Monthly archives: November, 2017

South Coast SFAB Meeting: Nanaimo, December 3

The South Coast Committee of the Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) will meet in Nanaimo at the Coast Bastion Inn on Saturday December 2nd and Sunday December 3rd, 2017. Two representatives from the Victoria and Area SFAB Committee will be attending.

Topics to be discussed will include

  • the upcoming fishing season
  • southern resident killer whales (SRKW)

The meeting is open to the public. As “observers”, public attendees will have no formal voting or speaking privileges. Approval from the meeting chair must be granted before a public attendee may address the meeting. While the meeting is free to attend, only metered street parking and a multi-storey park facility are available near the hotel.

Please direct any questions or comments you may have regarding this meeting to ACS president Tom Cole, who can be reached at 250-478-1306.

SRKW and their prey

Jeremy Maynard is a fishing guide who lives in Campbell River. He publishes a blog regularly on his website, The Ardent Angler. A recent post titled SRKW and their prey is a great primer on the southern resident killer whale population recovery issue, and the impact it may have on your ability to fish for chinook salmon. A few minutes of reading will bring you up to speed on the history, current state and possible outcomes of this situation. We hope that you’ll become motivated to join us on Wednesday, Nov 22 at 7 pm at the Esquimalt Anglers ramp for a meeting of the local Sport Fishing Advisory Committee.

In case you think this is an issue for someone else to act upon, here’s a bit of what Jeremy has to say (our highlighting):

Recently the federal government hosted a two and a half day symposium in Vancouver to bring together those interested in the SRKW population and with ideas on their recovery. It should be noted that no individuals or organizations from the recreational fishery were invited to participate despite our fishery’s obvious interest in the outcomes. Fortunately several members of the SFAB were able to attend and they came away troubled by the proceedings – the overwhelming feeling by environmental NGO’s, which were well represented, is that chinook fishing in much of southern BC should be ended, period. And in that opinion they likely came away encouraged for this is what Minister Dominic Leblanc had to say. After speaking to his governments legal responsibility under SARA and the moral responsibility on behalf of all Canadians to restore this population he stated “I as minister and my government are prepared to make the tough decisions necessary, including around allocations and fisheries management issues in order to ensure SRKW are able to find sufficient prey for their recovery and to ensure their long term health.” Get the picture now?

Colquitz River Fish Fence: Community Volunteers Work to Save Wild Salmon

Colquitz fish trap being checked
Volunteers check the fish trap while community members look on.

Update Dec 17 to counts.

It’s been a tough autumn this year at the Colquitz River fish counting fence. Community volunteers, carrying on the legacy of the Colquitz Salmonid Stewardhip & Education Society, have been tracking the returning salmon – primarily coho – and giving them a boost upstream to preferred spawning grounds. It has proved to be a very poor year for returning coho.

The numbers from Oct 3 to Dec 7, when the fence was removed:

coho males 29
coho females 89
coho jacks 193
chum 1
cutthroat trout 2
mort, coho female 1
Total 315

 

At mid-December 2014, the count was:

coho males 508
coho females 820
coho jacks 221
cutthroat trout 7
smolts 3
chinook 1
mortalities 4
unknown, seen going round the fence 20
Total 1584

A grim year for returns.

Netted fish at Colquitz River fish trap.
Fish netted to be tracked and placed upstream.
Fish netted at Colquitz River fish trap.
More fish netted at the fish trap.

 

Local SFAC Meeting Nov 22, 7 pm: Orcas and fisheries on agenda

The southern resident killer whale populations are not recovering their numbers. This is being blamed on a lack of fish on which they primarily feed, especially chinook salmon. As a result, calls are being heard for closures on related fisheries.

This is an important issue. We invite you to attend the local Victoria-based Sport Fishing Advisory Committee (SFAC) meeting on Wednesday, Nov 22 at 7 pm, at the Esquimalt Anglers boat ramp, 1101 Munro St., Esquimalt, where this issue will be discussed.

 

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