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[Morty]

Up to last Sunday, First Nations have reported a harvest of 118,858 sockeye.  That's just for that week! 
Total reported for this year is 130,225.

ttp://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/HTMLs/SockeyeKeptCatch.html

To put that in perspective:  if there were a whopping 2,000 Rec fishers out every day, and they were each blessed enough to get their 2 fish limit, that would take 32 days to accomplish a balanced harvest.  Not only would that be providing a lot of food for many households tables.  Using Vic Carrao's recent figure of $1,000,000 per day going into the Valley economy when Rec fishing is "open" that would be $32,000,000.00 in economic value.

I figure that after a while those 2,000 guys freezers would start gettin a little full and they'd proably cut back on the fishing
(or work would call, or the Honey Do's would start piling too high...)

In all fairness though; I do give DFO high marks for being so proactive this year in responding to surpluses and shortages.  They're not sticking to the tired old every Friday announcement schedule.  Although this is really tough for the professional guides right now, I believe the path we're on will lead to more frequent opportunities.

I'm all for 10 Sockeye on my license, same a Chinooks - ( especially if the 10 sockeye applies to ALL river fishers! )

Tight lines guys and gals,

Mod: two topics are merged into one due to similarity. Thread title changed.

[bentrod]

I think everyone should feel the pain equally.  They should achieve their escapement goals by reducing everyone's allowed take.  Not keep one user's take the same and cut everyone else down to zero.

[troutbreath]

In stead of selling fish under the table, when they claim members are starving, the FN could take up guiding. Be a little more above board.



Sockeye sports fishery closure angers guides
 
Larry Pynn
Vancouver Sun


Thursday, July 31, 2008


b.c. I The federal Fisheries Department closed the Fraser River to sport fishing of sockeye salmon Wednesday -- just five days after the fishery opened -- because of low estimated returns.

One fishing guide says the on-again off-again situation has caused disruption in the Fraser Valley as the sport fishing community buys fishing tackle and gear, only to be shut out of the fishery.

Vic Carrao, the owner of STS Guiding Service of Mission, said in an interview he had strong client bookings for guided fishing trips this week and next, all of which now must be cancelled.

"They pulled the rug out from under us," Carrao said, estimating the sockeye sport fishery generates up to $1 million a day in spending by anglers.

"It's irresponsible."

Carrao suspects Ottawa ordered the closure in response to pressure from aboriginals. "It's politics. That's the way it works."

Sto:lo Grand Chief Clarence Pennier said he wrote to the department to protest continued sport fishing in light of a drop of 700,000 fish in the mid-summer sockeye forecast.

Aboriginal fishing, which takes priority next to conservation, has been continuing in the river. Commercial fishing is now closed, but did open last weekend.

Ed George, tidal fishing committee chair for the B.C. Wildlife Federation, said he has no problem with the closure if stock estimates are lower than expected.

"I'm okay with it," he said. "They've got to manage the fishery."

The fisheries department opened the sport fishery Saturday (with a limit of two sockeye per person per day), but closed it effective Wednesday at 9 p.m., after 48 hours' notice, after the low estimates, said department spokeswoman Lara Sloan.

Meanwhile, George said 30 to 35 sport anglers will work with federal fisheries officials next month on an experimental program to determine the survival rate of sockeye released back to the river after being caught while other species are being fished.

George said he believes the mortality is one or two per cent, while Ottawa thinks it is closer to 10 per cent

lpynn@vancouversun.com

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

[Steelhawk]

How about a study of the mortality rate of gill-net survivors, like fish with net marks. They should shut down FN fishing with modern killing machines and let them go back to tradition, as they claim their FN rights. They took 130,000+ plus fish and complain us sporties for one week-end of fishing (yes, many people skunked on their only week-end trip for sockeye). Go figure what is wrong with this race-based fishing crap. I hope the government will stand up to this FN blackmail after the 2010 Olympics and make fishing available to all tax-paying Canadians. 

[Funeral Of Hearts]

Up to last Sunday, First Nations have reported a harvest of 118,858 sockeye.  That's just for that week! 
Total reported for this year is 130,225.

I have one thing to say....

Discusting.

[Steelhawk]

DFO has got to be fair to the sport fishsing community. We are the ones buying licenses and paying taxes and look how we are treated - no respect and totally unfair.

