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

Fraser River Sockeye Migration Numbers for 2018

From DFO Fishery Notice FN1062-Salmon, some numbers worth calling out:

The estimated total sockeye salmon escapement past Mission to September
24 is 5,055,200. From the spawning ground report, more location specific numbers:

Location Count
Scotch Creek counting fence, Aug 9 onward 79,300
Eagle River hydroacoustic site, Aug 10 onward 233,325
Nadina Spawning Channel, post-fire impacts 26,515
Stellako River hydroacoustic site, Aug 1 onward – Nadina sockeye 178,085
Gates Creek 1,874
Chilko River hydroacoustic site, Aug 3 onward 576,353
Quesnel River hydroacoustic site, Aug 7 onward 803,232
Stellako River hydroacoustic site, Aug 1 onward – Stellako sockeye 141,340
Birkenhead River hydroacoustic site, Aug 23 onward 12,163
Sweltzer Creek, July 31 onward – Cultus Lake sockeye 30

You can view much more detail on this topic on the website of the Pacific Salmon Commission.

Spawning sockeye. Image courtesy of Government of Canada DFO site.
Spawning sockeye. Image courtesy of Government of Canada DFO site.

Proposed Expansion of Killer Whale “Critical Habitat”

Recent amendments to the Recovery Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada 2018 (proposed)  expand the area to be included as critical habitat. Under the recovery strategy action plan, this area will be subject to measures that respond to perceived threats to killer whale survival. The threat of “Reduced prey availability” identifies “Fishing for Chinook Salmon, Chum Salmon, and other important prey species” and “Other activities that are detrimental to habitat and survival of prey (e.g. fishing for forage fish species)” as activities likely to result in the destruction of critical habitat. The images here are from the above linked document, and show the areas proposed.

Proposed NRKW critical habitat:

Proposed NRKW critical habitat

Proposed SRKW critical habitat:

Proposed SRKW critical habitat

FOCUS Magazine: Vancouver’s role in the chinook-sewage-orca death spiral

FOCUS Magazine has published an article that takes DFO to task for its inaction and seeming ignorance regarding chemical discharges from sanitary sewage treatment plants on the lower Fraser River. In Washington state, scientific studies have connected sanitary sewage chemical contamination of salmon natal waterways that empty into Puget Sound to a reduction by half of salmon smolt survival, compared to smolt survival rates in uncontaminated waterways.

With chinook runs on the verge of collapse, you would think that Meador’s published research on chinook estuary contamination, only 200 kilometres away, would have prompted DFO to narrow the gap in their knowledge. We contacted DFO, but as of our press deadline a spokesperson had been unable to confirm whether or not any DFO-affiliated scientist was investigating the impact of the Fraser River estuary wastewater treatment plants, or other sources of chemical contaminants, on the survival rate of juvenile chinook.

A thought provoking read.

DFO proposes more fishing closures: feedback sought

In what DFO terms “Consultation on the critical habitat section of the draft Amended Recovery Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada”, they propose fishing closures to both Swiftsure Bank and La Perouse Bank.

A DFO public “consultation” generally occurs after they have made their plans. Nonetheless, it is in the interest of the recreational angler to voice their concerns.

For details regarding what DFO has sent out please see RKW External Review  and Critical habitat section of draft Amended RS.

The DFO Regional SARA Consultation webpage is here.

We invite you to submit comments on the critical habitat section (section 7; pages 55 to 68) of the draft Amended Recovery Strategy. Note that this external review period is limited to comments on section 7 of the draft Amended Recovery Strategy. Please provide comments through DFO’s Regional SARA Consultation webpage (link above), or via email, mail or phone.

In order for your input to be considered at this stage in the Recovery Strategy amendment process, comments must be received by July 12, 2018.

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

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