cohochinook
Well-Known Member
Hello Everyone,
The following information was forwarded to me by a member of the Vancouver Sportfishing Guides Association that DFO is looking at banning the use of Downrigger Fishing in Glass Sponge Reefs in Howe Sound. This could also set a precedent for other areas. It's being done with very consultation could be implemented in April of this year.
You have until Feb 11 to send in written feedback to Terry.Charron@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and amy.mar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
I felt it was very important to share with the FORUM. Please see below. I encourage everyone to write letters to the following people on it:
PLEASE SEE FURTHER INFORMATION BELOW ON THE PROPOSED CLOSURES:
I just spent 2 hour on a conference call talking about the attached document with DFO, Commercial Sector, Recreational Sector, Dive Sector, First Nations, and a variety of conservation groups like Suzuki Foundation.
Open it, read it, see the recommendations, and look at the maps. In particular look at the proposed areas, the ground truth areas (future proposed areas) and the recreational sector recommendations.
Here are my notes from the meeting:
Action:
You have until Feb 11 to send in written feedback to Terry.Charron@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and amy.mar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
The following information was forwarded to me by a member of the Vancouver Sportfishing Guides Association that DFO is looking at banning the use of Downrigger Fishing in Glass Sponge Reefs in Howe Sound. This could also set a precedent for other areas. It's being done with very consultation could be implemented in April of this year.
You have until Feb 11 to send in written feedback to Terry.Charron@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and amy.mar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
I felt it was very important to share with the FORUM. Please see below. I encourage everyone to write letters to the following people on it:
- Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and Jonathan.Wilkinson@parl.gc.ca
- Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, MP West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
Pam.Goldsmith-Jones@parl.gc.ca
- Your Local MP
PLEASE SEE FURTHER INFORMATION BELOW ON THE PROPOSED CLOSURES:
I just spent 2 hour on a conference call talking about the attached document with DFO, Commercial Sector, Recreational Sector, Dive Sector, First Nations, and a variety of conservation groups like Suzuki Foundation.
Open it, read it, see the recommendations, and look at the maps. In particular look at the proposed areas, the ground truth areas (future proposed areas) and the recreational sector recommendations.
Here are my notes from the meeting:
- DFO recommending to go ahead with the 8 new proposed Sponge Reef Closures.
- DFO recommending a gear restriction measure to prohibit use of downrigger gear.
- 150 m boundary around the sponge reefs is recommended.
- They are asking the Fisheries Minister to approve these recommendations in a timely manner so it is in place by mid to late March in time for April 1st sport fishing regs.
- Of course there is the SFAB process to keep in mind, Gerry brought that up. Seems to me like they have made up their mind already and prefaced it with comments that they realize it is going to affect commercial and recreational sectors but this is what DFO science is recommending in order to protect the sponge reefs.
- 150 m buffer zone is thought to allow about a 20% sedimentation risk from traps set nearby in sediment.
- New sediment drift research and modelling may change things in the future and the boundaries might become larger, some were in favour of this, some debate around the science and modelling.
- In one study they said in Hecate the buffer zone should be as large as 2.4 km.
- The assumptions are the major damage is done from traps dropped on sponge reefs, downrigger balls and cable contacting sponge reefs, and sedimentation from traps dropped nearby ending up on sponge reefs.
- Unfortunately there were on 5 separate occasions from 5 separate speakers, somebody attesting to visible damage done to the sponge reefs from downrigger contact.
- They claimed some of the reefs are as shallow as 22m and that is why downriggers are a considered a major threat as the reefs are well within the range of a downrigger angler.
- DFO thought anglers may not even know if they are on bottom and contacting a sponge reef and would need down scan or side scan to figure out what was on the bottom, sponge reef vs rocks or mud.
- When it is why my turn to speak on behalf of the VSFGA and LFV-SFAC I argued the following
- There is a vibrant and active sport fishing community in Howe Sound both recreational and guiding.
- These recommendations will have serious socio and economic impact on the above user groups.
- That DFO needs to look at the cumulative affect of their actions. No fishing in RCA and now Sponge Reef Closures.
- As anglers we need structure, which breaks up current, which attracts bait fish, which attracts salmon and allows a recreational opportunity and said opportunities are often well above bottom and therefore there can be a Sponge Reef Closure to protect the sponge reefs and a safe and viable sport fishery in the same place. I pointed out all the significant structure we don’t have access to; Halibut Bank, McCall Bank, the 7 RCA in HS, current Sponge Reef Closures in HS and now 8 more proposed Sponge Reef Closures in HS. The cumulative affect on sport fishing opportunity is very significant as is the local affect.
- I argued for education and not closures. I brought up the fact the average angler has the ability to see exactly where he is using Navionics on his phone or chart plotter and RCA and Sponge Reef Closures are clearly marked. We do have the ability to set our traps easily and consistently outside these areas and we are in direct control of our fishing gear depth with sonar and downriggers, we are cognizant of where our gear is and we can, will, and do fish off the bottom.
- I would argue they (DFO, Dive Community, Conservation Community) seem to think that we don’t necessarily know where we are fishing or where are gear is in the water column.
- There was a person that argued we don’t know where we are and we troll into RCA all the time, I replied that I have personally put in hundreds of hours in HS each year and have never seen anyone in an RCA salmon fishing but have seen occasional blatant poaching by non-salmon fishing anglers on the drift and DFO has been called.
- I asked that we work together on education and not closures, lets keep it open and educate, not close down and not enforce. I noted the sportfishing community has the most direct access to boaters in general and we can work with DFO to educate and it will have a far greater impact than closures with no enforcement (they simply don’t have the budget and man power to have meaningful enforcement).
- One of the areas that needs to be ground truth is by “3rd Marker” off Bowen and if it is found to be a sponge reef and has a 150 m buffer, that spot would likely no longer be open to downrigger fishing.
- I don't fish Defence as much as others, so can’t speak to that area, but you can see that East Defence Island area is one of the 8 proposed areas (does not need to be ground truthed). There was repeated note of downrigger damage in this area and I think it is sage to assume the closure of this area will affect local anglers.
- The are no plans by DFO to increase enforcement or patrols to help enforce these 8 new proposed area closures if they do indeed go through.
- It was noted by all that these proposed closures are only as strong as the education about them and it needed to be put out to the general public in a variety of languages.
- All the conservation groups attending the call and Squamish Nation were in favour of the proposed closures/measures.
- The commercial sector was looking for clarification of the economic impact and how that was assessed and they also had good questions about some of the science, in particular sedimentation drift.
- There is no economic assessment for the recreational sector as far as I know, this should be assessed as well in my opinion. There are thousands of boating hours in Howe Sound attributed to salmon fishing and prawning by the recreational sector and this is a clearly an economic contributor to local communities.
- DFO noted how much feedback and written feedback they received from the conservation community and diving community. I don’t think they had too many letters from recreational anglers.
Action:
You have until Feb 11 to send in written feedback to Terry.Charron@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and amy.mar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Attachments
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