Tag «chinook»

Important Recreational Fishing Meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 7 pm

Some important correspondence from Tom Davis:

Hello anglers, charter operators and angling business owners. There is an important recreational fishing meeting scheduled for Tuesday Feb 27th at the Four Points Hotel in Langford from 7-9.30 PM. It is co-sponsored by the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, the Public Fishery Alliance, the Fraser River Sportfishing Alliance and the BC Recreational Fishing Association.

It is an information sharing and public input Town Hall meeting to discuss the pervasive damaging regulations that have been imposed on what was once the largest ocean  recreational salmon fishery in the world.

A panel of speakers has been assembled from the hardest hit regions of the south coast to discuss these issues and take questions from the audience. It is time to stop further erosion of angling opportunities. 

I know that some of you are aware of this meeting as the details have been shared broadly on social media, but I wanted to extend a personal invitation to those who may not yet know about it. 

If you are able to attend please do so, bring a friend and share this email with others in your fishing circles.

There will also be a 9.9 HP outboard motor door prize and a silent auction. 

I suggest you arrive early to register and to avoid delays.

An information poster is attached [see above].

Tight lines,

Tom Davis

Release of Draft 2024/25 BC Salmon IFMPs for Consultation

With FN0120, DFO has released their draft 2024-2025 Integrated Fisheries Management Plans.

The emailed fishery notice subject is wrong and says “2023-2024”; the body has it right as 2024-2025.

Deadline for submission of comments is April 15th, 2024.

To obtain an electronic copy for review, please click the link below: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/901xbyj9g0ywppuwkcv46/h?rlkey=m2ia50oj7720q10lsz61ba0h2&dl=0

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.

Please refer to the New for 2024/25 for key changes for the IFMP that may be under consideration.

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.

https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=296577&ID=all

You may read the northern and southern IFMPs via the fishery notice, or the links below:

Page 37 of the draft Southern Salmon IFMP has a section that speaks to Mark Selective Fisheries. As per last year, please note that for a significant time period, COVID precautionary measures reduced fin clipping at Canadian salmon hatcheries to near zero; there will be a few years where recreational fishers seeking marked salmon will be dependent upon Washington state origin fish for success.

Mass Marking / Mark-Selective Fisheries

Since 2020 the Department approved a small number of recreational Chinook mark selective fishery (MSF) opportunities, which are planned to continue in 2024/2025, pending the post- season review of the available fisheries information. Details can be found here in Table 13- : Approved MSF Openings – Southern ISBM.

The Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) provides new investments to support potential implementation of Chinook mass marking and mark-selective fisheries as part of an integrated management approach. To advance this work, DFO sought input from First Nations and stakeholders during a series of workshops that began in December 2022, leading to DFOs development of An Implementation Framework for Mark-Selective Fisheries for Southern British Columbia Chinook Salmon (Appendix 12). The purpose of this framework is to outline a risk- based, transparent and collaborative process for the evaluation, decision making, mitigation measures, implementation, review and improvements of MSFs targeting adipose fin-clipped hatchery Chinook Salmon in a manner consistent with the regulatory and policy requirements for Pacific salmon management. Proposals for new MSF opportunities may be submitted by all harvest sectors, or by DFO, and they will evaluated against the key criteria laid out in the framework.

https://acsbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-24-Southern-Salmon-IFMP-Draft.pdf

DFO seeking Species at Risk designations

DFO has posted several “consultations” with respect to designating certain salmon populations as species at risk, in which you may have an interest. Any one of these that wanders the Strait of Juan de Fuca or the Salish Sea, once designated as a species at risk, is bound to impact our already curtailed salmon fisheries on Vancouver Island

You are encouraged to review the relevant “Open” Pacific aquatic species consultations and provide any remarks to DFO where allowed. Filter by “salmon” to narrow down the choices. The two open consultations most relevant to the Vancouver Island chinook fishery are listed below:

Latest FN re: Chinook and Areas 18, 19, 20; Subareas 29-3 to 29-5, and Subareas 20-1, 20-2, 29-1, and 29-2

Edit 20230629: DFO followed up FN0612 with FN0617 to say, “Oops!” FN0612 is NOT VALID and was released in error. 

