Category «News»

DFO Requests Feedback on 2020 Southern Resident Killer Whale Management Measures

Feliksas Markevicius, Recreational Fisheries Program Manager at DFO, has written to request feedback from recreational anglers regarding measures that DFO put in place to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales.

This information will help us to understand more about how the measures are working on the water and to help inform future management measures. Please note, the response to this survey will be collected anonymously and none of the information will be used to pursue enforcement action.

DFO email of August 26, 2020

This link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XT6RXC3) takes you to a short survey regarding the 2020 suite of Southern Resident Killer Whale management measures.

You may read here about the Southern Resident Killer Whale management measures. Questions should be sent using email to the Marine Mammal Team – DFO.SRKW-ERS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

ACS Supports Protecting Mountain Road Property

The ACS has written to the Mayor and Council of Saanich, urging them to have the District of Saanich purchase the property at 4692 Mountain Road, possibly in concert with the CRD, Habitat Acquisition Trust and other similar organizations. The goal is to have this natural property remain undeveloped as parkland.

a large 49 acre forested parcel of land at 4692 Mountain Road which is currently for sale. This land is within the Viaduct Creek sub-drainage of Colquitz watershed. It performs a valuable function of moderating the runoff from heavy rain events. As such, it is beneficial to the salmonids which rear year round throughout the Colquitz River system. This property also serves to lower the flood risk in the lower watershed.

A similar letter has been sent to Colin Plant, Chair of the CRD board of directors.

We encourage you to add your voice to this issue by writing or speaking to Saanich Council, CRD Directors, and other organizations that may support our perspective on this.

Big Bar Slide: Workaround is Working!

We have a report that in the six days leading up to Sunday, August 2nd, 2,771 salmon have safely entered the fish portal and been transported above the main rock fall area of the Big Bar Landslide.

With the six tube Whooshh Fish Portal now fully operational, it’s expected the numbers will increase as the larger runs arrive.

Public Fishery Alliance: Call to Action

A House of Commons e-petition has been launched by a local public fisher and supported by Member of Parliament Mel Arnold. This petition requires a minimum of 500 signatures. If this minimum is reached it will be read in the House of Commons within 45 days.

Go here to sign the petition now => https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2725

Please sign and share with others.

You may also read MP Mel Arnold’s recent statement on the BC public fishery.

What is the point of this, when the chinook fishery is upon us and will be nearly gone in 45 days? It adds to the record of the BC public’s dissatisfaction with the measures the DFO has taken in their attempts to manage BC’s chinook stocks.

Peaceful Information Rally Outside Downtown Vancouver DFO Office – July 6th, 2020, noon to 1:30 PM

Please see the PFA press release here.

The significant issues with early Fraser River Chinook salmon have been present for more than 15 years. DFO has made little, if any investment into their recovery, instead placing the ineffective burden on public fisheries. Restricting and closing public access to Chinook salmon is NOT a recovery plan. Minister Bernadette Jordan and the DFO need solutions with conviction. Current solutions have an optical presence to mislead Canadians that recovery will be attained. DFO needs to address threats to early Fraser River Chinook like habitat degradation, climate change, predators, pollution and illegal netting.

Date: Monday, July 6th
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Location: 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC (on the corner of Burrard and W. Hastings)

For those participating, thanks for your support. Please read the press release to be aware of and to follow the

  • PFA Information Rally code of conduct
  • BC government advice regarding COVID-19 protocols

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.

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