Tag «SRKW»

DFO: Consultation Regarding Recovery Actions for SRKW

DFO, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Transport Canada invite you to participate in a Webinar/Teleconference to be held Thursday, April 18, 2019 from 9:30-11:30 am Pacific Time. The purpose of this Webinar is to present the proposed suite of measures for 2019.

A snapshot of Scenario A for Juan de Fuca Strait/Swiftsure Bank.

A snapshot of Scenario B for Juan de Fuca Strait/Swiftsure Bank.

Here are the details for the Webinar/Teleconference:

Meeting Number: 559 136 012
Meeting Password: MFRuX944

To join this meeting

Go to https://gts-ee.webex.com/gts-ee/j.php?MTID=mb77121875ff462b810973e1059bf4ada
If requested, enter your name and email address.
If a password is required, enter the meeting password: MFRuX944
Click “Join”.
Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Teleconference information

Provide your phone number when you join the meeting to receive a call back. Alternatively, you can call:

Call-in toll-free number: 1-877-413-4792 (Canada)
Call-in number: 1-613-960-7516 (Canada)
Attendee access code: 444 668 0

For assistance

Go to https://gts-ee.webex.com
On the left navigation bar, click “Support”.
Call 1-800-226-6338 or 613-941-9554

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This Webex service includes a feature that allows audio and any documents and other materials exchanged or viewed during the session to be recorded. By joining this session, you automatically consent to such recordings. If you do not consent to the recording, discuss your concerns with the meeting host prior to the start of the recording or do not join the session. Please note that any such recordings may be subject to discovery in the event of litigation.

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:

2019 Chinook Salmon Fisheries Management.
New halibut regulations for 2019.
Avid Anglers Update.
Southern Resident Killer Whale Update.
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.
Update on previous motions from Fall meetings.
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.

Noise and Vessel Traffic

Our ACS President, Tom Cole, retired from the Royal Canadian Navy where he served as an underwater acoustics expert, has offered insights and advice to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson. You can read Tom’s letter here, for which he awaits a response.

…new regulations will do absolutely nothing to change the noise levels in these waters and will not change the inland waterway noise.

time that Government and DFO finally realize that the Orcas NEED to have Large Salmon to eat. To do this they need to close all salmon fishing in the Fraser river as that is where all the damage is being done to the brood stock that carries the Gene pool for these large Chinook.

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

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 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

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