OK as of yesterday the DFO had still not sent this notice to all the sporting goods stores that people go to to read fisheries notices Cheyenne Sports got theirs yesterday afternoon CHWK Dart and Tackle had not received one yet at 5:00 PM. I phoned DFO starting early inthe morning to see why these notices were not faxed out. I got one person that hadn't heard of it first, to her credit she read it and got back to me with three phone numbers deeper in the organisation, the next two people I phoned were not in the office and the last one I phoned had read the notice, didn't know why it wasn't published better, and actually got hold of the person in charge, henceforth Cheyenne Sports got a copy. In the time I took phoning these people I could have gotten a phone directory and faxed a copy to every sporting goods store in BC, after I come in from fishing today I will phone back to inform them that they are still missing some outlets.
The DFO's handling and publishing and the language they used Has all been done in a totally wussy manor so I guess they are probably giving the sports angling community way more credit for actually giving a cupcakes than we deserve. But they have made this request and we should abide by it. Using the fact that some FN's may be fishing as an excuse to use methods that TARGET sockeye when we have been requested not to is putting sports fishers out there front and center as part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
Some day in the future I can picture the last ten sockeye swimming up the river ther'll be a fleet of commercial boats, a band of FN's with drift nets, and 600 "sports anglers" with 25' leaders all arguing about who's got the right to kill them.