Monthly archives: February, 2022

Victoria and Area SFAB Committee Meeting: Tues March 15 at 7 pm

MeetingVictoria and Area SFAB Committee Meeting
Date and TimeTuesday March 15, 2022 at 7:00 pm
LocationVirtual Online MS Teams Meeting
Sign in detailsPlease contact Chris Bos for MS Teams meeting link.

Chris writes: “Our next South Coast SFAB Meeting is scheduled for late March.  To ensure our local requests and passed motions are brought to the South Coast meeting, I have scheduled a committee meeting on Tuesday March 15, 2022 at 7PM (details above).  Closer to the meeting an agenda will be circulated.  If you have any specific topics you would like added to the agenda please send them to me for inclusion.”

Notice of Important DFO – SFAB Meetings on Feb. 16, 2022

A note from Chris Bos, local SFAB committe co-chair:

The DFO Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Team have agreed to present their 2022 proposed salmon fishing closure options to our local SFAB Committees.  The SFAB is seeking your expert angler knowledge about the areas in question and have arranged two separate meetings for our constituents to hear from DFO and ask questions about the DFO proposals.  Closures, if approved by the minister, would be in effect between June 1 and October 31 and mean no salmon fishing.    You can attend the meeting that relates to areas you fish, either one or both meetings.  The meetings are:

Online Meeting 1 – Wednesday February 16th from 11:00am to 12:30pm – for Victoria – Juan de Fuca – Port Renfrew – Nitinat

Microsoft Teams meeting – Join on your computer or mobile app  Click here to join this meeting at 11:00am

Online Meeting 2 – Wednesday February 16th from 3:00pm to 4:30pm – Fraser River Mouth – Southern Gulf Islands

Microsoft Teams meeting – Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join this meeting at 3:00pm                  –

There is also already a DFO online survey circulating on the same issue with their proposed closure options identified that seeks public feedback.   The deadline for public response to the survey is March 2, 2022.  

The SFAB suggests that local anglers wait until after the two DFO presentations before completing the DFO survey.  Using input from the SFAB constituents and local angling knowledge, there may be some special recommendations or hybrid options to put forward by the SFAB. 

PFA pleads for public fishery openings

The Public Fishery Alliance (PFA), with the full support of the ACS and several other groups of conservation-minded sport fishers, has asked the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to allow selected chinook fishery openings this year where evidence has shown little to no risk to stocks of concern.

The [SFAB salmon technical working group] proposals were assessed by DFO review to be very low risk or no risk at all to stocks of concern. They offered an important lifeline to the Public Salmon Fishery to avoid further harm, and importantly did not jeopardize the recovery of Fraser River Chinook stocks of concern, yet they have all been rejected.

…we urge that you direct your department to work together with the SFAB, particularly at the upcoming February 11th SFAB Main Board meeting, to explore ways these desperately needed openings can be approved. We particularly want to focus on the period from April 1st to May 31st this year, where there is a documented unique window of opportunity when stocks of concern are not present, while hatchery marked Chinook are prevalent in high numbers.

letter from PFA to MInister Murray

A copy of the full letter to the Minister may be read here.

Please consider writing a letter to Minister Murray from your own group or yourself as an individual Canadian.