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[IronNoggin]

Opinion: Saving the Whales? Capture and fishy business in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans

On April 29, 2022, under the pretence of protecting the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced additional closures to the already severely restricted recreational salmon fishery in southern B.C.

The problem is, these measures may actually hurt the SRKW rather than help. Why? Because the recreational fishery is demonstrably not the problem.

But, science, data and expert testimony never stopped the DFO from enacting bad policy.

Sadly, the losers in this ill-conceived publicity stunt are not only SRKWs and recreational fishers.

In fact, everything and everyone that depends on healthy salmon populations suffers — including the very credibility and standing of the DFO itself.

Welcome to the post-truth world of fisheries and wildlife management.

Similarly, the most recent DFO closure of the recreational fishery shows a concerning influence of the powerful ENGO lobby. Rather than fulfilling their public mandate by taking meaningful, science-based measures to address the salmon and SRKW issue, DFO continually opts to placate the often unfounded, yet always well-funded ENGO demands.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is currently hearing testimony from various fisheries-related sectors. Despite the often conflicting interests represented, a common and growing refrain calls for the complete elimination and re-structuring of the entire agency.

https://www.squamishchief.com/opinion/opinion-saving-the-whales-capture-and-fishy-business-in-the-department-of-fisheries-and-oceans-5433901

[Blood_Orange]

From the article: "Killer whales and recreational anglers both require healthy salmon stocks to survive."

That explains why humans are only found near salmon-bearing waters

[RalphH]

these closure are not really driven by ENGO political pressure, which the article setups as scapegoats for the closures.

[IronNoggin]

Actually, in effect & function they are...

[RalphH]

no it was very clear a few years ago these closures were about the dire decline of spring and early summer Fraser chinook. The decline was also considered a proximal cause for the decline of SRKWs. Closures would have happened anyway particularly  after the Big Bar slide. The major political force influencing DFO was Fraser River First Nations.

This focus of some Recreational Angling groups on ENGOs reminds me of vicious spats between sects of the same religion. Don't ENGOs and anglers desire pretty much the same outcomes?

[Blood_Orange]

I suspect that most ENGOs would be surprised to hear that they have a lot of power when it comes to influencing federal government decisions on topics as consequential as salmon management

IMHO Ralph is on the right track. The original article made a lot of assertions that the author failed to back up with citations.

[wildmanyeah]

no it was very clear a few years ago these closures were about the dire decline of spring and early summer Fraser chinook. The decline was also considered a proximal cause for the decline of SRKWs. Closures would have happened anyway particularly  after the Big Bar slide. The major political force influencing DFO was Fraser River First Nations.

This focus of some Recreational Angling groups on ENGOs reminds me of vicious spats between sects of the same religion. Don't ENGOs and anglers desire pretty much the same outcomes?

Not just about spring fraser fish Ralph

https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/srkw_priority_chinook_stocks_conceptual_model_report___list_22june2018.pdf

I also believe the latest studies have also said food is important but its not as important as initially thought, there is amble fish available to them.

https://news.ubc.ca/2021/10/12/no-apparent-shortage-of-prey-for-southern-resident-killer-whales-in-canadian-waters/

The spring time closures I think most can get behind, its the reallocation summer closures that is more of a debate.

[wildmanyeah]

Closures would have happened anyway particularly  after the Big Bar slide. The major political force influencing DFO was Fraser River First Nations.

yeah pretty much this, of course unless those closures get in the way of sockeye season then they dont matter lol

[IronNoggin]

This focus of some Recreational Angling groups on ENGOs reminds me of vicious spats between sects of the same religion. Don't ENGOs and anglers desire pretty much the same outcomes?

Hardly.

https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/00010101/-1/37258?Embedded=true&globalstreamId=20&viewMode=3

The 11.10.50 mark is where you want to focus. DFO senior staff was replaced by ENGO members who were directly associated with radical animal rights movements, foreign funded, and focused on shutting all fishing down from coast to coast. Canada has been seriously compromised.

[RalphH]

well at least there was no mention of the world wide Jewish Conspiracy or homosexuals! Canada can't be completely compromised can it then? [sarcasm].

Personally I love a few lead small lead weights in my morning coffee. Helps me ignore what's really happening in the big bad world. [more sarcasm... in  case anyone was wondering] 

[RalphH]

that radical left animal rights militant vegetarian advocacy group The US Geological Survey chimes in:

Millions of pounds of lead used in hunting, fishing and shooting sports wind up in the environment each year and can threaten or kill wildlife, according to a new scientific report. Lead is a metal with no known beneficial role in biological systems, and its use in gasoline, paint, pesticides, and solder in food cans has nearly been eliminated. Although lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting in 1991, its use in ammunition for upland hunting, shooting sports, and in fishing tackle remains common.

Millions of pounds of lead used in hunting, fishing and shooting sports wind up in the environment each year and can threaten or kill wildlife, according to a new scientific report.

Lead is a metal with no known beneficial role in biological systems, and its use in gasoline, paint, pesticides, and solder in food cans has nearly been eliminated. Although lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting in 1991, its use in ammunition for upland hunting, shooting sports, and in fishing tackle remains common.

While noting that more information is needed on some aspects of the impact of lead on wildlife, the authors said that numerous studies already documented adverse effects to wildlife, especially waterbirds and scavenging species, like hawks and eagles. Lead exposure from ingested lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers also has been reported in reptiles, and studies near shooting ranges have shown evidence of lead poisoning in small mammals.

Science is replete with evidence that ingestion of spent ammunition and fishing tackle can kill birds," [Dr] Rattner said. "The magnitude of poisoning in some species such as waterfowl, eagles, California condors, swans and loons, is daunting. For this reason, on July 1, 2008, the state of California put restrictions on the use of lead ammunition in parts of the range of the endangered California condor because the element poses such a threat to this endangered species." Lead poisoning causes behavioral, physiological, and biochemical effects, and often death. The rate of mortality is high enough to affect the populations of some wildlife species. Although fish ingest sinkers, jigs, and hooks, mortality in fish seems to be related to injury, blood loss, exposure to air and exhaustion rather than the lead toxicity that affects warm-blooded species.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080711125733.htm

I hope none of them move to Canada...

[Blood_Orange]

DFO senior staff was replaced by ENGO members who were directly associated with radical animal rights movements, foreign funded, and focused on shutting all fishing down from coast to coast. Canada has been seriously compromised.

This all sounds like it was lifted from American media; conspiracies, radicals, foreign actors, infiltration!

Fish numbers are down year over year and multiple user groups are fighting for smaller and smaller pieces of the same pie. That's why the rec fishers are getting shut out... the FN groups are using their political leverage to fight for their share of the pie. Can you blame them? I certainly don't. You don't need a global conspiracy to explain it

[IronNoggin]

This all sounds like it was lifted from American media; conspiracies, radicals, foreign actors, infiltration!

It's called reality.

[RalphH]

It's called reality.

Unreal!

[IronNoggin]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=421626219832752&extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing