groups like PFA, SVIAC, SFI, etc., or start your own, and let's start to change things for the better for the public fishery!
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Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
I have read it - makes some very good points and outlines the numerous and substantial complex problems wild salmon populations face.
However, I am not prepared to get depressed and give up on the right of Canadian citizens having access to catch fish which our a common property resource that belong to ALL Canadians. I will not get depressed and give up pushing our elected officials at all levels of govt. to do more to increase wild salmon populations over time. To do anything else is to give up and I and many others won't do that!
One thing to read it, quite another to really get what it is saying - look at the population comparison.
fish brain
Crew Member
We need to establish our right to a portion of the resource. The Government of Canada now needs to negotiate with First Nations on a government to government basis. I believe the Six Nation deal is an issue for us coming up, I forsee a time when they will dictate who can fish in their waters and when, so if you think we are being restricted now just wait. We are starting to see interior nations asserting these rights now. If we do not establish a right to a certain percentage of fish coast wide, we will be shut out of huge areas of the coast and the fish available for harvest.
fish brain
Crew Member
Exactly!
UkeeDreamin
Well-Known Member
Gill nets on the Fraser (regardless of sector or indigenous right to harvest), transfer of FN FSC harvest from sockeye (weak stocks, but not endangered) onto endangered chinook stocks, the gross mismanagement of the habitat/ecosystems these stocks rely on and the complete absence of a conservation-based recovery plan would be just a few of the ongoing (mis)management decisions by DFO that contradict the conservation mandate they are applying to the sports sector. Lots of issues to sue DFO on but the challenge, as stated, will be getting the political and $$$ power of the rec sector to both engage and find common ground.
Cheers!
Ukee
Cheers!
Ukee
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Fair enough but does it help to fight for access to fish that won't exist in any abundance anymore? That train has left....
disco
Well-Known Member
grascal is right! This is a political issue and the only solution is a change of govt. That’s the only way we turn things around. FACT: Trudeau is pandering to his voter base. He doesn’t care about fish or fishermen, he only cares about votes.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Look man I get you feel like a switch of government is going to help. No offense Area 19/20 got screwed from Conservatives as well. This started in 2008. Oh how we all forgot? Every minister has slowly screwed us over time from both parties.
Area 19+20 SalmonClosure
There was a lot of top rods (you can imagine who i would be talkin about, as I saw them there) that were fishin west of sheringham last season. If this happens well be there again, and Im sure the crowds would be a little thicker.....at least there is lots 'o room :(
www.sportfishingbc.com
And who can forget this one again Conservative backed plan.
No Habitat, No Fish: Harper Plans for Elimination of Wildlife Protection!!!
Here's the last half of the letter. Not only do many citizens such as myself oppose these changes, but also 625 scientists and two former conservative fishery ministers have been shown to oppose this Act (Calgary Herald March 22nd 2012) “Pressure on the Harper government to reject private...
www.sportfishingbc.com
At this point I think both parties are garbage honestly. Don't trust either with this fishery.
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UkeeDreamin
Well-Known Member
Yes and is also why the Conservatives were busy gifting as much quota to commercial interests as possible, with plans for a full East Coast style commercialization and ripping up the FA so Industry could run amok .... and to be fully fair, if the NDP were to get into power they’d likely shut down all fishing altogether. My point is ALL Politicians will ALWAYS pander to their base. Just look at the mess poor Erin O’Toole is in - he’s smart and knows the party has to move on from old party policies back to a progressive Conservative party. But his base won’t let him.
Regardless of political stripe, politicians aren’t going to save salmon, or salmon fishing, it’s up to us as part of the electorate (again regardless of political stripe) to make this a political issue for ALL parties. To me, it seems obvious that issues that affect everybody, or at least a large portion of the general populace, tend to get acted on regardless of political slant. Yet, despite our impressive numbers as sport fishers (ie representing a wide spectrum of the general populace) and a demonstrable big economic footprint, we continue to get our butt kicked by enviros and issues like SRKWs. The reason for that to date, is failure to engage enough fishermen to support a single cause or issue.
Focus and engage our Sector and all parties will have to take notice, and make it hard to ignore regardless of who’s in charge every 4-yrs. If it doesn’t happen, we’re accelerating towards an ugly conclusion! If Cons, Liberls, NDPers, commies, Greens, etc who fish can’t get behind saving these fish AND the fishery, not sure what would ever get agreement?
Cheers!
Ukee
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OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
It is not the government in power it is the bureaucracy that is in charge.
Until you get rid of these people you are lost.
the pressure needs to be in Ottawa not on the west coast.
Forget about trying to get money out of the average rec fisher to support an expensive court action...ain't going to happen. Fishing is their pass time not their livelihood. If its taken away from them they just switch to something else...maybe as simple as fresh water fishing or golf...lots of options. Our only hope is to get the public masses on our side to pressure all political parties by way of votes to do something that supports a plan that all sides agree will bring back wild salmon runs. The first and probably the most difficult step is getting consensuses on the plan.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
yea besides the fanatical fishermen on this fourms I would say the majority probably get out less then 10 time’s a year.
mans judging by how busy a tackle store is when sockeye opens i would say some get out once every 4 years lol
You should read Otto Langer's report too and then please tell me how much hope is there for rebuilding salmon stocks.
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Twenty years ago I and others were rather loudly noting that APATHY among anglers & hunters was the greatest single weapon working against them. So much so the various bureaucracies and government ministries openly rely on that.
Today, very little has changed. Most are content to wring their hands and cry foul on the various forums, but do extremely little beyond that.
If the current situation does not entice us to collectively get over that, I shudder to think of the future... For there will be none.
Sadly,
Nog
Except while most of us, there still lots of fish being taken, we are the ones who always pay, followed by the business community we all support.
fish brain
Crew Member
The public masses think there is not enough fish so the whales are starving, and they think all salmon stocks are collapsing if they haven't collapsed already. The ENGO's have money and have done a good job of advertising their cause. Writing letters and calling for public support has not been working. My hope is that if we can get a group together with the aim of enshrining our rights in the courts, that some wealthy benefactors who have business supported by sports fishing would step up to the plate with some serious cash. It would seem that several members of this forum are multi millionaires, I'm not, or I would have started with a bigger amount. Would it be that hard to get $60 or 80 thousand a year for five years from the sporting community and related industries?
You are right the pubic thinks the whales are all starving and the NGO groups are using that narrative to raise large sums of money. So let the public think that...we just need to use that same message too, for our, the fish and the whales benefit. When I said the hardest part would be getting consensus and to be united on a plan of action..that included NGO's, FN. commercial, rec and any other stakeholder. That is our only hope and the only hope for salmon. Convince these other stakeholders that if we can't work together which would mean compromise by all...we are all just working against each other and time is the enemy. We will all fail.
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