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[tsawytscha]

Well, I was fishing the Fraser on Sunday and then on Tuesday - almost dead river. No sockeye showed up (jumping). Got 1 chinook. About 40-50 guys were fishing on Seabird Island bar - only a few hooked chinook, no sockeye. There is no salmon in Fraser this year, really. A FN boat with its net was drifting down the river on the remote side of Fraser.....I did report the  illegal fishing practices on Chehalis River last year (snagging coho), and i've got a reply from DFO stating, that they are aware of these illegal practices over there and are doing their best to stop them.  Well, I took my time, "audited" DFO attendance and no one showed up on Chehalis over a week to enforce the fair fishing rules........ho,ho,ho !!!!!  Then, not aware of FN rules, I (silly one) reported "illegal" fishing practices on Capilano River -FN were snagging pink salmon about two years ago. Well, I got a letter from DFO stating that it is in FN hands to decide what technique they will use to get a fish from the water and that DFO can do nothing about it.
I am wondering what other action we (the recreational fishermen) can do to push the Government to preserve our BC fishery and fish.

[troutbreath]

Best thing that can happen is that there would be ONE organization to speak for sport fishing rights and more importantly the health of the fishery. You get other people making there own little groups saying they represent the sport fishery and the first thing some of these groups do is start bashing sport fishing techniques that they don't like. Hardly supportive of the health of the fishery and makes sportfishing look like a bad soccer match with the fans from each team duking it out. It's called people with their own agenda trying to get their way. The flossing debate can be easily expanded to crab fishing with traps instead of wholeistically picking up the crabs by hand and not traumatizing the crabs by trapping, getting ghost shrimp with a nasty pump instead of digging by hand for them etc. 

Pick one organization to represent the fishery first the fishers second. I give money to two of them whenever I run into them at outdoors shows but it probably be better if there was one. To get what needs to be said and that is the health of the fishery said.

[Birdsnest]

In this day and age of youtube, digital video cameras,  I think that we're not using these tools to further good sportfishing practises and target abuse of the resources.

We all should bring our cameras, cellphones or whatever, and film the violators.  We can then post them on youtube, or on a website, blog, and show everyone EXACTLY what we are witnessing.

Think of the taser incident at the airport, the power of video is huge...  people know what they see with their own eyes. 

This way, violators cannot hide behind politically correct double speak, or play some victim, race, cultural card. 

I am a born and bred proud British Columbian, but I really hate how our province is filled with people who point fingers at others, and tell them how everyone should conduct themselves while their own actions are contrarian.

Fisheries' job of prosecuting violators will also be made easier, as they will have evidence to back it up.

So, I say in the spirit of video vigilanteism,  bring your camcorders with you,...  then we can show the world who are the real conservaters of our precious resource.

[troutbreath]

I think you have the right idea on how to tackle some of the problem the fishery is in. Using UTube etc. is a cheap way of pointing out some of the problems facing the fishery. That bit about those losers shooting baby ducks and posting it on UTube was Neanderthal at best. Glad they busted themselves.

Camera ready to go.

[Birdsnest]

The reality is, we are losing the PR war.  The media can't be expected to paint the real picture to the general public, the only time they head to the river is when someone calls a staged press conference and feeds the media what they want them to report.

Show them videos of snagging, show them people booting salmon to the rocks, show them the dumped sockeye on the roadside. 

The message can be immensely powerful.

Challenge the media and the public to rethink things.  Send emails to editors/reporters telling them the links, and let them decide how to make a story out of it.

In this day and age, you have no choice but to step up your game. 

At the same time, we can challenge ourselves to be better stewards of our rivers.  Bring garbage bags and clean up after some of our less than respectful bretheren.  Clean up the mono birdnests, the lure packaging, beer cans etc, that are maliciously left.


I'm not going to get into the flossing debate but troutbreath has a point, there is too much fragmentation.  When there is such a big fracture in the community, my solution is simple:

Just concentrate on the things we AGREE upon.   So, next time someone just carelessly tosses their beer can aside, or decides to bonk a foul hooked fish, SAY SOMETHING, and if others are around, BACK HIM UP.

It doesn't have to lead to anything physical, the fact that everyone around is saying " YOU CAN"T DO THAT", is the way you enforce things as a community.

Speak up as a group, for the resource...

[chris gadsden]

Very good points Birdnest and no need to discuss the flossing issue here again as it once again has been discussed fully this year and in the past. However I must add this year it is more important than ever before, to convince those still out there BB'ing to cease during this time of low returns and warm temperatures to cut down on the incidental catch of sockeye as much as possible by fishing selectively. This will be my last reference to this subject on this forum for this year.

[greybark]

   Promise

[alwaysfishn]

I believe Chris may have a bit more to comment on the bb'ing issue....

Rumor has it that he is being recruited to star in a utube intructional video on the art of bottom bouncing. 

Of course this is the internet so it's hard to know whether it's true.....

[troutbreath]

Chris has a habit of constantly bringing up BBing as a fishing method. Stop it Chris and everyone will forget about BBing. Telling people about some sort of vice they should refrain from justs warrents curiosity. my 2 cents plus some bottle return money


"This will be my last reference to this subject on this forum for this year. "

no need to reply old boy, no need to reply

[chris gadsden]

  Promise

Go golfing, with PV's. If you keep losing them I will sell you some for $25 a doz. They were fished out of the tall grass by short floating.