Protest/Rally outside Vancouver DFO Office July 6th 12 to 1:30 PM

[Rain City]

Well that was a good news story about the big bar landslide, starving whales and an industry "trying to make a living". Point missed my wife says. She actually yelled at the TV. "why aren't they talking about the lying and ignoring the science! This needs more drama!" She asked her friends to watch and was embarrased because she's trying to convince them that the DFO is corrupt.

 

[eriks]

Well that was a good news story about the big bar landslide, starving whales and an industry "trying to make a living". Point missed my wife says. She actually yelled at the TV. "why aren't they talking about the lying and ignoring the science! This needs more drama!" She asked her friends to watch and was embarrased because she's trying to convince them that the DFO is corrupt.

I don’t think they’re corrupt, but what’s very wrong is that they are not an independent government institution.
Political and financial fallout doesn’t affect the Meng Wanzhou issue, as our judiciary is completely independent, as it should be.
Not so with DFO. This political influence in government institutions is a characteristic of banana republics.

 

[cohochinook]

I was interviewed by Lawrence Gunther of Blue Fish Radio about the Rally:

https://www.spreaker.com/user/5725616/e303-public-fishery-alliance-protests-df

 

[UkeeDreamin]

CBC article makes it sound like DFO has all the right answers and doing the right thing, while rec sector just wants to kill some hatchery fish despite the weak stocks around. Unfortunately not a single mention that the “scaled back” FSC fisheries actually mean there are still gill nets indiscriminately killing multiple endangered stocks throughout the Fraser.

Asked a few non-angler friends and family To check out the article and let me know their thoughts - all were glad to hear DFO was protecting these stocks and that the work at the slide was completed ....

Cheers!

Ukee

 

[Whole in the Water]

Great job by everyone involved! We will need to do more political action like this as the issues facing the public fishery are predominately political in nature now. Like the old saying goes - gotta fight fire with fire.

A huge thank you to all who worked hard to organize and participate!!!

 

[Rain City]

Anybody know anyone that can make full scale fake fish that look sad?

 

[Whole in the Water]

CBC article makes it sound like DFO has all the right answers and doing the right thing, while rec sector just wants to kill some hatchery fish despite the weak stocks around. Unfortunately not a single mention that the “scaled back” FSC fisheries actually mean there are still gill nets indiscriminately killing multiple endangered stocks throughout the Fraser.

Asked a few non-angler friends and family To check out the article and let me know their thoughts - all were glad to hear DFO was protecting these stocks and that the work at the slide was completed ....

Cheers!

Ukee

Yup DFO, the ENGO's and the politicians will keep lying and manipulating the truth. The media will spin things towards their bias - nothing new here. All the more reason we need to keep up political pressure, protests and educating the public to the truth of the situation. It has worked for years for the ENGO's and FN's, etc. and it can work for us to - we just need to be organized and persistent in our cause.

 

[profisher]

What those groups are good at is making their agenda a big news story by creating the story. Remember how Green Peace got their first coverage back in the day? Stunts of locking themselves to whatever with huge signs...save the whales. That got them a 5 minute piece of the news instead of a quick 30 seconds where you can't hope to get your message out with clarity. We know what we want to say and it is a message that the public will support if we can explain it properly and completely...we just need to create something that gets us headline status on the news...instead of a quick filler piece. We got beat out by bigger "Breaking News" so to speak.

 

[Pippen]

Unless I missed it I see there is no mention of the story or it's already buried somewhere on Global, CTV and CBC's websites this morning.

 

[profisher]

What comes to mind is taking a page out of Paul Watson's play book. Organize the rec and commercial sector to fund hiring ex cops/military with the appropriate training to conduct night or day patrols of the Fraser and remove illegal nets. Instruct them to avoid confrontation or at least not to instigate it....it will happen eventually as the net owners will respond eventually if the patrols are persistent and effective. When the confrontation comes the media will be all over it. We will be on the defendable side of it with why we are doing it (stopping illegal fishing and saving endangered salmon) and we didn't start or look for violence. We will be given the time to explain what is going on and the story will be dramatic enough that the public will focus and listen. You can then talk about a recovery plan in detail and what is required and why fishing restrictions won't work.

