This discussion is getting sidetracked a little bit but that's expected. Rather than focusing on what First Nations should or shouldn't do, perhaps lets look at what the angling community hopes to achieve on Saturday.
Whether you see tomorrow's event as a demonstration or a protest, lets be clear that participants will not be taking part in anything illegal. Fred and other FRSA directors have communicated with the officers at DFO's C&P, to ensure that and also to let them know what they can expect from the event. This isn't just about a bunch of angry individuals going out and doing anything to get a rise out of the authority, far from that because it'd be counter-productive. Everyone who shows up at Island 22 at 8:30am will have to register before going out. Few things are expected to be accomplished:
FRSA wants all fish that are caught, released or legally retained, recorded so at the end of the day there is some data to demonstrate that selective methods can be used by the angling community to specifically target species that can and should be open for fishing. This collection is long overdue as we have been asking Fisheries and Oceans Canada to do so for years.
The event will also show that the regulations need to be improved. As of now, not just tomorrow, but the whole summer, you can freely head down to the non-tidal Fraser and bar fish, and when asked you simply have to say you're bar fishing for steelhead, trout or char. You can head down to the tidal Fraser River, spincast a lure with a light outfit, or bottom fish with roe, and when asked you simply have to say you are targeting northern pikeminnow, bull trout and cutthroat trout. Majority of us are not doing that, because we've chosen not to make this management harder when closed salmon species are moving through. At some point that restraint and patience will run out when another user group continues to be allowed to harvest while the anglers sit on the sideline.
You don't have to fish tomorrow when participate in the event. FRSA directors won't pretend to know all the solutions and they don't, so this is an opportunity to provide your inputs and ideas.
Some may suggest that an event like this would just further escalate and create conflicts, but I think if the current management approach continues, conflicts will be expected at some point when one user group continues to be given access while the other is ignored. Rather than shutting down all recreational salmon fishing opportunities to minimize conflicts on the water with First Nations, there have to be better communications. This should not about denying First Nations' rights to harvest, it should be about the push for better management by those who are in charge in this area.
The socio-economic impacts from these closures cannot be neglected. This summer's freshwater fishing licence sales have been the lowest in the past decade due to Region 2 fishing closures, and fires in Regions 3 and 5. You may not be affected financially by it, but there are plenty of businesses in the Fraser Valley that are, so that's where we are at now.
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Topic: Demonstration Fishery On The Fraser River (Read 72796 times)