Until further notice, the daily limit of Chinook Salmon is zero (0) per day, except for the pilot mark-selective fisheries announced in Fishery Notice FN0488; and the Chinook management measures previously announced for East Coast Vancouver Island (Fishery Notice FN0330) and West Coast Vancouver Island (Fishery Notice FN0332).

ACS, DFO and SFAB restructuring plans

Early in February this year, the ACS wrote a letter to DFO in which we expressed serious concerns over the restructuring of the SFAB and the reorganization of at least a few local SFA Committees. DFO responded to our concerns; you may read their response here.

Within DFO’s response is the statement, “Reorganization of the local committees is being considered as recreational fisheries on southern Vancouver Island have evolved and grown over recent decades.“

The ACS has replied to DFO’s response to point out

  • How the SFAB is devolving to primarily represent the secondary (commercial) sector, in contradiction to the founding Terms of Reference.
  • That despite the changes to the recreational fishery in recent decades, it has in no way “evolved and grown”.
  • The reallocation of the recreational fishery has been occurring in a largely behind-the-scenes manner, often without public consultation and generally ignoring information collected and agreed between DFO regional members and recreational fishery advocates.

This latest ACS letter may be read in entirely here.

In your reply of March 02, it is noted that “… recreational fisheries on southern Vancouver Island have evolved and grown over recent decades.” The ACS believes that this is not true. Angler effort and catch have plummeted over the past several decades. Statistics prove this out. One only has to check out local boat launch and angler boat moorage facilities to see the precipitous decline in effort around southern Vancouver Island.

The reallocation of our catch to another user group has been accomplished by the plethora of restrictions on our Chinook fishery over many years. These include, but are not limited to, reduced annual limit from 20 to 10 (without consultation), four month retention closure from April through July, reduced daily limits and maximum size restrictions and closed areas under the guise of protecting Southern Resident Killer
Whales (SRKW) whose population is stable.

letter from ACS to DFO re: SFAB restructuring plans

Victoria & Area Sport Fishing Advisory Committee Meeting: Wednesday, Mar 8, 2023

A Victoria & Area SFAB Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00 PM at the Esquimalt Anglers Association clubhouse, 1100 Munro Street (at the foot of Lampson Street in Esquimalt).  This in-person meeting is open to the public.  Parking is free and the EAA clubhouse is upstairs in the building by the launch ramp in Fleming Beach Park.

If you cannot attend in-person and are interested to attend the meeting virtually, please contact Chris Bos (governor@shaw.ca) to receive the log in information.

DRAFT AGENDA TOPICS:

  • 2022 Preliminary Southern BC Chinook and Coho Escapement Report
  • 2023 MM and MSF and proposed new pilot opportunities – status update
  • 2023 SRKW Proposed Measures (Active Pass, 20-1 Juan de Fuca Strait and oversized area 20-5 closures)
  • Halibut update – what measures for April 1st 2023
  • SFAB Modernization – Terms of Reference status – update
  • SFAC Business  (realignment – membership – who can vote – code of conduct)
  • Discussion – Seeking anglers help getting salmon heads turned in on hatchery fish and SRKW avoidance compliance   
  • DFO regional update

If you have a topic that you wish added to the agenda please contact Chris Bos (governor@shaw.ca) with topic details.

This SFAB meeting is open to the public and we encourage any local anglers interested to learn more about our local fisheries and how they are managed to come out and join us.

Release of Draft 2023/24 BC Salmon IFMPs for Consultation

With FN0199, DFO has released their draft 2023-2024 Integrated Fisheries Management Plans.

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.

Please refer to the New for 2023/24 for key changes for the IFMP that may be under consideration.

Section 13 of the IFMPs outline the Species Specific Fishing Plans, …

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.

https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=255685&ID=all

You may read the northern and southern IFMPs via the fishery notice, or the links below:

Page 40 of the draft Southern Salmon IFMP speaks to DFO’s latest considerations of Mark Selective Fisheries. Worth noting is that for a significant time period, COVID precautionary measures reduced fin clipping at Canadian salmon hatcheries to near zero; there will be a few years where recreational fishers seeking marked salmon will be dependent upon Washington state origin fish for success.