The Albion daily test fishery count for Chinook is quite high now (30+ fish per 2 sets) comparable to any so called 'good year', and yet DFO is still dragging its feet to give the sporties a break. Why wait till a designate time when the test count numbers are high now.  We paid for the license and DFO should be fair to the 'customers' who bought the licenses on good faith that they be given a fair chance to fish.

Just look at the sockeye situation. DFO stop us after only one week-end of fishing (for us town folks anyways) while allowing more FN fishing after they already took 130,000+ sockeyes. I mean if concervation is that much a concern that cause them to open & shut the fishery in such a hurry, why allow FN to continue to fish with their massive killing machines. How many fish they will take in one day compared to us poor guys fishing with our 'tradition' method of one rod and one barbless hook? How long we Canadians should tolerate such farce in this kind of race-based fishing crap from a just and free society?    I can accept FN's claim of tradition and be given chance to fish for their food and ceremony, but why not have the gut to tell this group that their forefathers' tradtion of fishing was not using the modern massive killing machines like drift nets which to me accounts for the annihilation of the Fraser fish stock.

Is DFO going to ignore  these high test counts and continue to treat us sporties as dummies? If they do, they are the real dummies and they cannot complain why their license sales are dropping year after year. No customers will come back after they feel screwed by any business, so why should DFO expect any difference from the sport fishing community at large?

[Fish Assassin]

It's frustrating to see the Indians fishing when commercial and sportfishermen can't. The courts have ruled that the Indians have the "constitutional right" to fish.

[BigFisher]

Got a phone call today from a friend "better come buy some sockeye, because where not getting that many....."    100,000/ week.... 

[chris gadsden]

This is what the Sportfishing Defense Alliance has been working to correct for years. They welcome donations as having a lawyer is not cheap, check out their web site for more details.

[dennisK]

The DFO is responsible for much of the reduced salmon returns in the past decade.

They used no science to examine the impact of sea lice at fish farms on the coast despite what happened in Scotland and Norway; and when diminishing wild stock returns were reported and data showing massive lice exposure in areas populated with fish farms; the DFO reacted with bullying the people who were calling the alarm. The DFO reacted the same way tobacco companies did in the 60s when it was shown cancer and smokes were linked; and they (the DFO and BC gov't) are still dragging their heels in not shutting down all fish farms or moving them onland.

The DFO are the single biggest problem in reduced returns of wild salmon; they are as dangerous as a bad cop.

[hotrod]

Just so you know, drift nets and set nets are traditional methods of fishing . Same as fishing with a rod and barbed hook!  All traditional!
I agree with you Dennis, the single biggest problem our fish stocks have right now is the govt's  blind eye to the effects of fish farms. They are killing our salmon stocks!


  Hotrod

[roeman]

Just so you know, drift nets and set nets are traditional methods of fishing . Same as fishing with a rod and barbed hook!  All traditional!
I agree with you Dennis, the single biggest problem our fish stocks have right now is the govt's  blind eye to the effects of fish farms. They are killing our salmon stocks!


  Hotrod

My great grand parents could walk down the street with a gun on their hip....
Why can't I do that...
Times change
Unless you are FN

[BwiBwi]

Just so you know, drift nets and set nets are traditional methods of fishing . Same as fishing with a rod and barbed hook!  All traditional!
I agree with you Dennis, the single biggest problem our fish stocks have right now is the govt's  blind eye to the effects of fish farms. They are killing our salmon stocks!

Ya but not aluminum boat, nylon nets and 50+hp engine.  Oh and not to mention they use to eat fish now they sell it.

[Sam Salmon]

One day someone will post some new innovative insight into the situation but I'm not holding my breath.

Salmon numbers in the Fraser will continue to drop and people will drift into other recreational activities-that is the future.

[buck]

Chief Clarence Pennier and Ernie Crey should meet with each other so they can get their stories straight. Pennier said, remaining sockeye are needed to meet food, social, and ceremonial needs
of 94 First Nations in the Fraser River watershed. Ernie Crey on the other hand said an allocation of 8000 fish for sales, plus the possibility of moving more from the 300,000 allocated for food fisheries into sales. So, is it sockeye to feed First Nation bands or fish for commercial sales?