Save Craigflower Creek: Updates

Update: On March 4, Angela Hanes was interviewed regarding this issue by host Adam Stirling on CFAX radio. You may listen to the recorded interview here.

The intrepid Angela Hanes provided us with news regarding the Save Craigflower Creek petition campaign, a grassroots response to BC Transit’s plan to develop a vehicle maintenance facility on land that spans the salmon-bearing Craigflower Creek.

The Black Press published an article on this topic. Angela was misquoted a few times, in one case attributing Angela with starting the petition that in fact was started by her neighbour.

West Coast Environmental Law has suggested the group apply to them for funding and referred them to a lawyer. The application is under way! To defray funding for legal and other costs associated with the campaign, a GoFundMe page has been created. Please consider a donation to this cause.

For those who’ve not yet signed and shared the petition, here it is.

Release of Draft 2020/21 BC Salmon IFMPs for Consultation

DFO has released the 2020-21 draft Northern and Southern BC Salmon Integrated Fishery Management Plans (IFMPs) for comment.

The deadline for submission of comments is April 15, 2020.

From Fisheries Notice FN0164:

The draft IFMPs set out the policy framework that guides decision making, general objectives relating to management of stocks of concern, enhancement and enforcement, as well as decision guidelines for a range of fisheries.

Section 13 of the IFMPs outline the Species Specific Fishing Plans, which describe fisheries plans for each of the salmon species and the management units and major fishery areas for each species. This section includes the relevant information on management approach, decision guidelines and specific management measures, as well as, information related to First Nations, commercial and recreational fishing plans for each fishery.

During March and April, the Department will be meeting with First Nations and recreational, commercial and environmental groups to seek further feedback on the draft IFMPs as part of the IFMP consultation process.

Comments may be provided in writing via email to the DFO Pacific Salmon Management Team at DFO.PacificSalmonRMT-EGRSaumonduPacifique.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

SFI Promotes salmonforever.ca Website

In their Feb 20 newsletter, the Sport Fishing Institute of BC provides updates on their many initiatives. Worth knowing:

To help ensure and communicate a fact based understanding of coastal values, hatchery retention and mark selective fisheries, we have developed a website that provides some basic information about each of the above subjects.  Please visit salmonforever.ca and share the site address with others interested, or even better, with those less familiar with the values of the public fishery in BC and its importance to the health of small communities along BC’s coast. 

BCFDF Raises Concerns re: Steelhead

The BC Federation of Drift Fishers has sent an impassioned plea to our provincial Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Lana Popham, to take drastic and substantive steps to stop this iconic BC species from becoming fully extinct.

We are asking you to declare a state of emergency for B.C. steelhead and convene an “Emergency Summit” to review ALL options to save these B.C. icons. Our organization working with provincial staff co-hosted a summit several years ago. This was held at BCIT with fisheries staff participating along with stakeholders province wide. Unfortunately, recommendations reached were never acted on.

You may read the entire missive here.

Transport Canada Survey re: Measures to Protect SRKW

Via the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance and our local Sports Fish Advisory Committee chair, we learned of a Transport Canada online survey.

Transport Canada is now seeking to assess the economic and social impacts of measures put in place to protect the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). This Transport Canada project introduction letter will provide some background information.

Transport Canada is seeking feedback from marine stakeholders on how these protection measures may have affected them, their businesses and their communities. VIEA is forwarding this letter and survey link to you in case you would like opportunity to share your thoughts by completing this online survey.

Your participation will help ensure that the magnitude of impacts of the protection measures are communicated to enable the consultants to make informed recommendations to Transport Canada. The survey is completely anonymous and takes about five minutes to complete. There may be opportunity to participate in more focused interviews, if you [are] interest[ed] in exploring economic and operational impacts further.

To be clear, this is Transport Canada, not DFO. The measures largely affect where and how marine vessels may operate, and are not restrictions on recreational fishing.

Save Craigflower Creek!

The ACS board members were recently brought up-to-date by Angela Hanes on the proposed BC Transit development on a site that the salmon-bearing Craigflower Creek runs through. Besides the adverse impact to the people who make that neighbourhood their home, BC Transit to date has made no provisions in their proposal to protect this environmentally sensitive area.

We’ve placed a Word template for the “Save Craigflower Creek” letter here, and for the “open”-minded, an Open Document format template here. Please take the time to tell our elected representatives that we actually want to protect and sustain those pesky salmon!

DFO Fishery Monitoring Policy

DFO has announced…

the national Fishery Monitoring Policy and Introduction to the Procedural Steps for Implementing the Fishery Monitoring Policy are now posted live on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) website. This policy aims to bring consistency in the development, delivery, and evaluation of monitoring programs for all federally-managed wild capture fisheries in Canada.

Letter from Andrew Thomson, Regional Director for DFO Pacific Region Fisheries Management

The Fishery Monitoring Policy can be viewed here, while the introduction to procedural steps to implementing this policy may be viewed here.

DFO Reminder of Chinook Management Measures

DFO has all of their 2019 notices posted here.

With FN1281, they sought to remind us of the measures in place to manage the recreational fishery for chinook:

The following is a reminder of the South Coast Area Chinook management measures currently in effect and continuing January 1, 2020 until further notice.

The daily limit for Chinook is two (2) per day in the following areas:

Areas 11 to 27, 28, 111, 121, 123 to 127; and Subareas 29-1 to 29-5 and 29-8.

Please do remember in addition to check area-specific regulations where you fish for further restrictions.

Also worth noting…

For the recreational fishery, the annual aggregate limit for Chinook salmon is ten (10) coast-wide in all tidal waters. The annual licence period is from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020.

Happy holidays from all at the Amalgamated Conservation Society.

➤