Tag «sooke»

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.

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.

2022 Sooke Chinook Sea Pen: Volunteers Needed!

This year the Southern Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC) will release 660,000 smolts from our sea pen tied up to the Sooke Harbour Resort & Marina. On completion of this year’s project, SVIAC will have released over 3.16 million smolts with thousands of large adults returning to the Sooke River, in addition to feeding for the local orcas, while also providing salmon for all user groups.  To make this happen we have raised over $375K in the last 6 years by generous support from the community.  

The success of this project over the years would not be possible without strong support from the area residents who care about the southern resident killer whales and the local salmon populations. As a community-based volunteer driven project, your help is needed to succeed.  

Please see below the times and dates that we need volunteers. To sign up to help out please phone

778-426-4141

and we will set you up on a work team. Joining us even once or twice will help us make this effort a success! Many thanks to all who volunteer and show up!

2022 Sooke Chinook Sea Pen volunteer opportunities

2021 Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative

The SVIAC has reported that the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative sea pen project is now active for 2021.

  • The pens were moved back into place at the Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina, with help from the people at Jenkins Marine
  • Glen Varney and a crew of volunteers are getting the system set up and ready to receive the first batch of 325,000 Chinook smolts that are approximately 3.5 grams each.

At the Nitinat Hatchery, for this first batch of fish

  • they all have been given their compulsory Vibrio Virus treatment.
  • thousands have been adipose fin-clipped and fitted with a coded wire tag.

This year, 2021, marks the fifth anniversary of SVIAC putting the first batch of fish in the water (2017: 210,000). After the second batch of healthy Chinook smolts are released this year, there will have been 2,525,000 juvenile salmon processed.

All of this has been done with NO GOVERNMENT MONEY! To date, over $300,000 has been raised to make the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative a reality.

HOW TO SUPPORT SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND ANGLERS COALITION
Membership fees are $40 dollars annually and can be purchased online at https://www.anglerscoalition.com or by phone at (778) 426-4141 or in person at SVIAC, Unit 3-774 Bay Street, Victoria V8T 5E4 or by postal mail to the same address – cash, debit and credit cards accepted.
Donations can be made in the same manner as above.

Notice of Victoria and Area SFAB Meeting Nov 27, 2018 at 7 pm

This meeting is intended to cover the agenda items remaining from the previous fall 2018 SFAB meeting.

What Victoria, Sidney, and Sooke Area Sports Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) Committee Meeting. Open to the angling community and the public.
When Tuesday November 27th, 2018 (7:00 p.m.- 9 p.m.)
Where Esquimalt Anglers Association, 1101 Munro St, Victoria BC V9A 5P2
Agenda
  • Halibut 2019 TAC Expectation and Committee Guidance on 2019 Season
    (See attached Chart)
  • DFO Fall 2018 Regional Updates
  • Creel Verification Project – Trailer Counting 2018 + Camera Info + Angler DNA Collection
Notes Please review these documents for Halibut 2019 TAC and Options.

If you cannot attend the meeting and wish to comment on any topic on the agenda, please respond by email to RyanC.SFAB@gmail.com

 

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

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

DFO to close fishing west of Otter Point – SVIAC asks you to write or phone Minister LeBlanc

Christopher Bos, President of the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, writes:

SVIAC have just learned that DFO’s proposed sport fishing closure for SRKWs in Juan de Fuca Strait will have boundaries between Otter Point in Sooke and East Point in Port Renfrew and is set to be a “no Fin Fish Fishing” zone. The closure will start on June 1st and run through to September 30th. The SFAB asked for Fossil Point just west of Point-No-Point and no salmon fishing for the closed area. Closing the fin fish fishing west of Otter this summer is a terrible idea, will not save a single Southern Resident Orca and, as anglers, we must all let DFO know how seriously bad this decision will be for the community of Sooke.

Today several members of the SFAB met with DFO staff to discuss the soon to be announced SRKW Actions outlined in DFO Minister LeBlanc’s press release (see below).  We made a plea that the SFAB proposal be honoured.  However, it seems clear that the SFAB proposed closure boundaries reached after thorough consultation with many local anglers has been ignored by the Minister.  A real slap in the face to the respected SFAB process.

An SFI and SVIAC talking points and letter writing information document is attached [ed. – see below] – it includes names, email addresses and phone numbers 

So before the formal fishery notice is released YOU MUST ACT IMMEDIATELY to protect your fishing opportunities!  Wednesday is likely too late

NOTE – Please share this with any anglers who you think will write or phone.

Thank you sincerely for your help and support

SRKW Writing Points SFI&SVIAC-1

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