Category «Meeting Notice»
Wild Salmon Advisory Council: Time to Speak Up!
DC Reid has written an article worth reading with regard to the work of the Wild Salmon Secretariat. Community meetings offer you an opportunity to speak with representatives of the Advisory Council on this issue.
Their paper, Options for a Made-in-BC Wild Salmon Policy, is not a quick read, but speaks to their goals and strategies to achieve their goals. A community meeting is planned for Victoria in January 2019; no specific details as to time and place at this moment.
The complex task of restoring salmon abundance and bringing the benefits from our fisheries resources back to BC simply cannot be done without a whole-citizen effort. There is no question that wild salmon are iconic for this province. They link us to our history and hold the promise for our future generations. Wild salmon are woven into the culture, histories and economies of the Indigenous Peoples of BC and they help to define our fishing communities.
Notice of Victoria and Area SFAB Meeting Nov 27, 2018 at 7 pm
This meeting is intended to cover the agenda items remaining from the previous fall 2018 SFAB meeting.
| What | Victoria, Sidney, and Sooke Area Sports Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) Committee Meeting. Open to the angling community and the public. |
| When | Tuesday November 27th, 2018 (7:00 p.m.- 9 p.m.) |
| Where | Esquimalt Anglers Association, 1101 Munro St, Victoria BC V9A 5P2 |
| Agenda |
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| Notes | Please review these documents for Halibut 2019 TAC and Options.
If you cannot attend the meeting and wish to comment on any topic on the agenda, please respond by email to RyanC.SFAB@gmail.com |
Notice of Victoria SFAB Evening Meeting Nov 6 at 7pm
| WHAT | Victoria and Area SFAB Committee Post-Season Meeting |
| WHEN | Tuesday November 6th, 2018 (7:00 p.m.- 10:30 p.m.) |
| WHERE | Sooke Community Hall, 2037 Shields Road, Sooke BC |
This meeting is open to the angling community and the public – please feel free to broadcast this information so we consult with a greater audience.
Draft meeting minutes from Wed Oct 17th can be read here.
Draft Agenda for Tuesday Evening’s meeting:
- Welcome and Introductions
- Remembering Gary West
- Shellfish Aquaculture Tenure Proposals – Possession Point, Sooke (Presentation)
- Summary of last Victoria and Area SFAB Committee Meeting (Wed Oct 17th)
- Adoption of the minutes from the last meeting
- SC Regional Updates
- 2018 Consultation Timing regarding Salmon Measures (SFAB, IHPC, 25-35% Reduction, SRKW)
- Post-Season Chinook Salmon Fishing (Angler Observations)
- 2018 and 2019 Halibut Seasons + TAC Expectation and Committee Guidance on 2019 Season (partial)
- Southern Resident Killer Whale Measures and JDF and Gulf Islands Closures
- Commercial Crabbing Concerns
- Shellfish Aquaculture Tenure Proposals – Salt Spring Island
- Creel Verification Project – Trailer Counting 2018 + Camera Info + angler DNA Collection
- Enhancement Update
- SFAB Representative Elections
Upcoming Victoria SFAB Daytime Meeting Oct 17 10 am – 12:30 pm
Chris Bos, Victoria and Area Committee Chair, Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB), extends an invite to
| WHAT: | Victoria and Area SFAB Committee Post-Season Meeting |
| WHEN: | Wednesday October 17th – (10:00 AM – 12:30 PM) |
| WHERE: | Esquimalt Anglers Lounge, 1101 Munro Street, Victoria |
This meeting is open to the angling community and the public. Please feel free to broadcast this information so the SFAB consults with a wider audience.
Draft agenda for Wednesday’s meeting:
- 2018 Consultation Timing regarding Salmon Measures (SFAB, IHPC, 25-35% Reduction, SRKW)
- Post-Season Chinook Salmon Fishing (Angler Observations)
- 2019 Halibut TAC Expectation and Committee Guidance on Season
- Southern Resident Killer Whale Measures and JDF and Gulf Islands Closures
- Commercial Crabbing Concerns
- 2 x Shellfish Farming Tenure Proposals
- Enhancement Updates
Join SVIAC and MP Mel Arnold at a Town Hall Meeting on Wed June 6th in Sooke
From Christopher Bos, President, South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, we’ve received this notice:
South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition cordially invites you to attend our important upcoming meeting …
| WHAT: | SVIAC Town Hall Meeting w/ Mel Arnold MP about Fisheries Issues |
| WHEN: | Wednesday June 6th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. |
| LOCATION: | Prestige Oceanfront Resort (Orca Spirit Room) – 6929 West Coast Road, SOOKE V9Z 0V1 |
Meeting Purpose: Following the recent negative DFO announcement regarding SRKW fishing closures and extra fishing restrictions, SVIAC has arranged a town hall meeting for fishery stakeholder organizations, local fishermen and the Community of Sooke to share their perspectives and voice their concerns about the implications of the new restrictive measures. This meeting will also serve as a first step toward organizing a coordinated response campaign to DFO and the government about their decision to unfairly victimize the public fishery.
About Mel Arnold: Mel is the Member of Parliament for North Okanagan – Shuswap. He serves as the Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard and as a member of the Standing Committee on Fisheries. He also served as president of the BC Wildlife Federation and understands our BC salt water fishery.
Note: If you are unable to attend I ask that you arrange for alternate representative from your organization to be there.
Please feel free to contact Chris Bos directly prior to the meeting if you have any questions.
