Salmon mortality and DFO

[Hoochiebob]

After reading the thread on DFO and Coast Guard out in force I see there is a lot of concern over the mortality rates in released salmon.As most of you who have read the '07-'09 regs(hopefully),I wonder if you have noticed the moratorium notice on the implementation of circle hooks.From page 10 "DFO is preparing a regulatory submission that would make it possible to implement the mandatory use of circle hooks in certain places and at certain times when fishing for salmon"
It is coming down the pipe.You all know how the government acts.Barbed hooks are a thing of the past and it looks like the siwash and treble may be next.
I for one do not like it.Nobody wants to release an illegal fish only to watch it die,but it is hard enough to catch salmon as it is.
There will always be incidental death in sport fishing,and the way I see it is if circle hooks will be the norm,the salmon will live but the 1.1 billion a year B.C. sportfishing industry will die.
Am I paranoid?
Bob's two cents

 

[Dogbreath]

Circle hooks are only good with bait and lots of us don't use bait as much as use artificials, I doubt DFO knows thatn though they are notorious for not listening.

Also you have to 'feed' the Salmon the bait he runs and runs and runs and the drag on the line pulls the hook to the side of his mouth, you hope</u>.

Circles aren't magic I have seen gut-hooked fish on circle hooks, they also snag in the gills quite nicely too.