Very good points chaps but The Local has made the commitment to the SPCA and undoing that would be poor form. Look forward to maybe seeing some of you guys at the scales!
Thanks Lap Dance, good to know and the SPCA is a good cause. Perhaps we can get some of their volunteers into some waders and into a stream. You may also want to put a post in the correct Forum for Derby Announcements on this site.
My own preference would be that the funds go directly to supporting Pacific Salmon because they desperately need it with all the governments’ cutbacks in funding over the years, but it is fair that those that do the work to organize a Derby get to make the call.
Thank you for all the work it takes to put on a Derby and provide a wholesome family outdoor activity for the angling community. I know our families all enjoy the fun and social aspects that Derbies provide to both adults and the increasing numbers of children and youth that participate. It is so much better than playing video games all day.
I look at this through a particular political lens. Some in society oppose Derbies; do not think they should be allowed because they increase fishing pressure on what they perceive is a resource that does not need any more pressure from any source. The reality that on South VI and especially this time of year, virtually all of the Salmon that will be caught are hatchery salmon from the US or our local volunteer angler supported hatcheries and do not impact wild stocks. That fact tends not to be acknowledged by those who oppose Derbies.
I attended a public meeting in Victoria with DFO staff back a few years, when they still valued input from anglers at large and were not afraid of open public meetings and a little public negative feedback on occasion, as they apparently are now. The subject of Derbies came up and it was apparent that DFO must take some heat on the subject as it was suggest we drop the term Derby and call them “Fund Raising Events” for salmon. Personally I don’t think that works as no one would know what you are talking about. The term Derby has a proud tradition and The ‘Salmon Fund Raising Event Superbowl’ does not exactly have a ring to it.
I do feel that it is important that funds raised through Derbies goes back to the Salmon and not just for the Public Relations and Political justification for even having Derbies in the first place but because it is the right thing to do. If you take from a resource, if you take from the salmon you have a responsibility to give back to the salmon and that takes money. Given that the Salmon that will be caught in this Derby will be hatchery fish, what message does it send to those Canadian volunteers who are providing some of the fish that will be caught in this Derby.
Baby salmon, like all babies need food very frequently, it is volunteer labour intensive and fish food and hatchery equipment is expensive. It has to be discouraging to those who provide some of the salmon that will be caught in this Derby to then see the funds raised go elsewhere when they so desperately need funds, no matter how worthy the cause the funds are to be provided to is, and there are a great many worthy causes.
What message does it send to the volunteer steam keepers who spend countless hours protecting salmon streams and those who get soaking wet, cold and exhausted pulling the endless supply of old tires and rusty shopping carts from these streams and restoring them as habitat for wild and hatchery salmon. Salmon need gravel not silt and their efforts also need financial support. That is something to think about for the future if we want to have any salmon to catch in Derbies or otherwise.