 

[Rain City]

The thing that really grinds my gears is that there was "no comment" from DFO amd no representation by the ENGOs but still Global decided to use footage of whales and big scary waterfall. I don't think the media requires encouragement to stir the pot.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Just keep in mind environmental offices are completely touchable on mainland on Vancouver island. Maybe it's time to extend protests there. They seem not to be accountable for anything on social media, news and even this forum.

A good start on protests, and hope to see more.

 

[fishin solo]

Block the harbour that will get you 5 mins on global

 

[profisher]

Yes it will but not a very defendable action. Direct and targeted action trying to save endangered fish is. Blocking harbours or roads like the pipeline groups gets you coverage but you loose the support of many people....people you need on your side to force change.

 

[fishin solo]

The general public is never gonna hear or get the full story until something drastic is done like blocking the harbour...... drastic measures are the only options left, playing by the rules has gotten us to where we are now..... anyways that’s just my 2cents

 

[UkeeDreamin]

Collecting some footage of all the gill netting in the Fraser with dead endangered Chinook being pulled from the nets and providing it to the media with the message: this is DFOs idea of Conservation would be easy to do. Would also be pretty easy to get footage of all the channel modifications, clearing, rip rap etc as a result of last few years of spring flooding in the spawning watersheds and/or all the watershed moonscapes from uncontrolled clear-cutting with the message that a recovery plan that doesn’t protect fish habitat isn’t a recovery plan.

I'm sure someone savvy could link both back to the rec fishery being used as a scapegoat issue while the real stock productivity issues continue to go unaddressed. IMHO, messaging should be careful to ensure it can’t be spun or interpreted by the media and general public such that the rec sector comes across as contributing to the impact or harassment of these critically weak stocks.

That’s more than my two-cents now, sorry.

Cheers!

Ukee

 

[profisher]

Drone footage of the illegal fishing should be an important part of any media campaign. Going back to the idea of blockading the harbour. That would allow the media to spin the story and focus on the law enforcement side of trying to move us out of the way, arrests, public inconvenience, and again say we are unhappy with the restrictions...we come out looking bad and no progress on message. Being in the river patrolling, confiscating illegal nets and possibly be shot at by poachers...they have to ask...why are you doing this, who do the nets belong to, who shot at you etc etc. They can't avoid the FN component of the story when you make it the story. And NOT saying all poaching is FN...but we need to break the ice and force the media to talk about FN in this effort to right the ship.

 

[UkeeDreamin]

Profisher: would footage of DFO sanctioned gill netting (ie legal openings) not be as, or even more, impactful than “illegal” fishing, as unsanctioned poaching isn’t exactly endorsed by DFO, no matter how many of us feel about how rampant it is at times? I think DFO sanctioning harvest with archaic, indiscriminate “walls of death” gill nets when stocks migrating are so endangered that they can’t possibly sustain a chance encounter with a rec single, barbless hook is the ultimate hypocrisy that our sector wants exposed to the public.

IMHO, public sees and hears lots about poaching and illegal netting in the Fraser and other areas on an almost annual basis. Important issue, but somewhat removed from DFOs hypocrisy in targeting rec angling in an incomplete “recovery plan”.

Cheers!

Ukee

 

[Whole in the Water]

I agree with Profisher in many ways. I would recommend focussing on illegal harvesting for the black market and the use of gill nets. Don't need to say anything about who is doing it - as that complicates it big time. Just focus on illegal harvesting and bad harvesting techniques (i.e. indiscriminate gill nets) that defeat conservation efforts and threaten endangered salmon runs. Going to be hard to defend illegal harvesting of threatened species, hard to defend gill nets when there are plenty of other better ways to catch FSC fish (e.g. fish wheels, dip nets, beach seines, etc.). The point being that ALL sectors and harvesters have to do their part to realistically conserve endangered salmon runs and help bring about a practical, more equitable recovery plan.

 

[wildmanyeah]

I would recommend focussing on illegal harvesting for the black market and the use of gill nets.

Why it's illegal and not as easy to find, unless you feel like going out in the bush at 2 am.

Most of what is visible to the public is sanctioned FSC fisheries .