Tag «DFO»

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.

2020-2021 IFMP Process and Deadline for Input

The 2020-2021 IFMP Timeline document from DFO sets out the dates and opportunities for comment regarding the IFMP.  Of particular interest, the deadline for input on the IFMP Planning Priorities is January 13, 2020.

An IFMP is an integrated fisheries management plan that DFO develops for each fishery to describe the fishery and its management issues, and then sets out how that fishery will be managed.  The IFMP priorities and the final plan set the stage for which fisheries regulations or harvest controls will be put in place. It is a critical document that directly impacts every recreational fisherperson.

The current 2019/2020 Salmon IFMPs are quite lengthy documents, and are available at:  

Please contact DFO by email with any feedback as soon as possible. 

You may join a group discussion on January 6th via a webinar hosted by the West Coast Fishing Guide Association (WCFGA). It may provide you a more accessible platform to discuss our fishery issues, learn from others, and develop a consistent message to provide DFO as feedback.

Webinar details: 

ItemDescription
DateMonday, January 6, 2020
Time7 pm - 8:30 pm PST
TitleWCFGA Salmon IFMP Priorities Meeting
Link to join meeting from computer, smartphone or tablet.https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/848334325
Access Code
Access Code: 848-334-325
Audio only phone number+1 (647) 497-9391
Link to download GoToMeeting apphttps://global.gotomeeting.com/install/848334325

South Coast SFAB meeting Nov. 23-24, 2019 in Nanaimo

The South Coast SFAB meeting will be held this coming weekend, November 23-24, 2019, at the Vancouver Island Conference Center (101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo) in the Dodd Narrows Room.

The draft agenda may be viewed here.

Speakers from the the floor are permitted at the discretion of the meeting chair. Parking is available for $10 per day underneath the Coast Bastion Hotel, which is perhaps a two minute walk to the conference center.

These regional SFAB meetings and the main board meeting in February will chart the course for how DFO manages the west coast fishery in the year ahead. The ACS encourages you to attend, learn and participate.

ACS Letter to Minister Wilkinson

The ACS has sent a letter to the Minister of Fisheries & Oceans and Coast Guard, Jonathan Wilkinson, requesting that recreational fishermen be permitted to retain one hatchery marked chinook salmon – respecting daily, possession and season limits – in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia effective July 15.

There is obviously no conservation concerns for these Fraser River Chinooks after July 15 as your department is allowing full scale netting within the Fraser.

In a recent interview on radio station CKNW, there appeared to be a disconnect between what the Minister stated as policy and what the DFO published as fact.

Our members were shocked by your statements on CKNW recently where you denied the existence of First Nations FSC net openings for these same early returning chinook stocks that your department is supposedly trying to protect. It was pointed out that over 90 First Nations FSC openings have occurred to date on the Fraser; according to the DFO website. These openings coincide with the spawning migration of the very same endangered chinook stocks of concern.

CKNW, Jill Bennett Show, Sunday Edition, July 7, 2019, 7:58 into the 51:03 recording

Angler Protest

Where? Ogden Point Breakwater
When? Monday, July 15th, 2019 at 9:00 AM

On July 15th the BC Coast opens for the retention of Chinook Salmon. Meanwhile the straight of Juan de Fuca remains closed. It has been asked of Minister Wilkinson and DFO, “Why can’t we retain a hatchery marked Chinook?”, with NO REPLY.

It’s time we let the government know how important this public fishery is to all of us. Please show up in your boat, kayak, canoe or whatever flotation device you have. Attendance is critical and without your support we fail!

The message is dead simple: “Why can’t we retain a hatchery marked chinook”?

CSIA on Recreational Fishing

The Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association (CSIA) recently published a document examining the state of conservation in Canada, and how it is being diverted to serve the agendas of U.S. animal rights organizations. The document also examines Marine Protected Areas (i.e. “fishing closures”), their benefits and their current pitfalls, and how anglers can ensure they serve their intended purpose. To read the completed document, Elevating Recreational Fishing to a National Priority, please click here.

All existing DFO / ECCC Marine / Freshwater Protected
Area plans, policies and proposed legislation must
be scrapped while a credible and environmentally
sustainable MADE IN CANADA recreational fishing
policy built on the foundation of the North American
Model of Conservation is independently developed by
stakeholders, without foreign intervention and funding.


SFAB Meeting

Ryan Chamberland, our Area 19/20 SFAB Chairperson, invites you to attend an SFAB meeting on Monday, March 04 at 7:00 pm at the Juan De Fuca Kinsmen Fieldhouse (Building by Golf Course/Tennis Facility, same room as Made In BC Wild Salmon meeting – see the red shape tagged with a 5, below).

Topics on the agenda are:

  1. 2019 Chinook Salmon Fisheries Management.
  2. New halibut regulations for 2019.
  3. Avid Anglers Update.
  4. Southern Resident Killer Whale Update.
  5. Prawn Reductions. DFO is recommending a 50% reduction in prawn limits. The Chair will be seeking input as what the SFAB should recommend to DFO as acceptable limit changes.  
  6. Update on previous motions from Fall meetings.
  7. Thompson/Chilcotin Steelhead update.

If you would like to receive emails regarding future Area 19/20 SFAB meetings, important notices and letters, please contact Ryan via this email. 

Goldstream Hatchery

Earlier this year, the Globe & Mail published an article profiling the efforts of the volunteers at the Howard English Hatchery in Goldstream Provincial Park. The challenges faced at Goldstream are not uncommon to the many other volunteer-run hatcheries across BC.