Phone: (778) 426-4141
Mobile: (778) 967-2363
Email: Chris@AnglersCoalition.com
Emergency Victoria and Area SFAB Committee Meeting re: 2018 Chinook
| What: | Emergency DFO 2018 Chinook Management Proposal |
| Host: | Victoria and Area SFAB Committee |
| When: | Friday May 4th at 7:00pm |
| Location: | Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 829 McCallum Road, Langford |
Chris Bos, Victoria and Area Committee Chair for the Sport Fishing Advisory Board, writes:
All are welcome to attend and please share this meeting invitation broadly so local salmon anglers know about it. There is no charge to attend, parking is free and the facilities are wheelchair accessible. There will be a cash bar in the room and I understand the hotel is planning a meeting dinner special in the restaurant for those who want to eat there before the meeting starts.
The meeting agenda will include:
- PowerPoint about the DFO proposed additional Fraser Chinook measures in 2018
- The proposed local SFAB committee response and a summary about other PFMAs where possible
- PowerPoint update about the DFO Proposed Southern Resident Killer Whale closures
- Initiating an angler-based stock composition and bio-sampling program
I look forward to seeing everyone there.
SFAB Main Board meeting April 14-15, Richmond, BC
The Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) main board is meeting this coming weekend, April 14-15, 2018 at the Airport Marriot Hotel, 7571 Westminster Highway, Richmond, BC. The public is welcome. Please respect the meeting chairperson with regard to speaking or presenting at this event. Follow this link to learn how to request meeting materials.
At a March 20, 2018 meeting of the Upper Fraser Valley Sport Fishing Advisory Committee, an update on enforcement of fishing regulations raised a number of concerns, among these being the few Fisheries Officers and Conservation Officers available to keep order, and the significant number of illegal net sets these few officers managed to catch. Which begs the question as to how much illegal fishing on the river goes unremarked?
5. Enforcement Update – C&P, F.V. East (FVE) –D. Clift
- During 2017-18 season C&P staff levels/resources were very low (e.g. down from 11 Fishery Officers(FOs) to 5 F/T FOs and 1 Recruit);
- Provincial CO Service are short also and are currently hiring more staff;
- Low C&P resource levels also impacts ability to respond to new & emerging priorities;
- Mission C&P Office is closed;
- 2017 season enforcement stats summary: 126 illegal set nets, 90 violation tickets issued, 37 warnings and over 2000 fishers checked;
- ORR staffing issue (i.e. limited/reduced coverage during 2017 season) impacted FO patrols;
- Areas of reported high non-compliance in recreational fisheries were the Stave and Vedder Canal at Keith Wilson bridge.
Concern expressed by committee members about observed increase in number of cars seen
on Vedder Canal Dykes and potential impacts of these activities on riparian habitat areas; it
was confirmed that rules (i.e. bylaws) are in place prohibiting motorized vehicles.
General reminder to report fisheries enforcement concerns to Observe, Record, Report
(ORR) line 1-800-465-4336 & Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) 1-877-952-7277.
Victoria and Area SFAB Committee – Regional Issue Update from DFO
You may read this summary document from DFO concerning fish and fisheries issues being considered by and of interest to the Sport Fishing Advisory Board. If you have any questions or would like your local reps to bring something to the table at the upcoming South Coast SFAB meeting this coming weekend, please feel free to contact Tom Cole at (250) 478-1306 or by email, or Chris Bos at (778) 426-4141 or by email before this Saturday.
Mentioned in the document linked above is the Southern Resident Killer Whale fisheries management proposal from DFO. Earlier this year, in Feb and Mar, the Victoria and Area SFAB Committee held three emergency SFAB meetings (Sidney, Victoria and Sooke), where Martin Paish (SFAB Exec and IHPC SRKW Committee) and Chris Bos consulted with the local angling community so that a suitable response could be submitted to DFO from our sector relating to their proposal. The formal SFAB response was submitted before March 15th deadline and included the recommendations coming from the emergency meetings.
Regarding 2018 Chinook fishing coastwide – the department has recently sent out a document indicating they are contemplating additional Chinook management measures for BC this year. The concern DFO anticipates poor returns of number of stocks including but not limited to Skeena and Fraser Rivers. While no final decision on what measures may be taken has been made, further reductions in exploitation are being considered. For Fisheries Management Areas 18, 19 and 20 early timed Fraser stream-type Chinook are expected to be low too. It is not anticipated to have a closure of the Chinook fishery locally, but DFO might seek some additional tightening of the regs. SFAB reps will discuss this topic with DFO prior to the upcoming South Coast meeting.
IPHC Annual Meeting Jan 22-26 2018: Attend by Webinar
The 94th session of the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s annual meeting will be held in Portland, Oregon on January 22 – 26, 2018.
Want to attend meetings by webinar? Do so by registering here.
From the meeting notice:
- The deadline for Regulatory and Catch Limit proposals, and Stakeholder comment (23 December 2017) has now passed. Further comment may be provided in Session.
- All sessions are open to observers and the general public, unless the Commission specifically decides otherwise.
- All sessions will be available via webinar. Webinar attendees will be able to make comments and ask questions as noted on the schedule with other meeting attendees.
On the IPHC website you may find the 2017 Canadian Recreational Fishery Halibut Catch Report. Within that report, DFO states:
Estimates of catch in months and areas not monitored by traditional programs were generated from data collected during DFO’s internet-based recreational survey (iREC). Initiated in 2012, the iREC survey collects catch and effort information from recreational licence holders on a monthly basis throughout the recreational fishing year .
This reliance by DFO on the iREC survey for monitoring catch results is of particular concern to ACS members. Any internet survey is open to abuse – false reporting – by “interested parties”, any of which may purchase a sports fishing license, and the iREC survey is no exception. The question as to whether and how survey results are validated has not been publicly addressed by DFO to our knowledge, yet policy decisions – such as halibut season closures – are being made annually using this method.