Tag «Tom Davis»

DFO Research Validates Anglers’ Position on Chinook Non-Retention

Island Fisherman Magazine has a great article written by Tom Davis that details how DFO’s own research supports what many recreational fisherman have long known: that the Chinook Non-Retention (CNR) regulation introduced in 2019 and still in place from April 1st to at least July 14th across most of southern BC’s important recreational fisheries was applied far too broadly. Significant fishing locations should have remained open for at least the April and May fishing period, or longer in some cases.

The most jaw-dropping data reveals how few encounters with Upper Fraser Chinook stocks of concern were recorded. In 2023 it was 1.3% of the samples. In 2024 it was 0.5%.

…

Chris Bos, past chair of the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, and member of numerous fishery committees stated, “With special interest groups that dislike recreational fishing and pressuring government to shut down our fishery, the reference fishery has emerged as a valuable tool to verify what is true and what is guess-work”. Bos adds, “Data shows the fishery is clean, with less than 1% impact; shutting down any fishery with such a small impact is completely unjustifiable.”

Quotes courtesy of https://islandfishermanmagazine.com/dfo-research-validates-anglers-position-on-chinook-non-retention/?mc_cid=190e51d26c&mc_eid=c45f74a0e9.

The article concludes with a sobering reminder regarding the upcoming general election in Canada. The tenure of the incumbent party exactly coincides with the emergence of the most serious threats to angling opportunities ever. It is not a coincidence.

Town Hall follow-up: video re: Recreational Salmon Fisheries Under Threat

After the Feb 27th town hall meeting in Langford, at the suggestion of Gary Cooper (Gary Cooper Fishing Diary), Tom Davis produced a video using a voice over with the power-point presentation that was shown at the Four Points by Sheraton public fisheries meeting. We thought this would be a great way to get the message, that we delivered to the over 300 attendees, to a much broader audience.

The linked video, “Recreational Salmon Fisheries Under Threat”, is intended to inform anglers and others of the plight that BC’s valuable rec Chinook fisheries are facing. In addition, it presents solutions that the public fishing community believes are valid and that more than meet the rec fisheries’ share of conservation burdens for Upper Fraser River Chinook and SRKWs.

Please share this with your organizations, family and friends and ask them for your support so that we can speed the recovery of Upper Fraser Chinook, assist the SRKWs and sustain recreational fisheries in vital southern BC fishing regions.

Thanks to both Gary Cooper and Tom Davis for this video message.

Tom Davis wins 2021 Art Downs Memorial Award

The ACS congratulates conservationist and journalist Tom Davis on being awarded by the BC Wildlife Federation with the Art Downs Memorial Award.

The BC Outdoors, Art Downs memorial award is designed to carry on Art’s life work of recognizing excellence in writing and a commitment to conservation and the environment. It is awarded annually to the writer who has produced the best information over the past three years, exemplifying the Art Downs philosophy as evidenced in his “Travellers” column.
https://bcwf.bc.ca/awards/

Well done, Tom. You deserve the recognition!

Image courtesy https://www.bcoutdoorsshow.com/tom-davis/.

Public Fishery Alliance Video

The Public Fishery Alliance (PFA) has produced a video that tells about a five-year self funded program – the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative – to put more Chinook into Juan de Fuca Strait to increase the food supply for southern resident killer whales in the summer. Some of those fish will benefit anglers and provide the opportunity for First Nations terminal fishing, plus commercial fisheries, and feed other pods of whales and marine mammals.

We all benefit by moving from Chinook shortages to Chinook abundances. If only our federal government thought this way, too.