Mass Marking / Mark-Selective Fisheries
The Department approved a small number of mark selective fishery (MSF) opportunities in 2021 that are proposed to continue in 2023/2024, pending the post-season review of the available fisheries information. Details can be found here in Table 13.1-12.

New and modified MSF opportunities are currently being consulted on for possible implementation in Spring 2023. Those MSF that are approved will be included in the final 2023/24 IFMP and may be considered again in Spring 2024 subject to post-season review of the available data (13.1-13: Proposed MSF Openings – Southern ISBM). Also new for 2024 is a proposed modification to the MSF in portions of the Juan de Fuca Strait and Haro Strait that occurs in March to move to marked-only retention .

Further work on a framework to inform decision making on the expanded use of MM and MSF is underway as part of the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI). DFO plans to seek input from First Nations and stakeholders on this work during a series of workshops that began in December 2022 and are anticipated to continue in 2023. Further information will be provided on engagement plans at a later date.

https://acsbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-24-Southern-Salmon-IFMP-Draft.pdf

DFO Regional Update for Regional Sport Fish Advisory Committee

The minutes of the November 8, 2022 Victoria SFA Committee meeting made reference to a DFO update for the Regional Sport Fish Advisory Committee as an information package. DFO’s Mark Frisson has kindly provided a copy of this same package, and you’re encouraged to read it here, especially if you’d like to be involved in the 2023-2024 Salmon IFMP development process.

Of no small importance is the ongoing effort to modernize the SFAB. There will be changes!

The SFAB modernization project is progressing to the final phase, completion of the new and modernized OM [operating model] design, scheduled for completion by March 31, 2023. This final phase will identify supporting process standards, a revised Terms of Reference, and definition of administrative and technology support requirements. A small team of SFAB and DFO stakeholders have been participating in workshops to complete a revised Terms of Reference (ToR) and new Species Committee Process Standards (PS) that define how each new Committee will function. This revision and development work is scheduled to be completed by December 2022. The new OM, ToR and PS will be shared at the December Main Board and at information sessions for SFAC participants in early 2023. Feedback received from the SFAB will be incorporated into the final ToR and PS. The updated ToR will require DFO approval.

DFO update for the Regional Sport Fish Advisory Committee

There’s much more in this update beyond salmon and the SFAB – please get yourself informed!

Minutes and Notes from Nov. 8 Local SFA Committee Meeting

Here are the minutes of the Victoria Sport Fishing Advisory Committee meeting, held November 8th, 2022 at the Esquimalt Anglers lounge and virtually using MS Teams. Should you read the minutes, the oft seen “M/S/C” stands for “moved, seconded, carried”.

So what’s worth noting? A few items:

  • Re: Becher Bay SRKW no fishing (area size change) – An extensive area has been closed without scientific evidence of substantial SRKW presence. Action item – DFO to provide relevant information supporting this extensive area closure prior to the November 25-26 SFAB South Coast meeting.
  • Re: Mark Selective Fishery (MSF) for Chinook in Areas 19-20 in 2023. Action item – DFO to engage consultations by early January 2023 with SFAB Chinook/Coho Working Group regarding a MSF for Areas 19-20 in April- June of 2023.

There are several other important topics that were discussed at this meeting. You are encouraged to review the minutes.

One other interesting statement: “Hooks trailing past lure or bait tails an undetermined distance are apparently illegal.” Presumably that distance has been published somewhere in DFO’s many rules, regulations and/or notices, and someone at DFO can shed light on this?

Possibly, this is a judgement call based on these statements: “In tidal waters, it is illegal to angle with a fishing line that has more than one hook, artificial lure or artificial fly attached, with the following exceptions: (1) When bait fishing, you may attach multiple hooks to hold a single piece of bait as long as the hooks are not arranged to catch more than one fish.“, found here for Area 29. So if the trailing hooks have a reasonable potential to catch multiple fish, they may be considered illegal.

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