…the role of hatcheries has to be just one part of salmon restoration. Management of commercial and recreational fisheries is another, significant, issue. But if DFO wants to boost Chinook stocks, B.C.’s hatcheries could use their help…

March 1 deadline to respond to 2019 Fraser River Chinook Conservation Measures

DFO has distributed information that describes the actions DFO is proposing to take to address Fraser River chinook conservation concerns in 2019. They are seeking your feedback by March 1, 2019.

The table shown below, from DFO’s letter, summarizes the options they are proposing. You are strongly encouraged to provide them with your feedback.

Table 3: Summary Table of proposed management actions for Scenario A and B
Fishery Scenario A Scenario B
Commercial
NBC AABM (Area F) Troll Closed to July 17 Closed to July 10
WCVI   AABM   (Area   G)
Troll		 Closed to August 1 Closed to August 1
Kamloops  Lake  Chinook Demonstration Fishery Closed Closed
Recreational
NBC AABM No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook  No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook
NBC ISBM No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook
WCVI AABM (Areas 121
to 127)		 a)   Apr 1 to July 31, Chinook non- retention;
b)   Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.		 No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook 
WCVI ISBM No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook No   measures   proposed   for   Fraser chinook
Johnstone   Strait   (Area 12) c)    Apr 1 to July 31, Chinook non- retention;
d)   Aug 1 to Aug 29, 1 Chinook/day (with option for terminal fisheries);
e)   Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.		 a)   Apr 1 to August 29, 1 Chinook/day (with option for terminal fisheries).
b)   Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.
 
Strait of Georgia – North
Areas   13   to   17,   28,
portion of 29 (29-1 and
29-2)		 a)   Apr 1 to July 31, Chinook non- retention;
b)   Aug 1 to Aug 29, 1 Chinook/day (with option for terminal fisheries);
c)    Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.		 d)   Apr 1 to August 29, 1 Chinook/day (with option for terminal fisheries).
e)   Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.
Strait of Georgia – South and
Juan de Fuca
Areas 18 to 20, portions
of Area 29 (29-3 to 29-5)		 a)   Apr 1 to July 31, Chinook non- retention;
b)   Aug 1 to Aug 29, 1 Chinook/day (with option for terminal fisheries);
c)    Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.		 a)   Apr 1 to July 31, 1 chinook/day; hatchery marked only
b)   Aug 1 to Aug 29, 1 Chinook/day (with option for terminal fisheries)
c)    Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2 Chinook/day.
Fraser River Tidal and Non Tidal and Sub area 29-6 to 29-10 a)   Jan. 1 to August 23 , No fishing for salmon.  Aug. 23 to Dec. 31, Chinook non-retention a)   Jan. 1 to August 23 , No fishing for salmon.
b)  Aug. Aug 23  to December 31, 1 Chinook/day
Freshwater          Regions 3,5,7 &8 b)   closed to fishing for salmon except in some areas where fisheries on other stocks or species may take place. c)    closed to fishing for salmon except in some areas where fisheries on other stocks or species may take place.
First Nations
South Coast a)   Fishing to FSC communal allocations as in previous years; marine FSC Chinook fisheries are largely terminal and directed at local Chinook stocks.  No measures proposed for SCA First Nations chinook fisheries. A)   Fishing to FSC communal allocations as in previous years; marine FSC Chinook fisheries are largely terminal and directed at local Chinook stocks.  No measures proposed for SCA First Nations chinook fisheries.
Lower Fraser a)   Jan. 1 to Aug 10, very limited impacts on chinook in FSC fisheries
b)  After Aug. 10, targeted chinook fishing or bycatch during sockeye- directed opportunities.		 a)   Jan. 1 to Aug 10, limited chinook directed FSC fisheries with effort limitations extended to Aug. 10 or bycatch during sockeye- directed opportunities
b)  After Aug. 10, targeted chinook fishing or bycatch during sockeye-directed opportunities.
BC   Interior      –   d/s   of Thompson Confluence a)   Jan 1 to Aug 10, very limited impacts on chinook in communal FSC fisheries. Time or gear restrictions.
b)  After Aug. 10 limited selective chinook fishing or bycatch during sockeye-directed opportunities until.  Later in August, targeted chinook fishing or by-catch during sockeye directed fishing. Low impact terminal harvests.		 a)   Jan 1 to Aug 10 limited communal FSC fisheries. Time or gear restrictions.
b)  After Aug 10, Directed chinook fishing or bycatch during sockeye-directed opportunities.
BC   Interior      –   u/s   of Thompson Confluence Note: the only chinook in the  area  are  Spring  52 and Summer 52 chinook. Fisheries in the area constrained by preferred gear type or fishing times. Discussion required to reduce overall catch. Fisheries in the area constrained by preferred gear type or fishing times.

2018 Salmon Catch Report

Via D.C. Reid, we are able to provide DFO’s 2018 post-season report on the salmon catch by the recreational, commercial and indigenous peoples fishing sectors. In Mr. Reid’s own words,

The table of most interest to Van Isle anglers is on page 93, cited as: 15.4 Appendix 4. It is the southern BC catch stats. I add the totals together to reach a total southern sport retained catch of 418,600.

Also of interest are the text write-ups for the specific stocks/rivers, which are earlier in the report and in the Table of Contents. Just click on an item, and the document jumps to it.

Thank you D.C. Reid and DFO.

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