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[rln]

Category(s):
RECREATIONAL - Salmon


 
Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada
 
Subject: FN0826-Salmon: Region 2 - Non-Tidal - Cheakamus, Mamquam, Squamish Rivers - Zero Retention of Chum
 
Effective 00:01 October 30, 2008 until further notice, the daily limit for chum
salmon is zero (0) per day in the Mamquam River, Cheakamus River and Squamish
River (including tributaries).
 
The Squamish-Lillooet Sport Fishing Advisory Committee (SLSFAC) and Department
of Fisheries and Oceans staff have noted low returns of chum salmon to these
systems to date.  The SLSFAC recommended that the retention of chum be set to
zero.
 
Current Salmon Retention opportunities include:
 
Until December 31, 2008 you can retain one (1) hatchery marked coho in:
the Cheakamus River,
the Mamquam River and
the Squamish River including Ashlu Creek, Elaho River and Powerhouse channel
(downstream of boundary signs at the powerline crossing approximately 1.5 km
upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River).
 
Until December 31, 2008 you can retain two (2) chinook per day, none over 55 cm
in:
the Mamquam River (downstream of the BC rail Bridge to the confluence with the
Squamish River) and
the Squamish River, including Ashlu Creek, Elaho River and Powerhouse channel
(downstream of boundary signs at the powerline crossing approximately 1.5 km
upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River).
 
Variation Order No. 2008-447
 
Notes:
 
The aggregate daily limit for all species of Pacific Salmon (other than
kokanee) from tidal and non-tidal waters combined is four (4).
 
Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal
waters of British Columbia.  This includes all species of fish in the Fraser
River.
 
The term “hatchery marked” means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the
adipose fin.
 
Sport anglers are encouraged to participate in the voluntary Salmon Sport Head
Recovery program by labelling and submitting heads from adipose fin-clipped
chinook and coho salmon.  Recovery of coded-wire tags provides critical
information for coast-wide stock assessment.  Contact the Salmon Sport Head
Recovery Program at (866) 483-9994 for further information.
 
Did you witness suspicious fishing activity or a violation?  If so, please call
the Fisheries and Ocean Canada 24-hour toll free Observe, Record, Report line
at (800) 465-4336.
 
For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at (866) 431-
FISH.  The telephone number of the Squamish DFO office is 604-892-3230.
 
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Call your local Fisheries & Oceans Canada office
 
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN0826
Sent October 29, 2008 at 14:02
Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

[milo]

Excellent news!
Should have done it even earlier.

Let's hope for much better returns in the years to follow.

[Fish Assassin]

Sad but necessary. Who would have thought a few years ago that we would have a closure on chums ?

[BooBooBear]

I hope the run is just late and they will re-open it again for Squamish River... In the past years, the chum are plentiful and very silver just hours out of the salt water...

[Snapperhead]

Correct

[Rodney]

There are two mistakes in the notice.

1) "downstream of the BC rail Bridge to the confluence with the Squamish River" needs to be added beside Mamquam River under hatchery coho retention. It is mentioned in the chinook jack retention section, so anglers are going to assume that you can retain hatchery coho salmon anywhere on the Mamquam by reading now.

2) the Squamish River including Ashlu Creek, Elaho River and Powerhouse channel (downstream of boundary signs at the powerline crossing approximately 1.5 km upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River)." should read:

"the Squamish River downstream of boundary signs at the powerline crossing approximately 1.5 km upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River."

The other tributaries should not be mentioned in the retention section, it suggests that anglers can retain fish in these areas when we actually cannot.

Anyway, email sent out, hopefully a revised notice will be issued before the weekend. The river will probably blow by then judging by the amount of rain that we are receiving.

[Rodney]

Here's an update. The first one regarding Mamquam is in fact not a mistake. Hatchery coho salmon retention is allowed in the Mamquam system, not just below the BC Rail Bridge. Chinook salmon retention is prohibited above the BC Rail Bridge because they spawn above it during this time of the year.

The second one will be fixed in an amended notice later on today.

[Fish Assassin]

It's frustrating to see the errors in these notices.  How can they realistically expect the public to adhere to the notices when they themselves can't get their act together ? GRRRR

[Rodney]

Corrected notice is now available:

http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/xnet/content/fns/index.cfm?pg=view_notice&lang=en&DOC_ID=113639&ID=recreational

[Rodney]

It's frustrating to see the errors in these notices.  How can they realistically expect the public to adhere to the notices when they themselves can't get their act together ? GRRRR

It wasn't so much a mistake actually, I should have worded my concern more carefully. The retention boundary was explained in a way that it could have been misread and made people retaining fish in closed area.

Problems similar to this usually occur because the staff within the department are changed once every couple of years so there is unfortunately a slightly learning curve at the beginning. That's why the SFAC is there to help the resource manager whenever needed to make sure the correct information goes out to the angling public.