Monthly archives: June, 2020

Update on Save Craigflower Creek

Angela Hanes has written to update the ACS community on the efforts to Save Craigflower Creek.

Hello all and hope you and yours have been keeping well.

Many would have received either a flyer or a communication from Transit showing the projects’ progress and a request to complete a survey. I encourage you to do so AND answer questions they aren’t asking. We all have many more concerns that aren’t addressed in the questionnaire. https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=284B4297-AB5B-44AB-BD07-40B62AD2AABB&fbclid=IwAR3GlrcyuJdQBShH8c4eURfrpGoekDFd_m6FSm9J9_o82-U9sD-893IbHTs

**note that as of March ’20 (pre Covid) transit had not communicated with either Songhees or Esquimalt Nations.

That said, I haven’t given up yet and hope you haven’t either. This is all part of the process. Once we get clearance, a plan for a rally and getting more media attention will be underway. This was being planned for the end of March/ early April but Covid sidelined these efforts.

Lastly, a heartfelt thank you for all those who donated to the Go Fund Me campaign. We just received $500 from the Esquimalt Anglers!!! https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-craigflower-creek

Hope to have an update on this shortly!Don’t lose faith my friends, this is the long game.

Angela

Area 19/20 SRKW and Fraser River Measures

Friday, June 19 saw DFO release the latest rules for recreational chinook salmon fishing in the south coast. Intended to address the various competing “needs” for what was once a plentiful, natural and recurring resource; the new rules will almost certainly make no one competing sector happy.

So what’s in these announcements for recreational fishers in the south coast of Vancouver Island?

FN0565 –Commercial, Recreational and Aboriginal – Salmon – Chinook – 2020 Fraser River Chinook Conservation Measures and Coast-wide Recreational Annual Aggregates:

Southern BC Recreational Fisheries: This Fisheries Notice supersedes FN0322.

The following measures are now in effect for WCVI Subareas 20-1, 20-2, Areas 121, and seaward of a 1 nm Boundary Line (defined below) in Areas 123 to 127:

Effective immediately to 23:59 hours July 14: Chinook non-retention;
00:01 hours July 15 to 23:59 hours July 31: 2 Chinook per day with a maximum size limit of 80 cm.
00:01 hours August 1 to 23:59 hours December 31: 2 Chinook per day

…

Chinook daily limits remain at 2 per day shoreward of this Boundary Line, and also in Areas 21 to 27.

…

Strait of Georgia – South and Juan de Fuca – Areas 18, Subareas 19-3 to 19-12, Subareas 20-3 to 20-7, Area 28 and Subareas 29-3 to 29-5 (with the exception of those portions of Areas 28 and 29 listed in the section below), and Subarea 29-8:

Immediately to 23:59 hours July 31: Chinook non-retention;
00:01 hours August 1 to 23:59 hours August 31: 1 Chinook per day with a maximum size limit of 80 cm;
00:01 hours September 1 to 23:59 hours December 31: 2 Chinook per day.

You are encouraged to read, comprehend and follow these newly announced rules.

Ryan Chamberland of our local SFAB group has summarized this and other salmon fishing opportunities locally as:

Gulf Islands – You may fish for Coho (2 hatchery per day) except for in the SRKW designated sanctuaries until July 31. On August 01, you will not be allowed to fish for salmon in the following areas…see map: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/whales-baleines/docs/srkw-measures-mesures-ers-iles-gulf-islands-2020-eng.pdf

Sooke – You may fish for Coho (2 hatchery per day), and practice Catch and Release on Chinook between Sheringham Point and East Point until July 31.

Renfrew – For those fishing in the new triangle between Bonilla and Swiftsure, you may also fish for salmon until July 31.
Note: That as of August 01 you will not be permitted to salmon fish whatsoever in these areas, but you still may bottomfish. See area map for details: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/whales-baleines/docs/srkw-measures-mesures-ers-juan-de-fuca-2020-eng.pdf

Fraser River Measures for Sidney, Victoria, Sooke Areas:Areas 18,19,20 are closed to retention of Chinook until July 31.On August 01, we are open to One Chinook Per Day, max 80cm. On September 01, it opens to Two Chinook Per Day, with no max size.

May 2020 in review

Another month of news and info that’s passed our eyes in May 2020 during these strange times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 29 An overview from the DFO of the planning and work done toward dealing with the Big Bar slide.

May 29 an update from DFO on the work being done to mitigate the obstacles to fish migration at the site of the Big Bar slide.

May 29 A newsletter from the SFIBC that points out the apparent high number of chinook this season. The SFIBC continues to promote the SFAB proposals to DFO regarding the chinook sports fishery.

May 14 A newsletter from the Sports Fishing Institute of BC (SFIBC) that details the Sports Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) submissions to DFO regarding the 2020 chinook fishery.

May 9 News from Angela Hanes regarding the Save Craigflower Creek campaign.

West Coast Environmental Law has awarded us their EDRF grant! YEAH! Our lawyer has begun working on our case and will provide updates when I receive them.
With the grant and current donations from the Go Fund Me page, we are still short $1200 for the work budget. As per the grant requirements, I needed to sign off and am held accountable for the shortfall. I realize these are tough times however, if you have a little wiggle room every dollar donated counts. If you can spare $5, I’d be forever grateful!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-craigflower-creek

May 1 The April bulletin from the Southern Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, with an update and discussion on Fraser River chinook, the Big Bar landslide, and the halibut season.