Tag «DFO»

PFA Responds to ENGO Misinformation re: Pilot MSFs

The Public Fishery Alliance has sent a letter to The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in response to misinformation being promulgated by environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) with regard to the proposed pilot mark selective fisheries (MSFs) described in the draft 2023/2024 Southern BC Salmon Integrated Fishery Management Plan.

The Public Fishery Alliance stresses that we support and need wild salmon to recover and we are willing to work with any organization that embraces that goal, including the groups [ENGOs] mentioned in this letter. However, that will be impossible if they continue to promote a divisive agenda based on inferences that recreational fisheries are unregulated, its businesses are only in it for the dollar, and anglers are not legitimate stakeholders.
letter from PFA to The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

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 1^st 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

Strait of Georgia Food & Bait Herring Fishery: Just say NO!

In FN1172, DFO asked for feedback regarding the Strait of Georgia DRAFT 2022/23 Food & Bait and Special Use Pacific Herring Commercial Plans.

Per the fishery notice:

Please provide any comments on the draft plans to the lead fishery managers below, by end of day on Wednesday, November 16, 2022:

Food & Bait:
Jim Meldrum - (250)895-0473
Email: james.meldrum@dfo-mpo.gc.ca


Special Use: 
Marisa Keefe - (604) 354-0352 
Email: marisa.keefe@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Please contact Marisa if you require an additional method of providing feedback.

The ACS does NOT support this fishery, and has written a letter to DFO saying this.

DFO Science and many other sources recognize that the annual Food & Bait herring fishery is the primary reason for the extirpation of these unique local herring stocks. A commercial catch of 837 MT of food and bait herring in 2021-2022 within the Strait of Georgia does nothing toward the rebuilding of these local stocks. These herring are the life blood of the ocean which support numerous fish, bird and mammal species. Recent research shows that herring are the primary prey species for Chinook and Coho salmon.
Letter from ACS to DFO re: DRAFT 2022/2023 Food & Bait Herring fishery

We encourage you to join with us and voice your concern regarding this low value use of a most valuable marine resource. Please contact DFO before Nov. 16 to provide them your feedback.

Herring ball on the surface off Victoria waterfront.

Esquimalt Anglers to propose membership, launch price increases for 2023

As DFO pummels the recreational fishery with fishery closures on Southern Vancouver Island, marinas and boat launches are feeling the pain. Esquimalt Anglers Association and their Fleming Beach boat launch is no exception. At the December 8, 2022 AGM for the EAA, a motion will be put forward to increase membership fees and the cost of a day launch.

Membership numbers have been declining rather steadily for many years. In 1989 there were a total of 1004 memberships in all categories (owner, associate, junior and commercial). Owner memberships total 354 this year; down from 409 in 2021. This is a 13% decline over one year. Day launches have also decreased from 609 at September 30 last year to only 487 this year – a decline of 20%.
https://esquimaltanglers.ca/2022/11/03/eaa-agm-20221208/

This has very little to do with aging baby boomers, and everything to do with DFO eliminating the opportunity for the SVI recreational fisherperson to target chinook salmon while those fish are passing by SVI. This despite scientific evidence that undermines the very reason the fishery was closed – to protect a dwindling supply of the preferred prey fish of the southern resident killer whale.

EAA Fleming Beach boat launch and floats

Next Victoria & Area Sport Fishing Advisory Committee Meeting: Tuesday, Nov 8, 2022

The next Victoria & Area SFAB Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 8th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 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.

We anticipate there will be an opportunity to join this meeting virtually through DFO’s MS Teams, but this option has not yet been confirmed. Those interested to attend this meeting online please contact Chris Bos (governor@shaw.ca) or Tom Cole (ttbc@shaw.ca) to receive the log in information if and when available.

An agenda will be distributed in the near future. If you have a topic that you wish added to the agenda please let us know.

Feel free to share this meeting notice with your angling friends and encourage them to participate.

Release of Draft 2022/23 BC Salmon IFMPs for Consultation

With FN0168, DFO has released their draft 2022-2023 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 2022/23 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:

With regard to chinook in southern BC and Fraser River waters, p. 33 says “… management measures similar to 2021 are outlined in this IFMP.” There are also words about mark selective fisheries (MSF) and mass marking (MM) of hatchery salmon, but they see any changes to MSFs occurring only in 2023 (p. 34).

Notice of Important DFO – SFAB Meetings on Feb. 16, 2022

A note from Chris Bos, local SFAB committe co-chair:

The DFO Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Team have agreed to present their 2022 proposed salmon fishing closure options to our local SFAB Committees. The SFAB is seeking your expert angler knowledge about the areas in question and have arranged two separate meetings for our constituents to hear from DFO and ask questions about the DFO proposals. Closures, if approved by the minister, would be in effect between June 1 and October 31 and mean no salmon fishing. You can attend the meeting that relates to areas you fish, either one or both meetings. The meetings are:

Online Meeting 1 – Wednesday February 16^th from 11:00am to 12:30pm – for Victoria – Juan de Fuca – Port Renfrew – Nitinat

Microsoft Teams meeting – Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join this meeting at 11:00am

Online Meeting 2 – Wednesday February 16^th from 3:00pm to 4:30pm – Fraser River Mouth – Southern Gulf Islands

Microsoft Teams meeting – Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join this meeting at 3:00pm –

There is also already a DFO online survey circulating on the same issue with their proposed closure options identified that seeks public feedback. The deadline for public response to the survey is March 2, 2022.

The SFAB suggests that local anglers wait until after the two DFO presentations before completing the DFO survey. Using input from the SFAB constituents and local angling knowledge, there may be some special recommendations or hybrid options to put forward by the SFAB.

PFA pleads for public fishery openings

The Public Fishery Alliance (PFA), with the full support of the ACS and several other groups of conservation-minded sport fishers, has asked the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to allow selected chinook fishery openings this year where evidence has shown little to no risk to stocks of concern.

The [SFAB salmon technical working group] proposals were assessed by DFO review to be very low risk or no risk at all to stocks of concern. They offered an important lifeline to the Public Salmon Fishery to avoid further harm, and importantly did not jeopardize the recovery of Fraser River Chinook stocks of concern, yet they have all been rejected.

…we urge that you direct your department to work together with the SFAB, particularly at the upcoming February 11th SFAB Main Board meeting, to explore ways these desperately needed openings can be approved. We particularly want to focus on the period from April 1st to May 31st this year, where there is a documented unique window of opportunity when stocks of concern are not present, while hatchery marked Chinook are prevalent in high numbers.
letter from PFA to MInister Murray

A copy of the full letter to the Minister may be read here.

Please consider writing a letter to Minister Murray from your own group or yourself as an individual Canadian.

DFO Halves Commercial Herring Fishery

As widely reported and announced by DFO here, the commercial Pacific herring fishery is to be substantially reduced.

This approach will see most commercial fisheries for Pacific herring closed, and limited to First Nations food, social and ceremonial fisheries. For the Strait of Georgia, harvesting will be reduced to a 10% harvest rate, with a maximum total allowable catch of 7,850 tonnes.
https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2021/12/fisheries-and-oceans-canada-updates-pacific-herring-coast-wide-harvest-plan-for-2021-22.html

The commercial fishery sector is critical of this change, as shown here and here.

Environmental groups will no doubt support this decision, and point to FNs that practice a spawn-on-kelp fishery as a better alternative that leaves the herring to spawn for years. The commercial fleet harvests and kills herring primarily for their roe.