Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[IronNoggin]

PACIFIC BALANCE PINNIPED SOCIETY IMPORTANT NOTICE

November 19 2022 Just released:

WASHINGTON STATE, ACADAMEY OF SCIENCE

SCIENCE IN THE SERVICE OF WASHINGTON STATE

PINNIPED PREDATION OF SALMONOIDS ON THE WASHINGTON PORTION OF THE SALISH SEA AND OUTER COAST

November 2022

This is a very important step forward in pinniped management.

Here is Dr. Carl Walter’s statement on this extremely well written and documented study

QUOTE: The really KEY thing was NOT just recommending any more studies, but instead recognizing that such studies won’t prove anything and ONLY a large scale harvesting experiment will provide the needed understanding.

This is the first time for me that a major science group had the courage to admit that the standard “more studies” approach will just not work.

https://washacad.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Pinniped-Predation-on-Salmonids-in-the-Washington-Portions-of-the-Salish-Sea-and-Outer-Coast-1.pdf

Cheers,
Nog

[RalphH]

the UBC Professor Emeritus , which simply means he retired in good standing, can say what he wants. However he was not named as a contributor or advisor  to the report though published studies of which he is a co-author are included in the list of references.

The report does not state "...ONLY a large scale harvesting experiment will provide the needed understanding."

Rather it calls for "Adaptive Management Approaches". It states that "Pinnipeds are particularly focused on salmon as prey at both natural and human-made pinch points in salmon migration (i.e., dams), thereby rendering some salmon stocks more vulnerable to pinniped predation than others" and that pinnipeds are "a contributing factor in the decline and depression of salmon populations in Washington State waters" but that there is  "substantial uncertainty about the degree to which pinnipeds have and currently are depressing salmon stocks".

The report further says that "appropriately scaled adaptive management of pinniped populations are key to resolving these uncertainties but likely will require lethal removals" which I believe has already taken place in Washington as well as Oregon.

[IronNoggin]

the UBC Professor Emeritus , which simply means he retired in good standing, can say what he wants.

Sorry Ralph, but I'll take the words of one of the most senior marine biologists this country has ever produced over your mumblings every single day of the week.

However yes, to date over 5,000 sea lions have been culled (via traps) on the US west coast this year alone.
Cull as apposed t harvest which is what we proposed...

Cheers

[RalphH]

Sorry Ralph, but I'll take the words of one of the most senior marine biologists this country has ever produced over your mumblings every single day of the week.


Cheers

Ha ha! No mumblings. I quoted directly from the report.

if people want to know what the report says they should read it.

As for "one of the most senior marine biologists this country has ever produced" no argument there though he is also known for being controversial, at least at times.

[coastangler]

Does anyone know what's the status on Pinniped Balancing in BC? Last I heard was that DFO was issuing harvesting permits and that certain areas like the Oyster were being targeted. Tried to find any recent info but no luck

[RalphH]

Last official word from DFO was that there were no plans to issue harvest permits for a couple of years though that was more than a year ago. Permits get issued under the Marine mammal regulations to remove problem pinnipeds every year.

[IronNoggin]

... Permits get issued under the Marine mammal regulations to remove problem pinnipeds every year.

And a hell of a LOT more that you simply are not privy too.

[RalphH]

And a hell of a LOT more that you simply are not privy too.

ok Tiger Fish, calm down.

[IronNoggin]

Predators are thinning out west coast herring, says research

The consumption of herring by marine mammals and fish off the west coast of Vancouver Island is giving the species little chance to rebuild to a higher volume, according to indicators recently presented by a Nuu-chah-nulth-led research project.

The amount being consumed by predators – particularly hake, humpback whales and stellar sea lions – is coming close to what the herring population in Nuu-chah-nulth territory is able to support, said Jim Lane, acting manager of the Uu-a-thluk fisheries program, during a Nuu-chah-nulth Council of Haa’wiih Forum on Fisheries on Feb. 24.

“Predator consumption is almost approaching the total biomass production of WCVI herring,” he said.

https://hashilthsa.com/news/2023-03-13/predators-are-thinning-out-west-coast-herring-says-research

[IronNoggin]

Well, we are now back home from meeting with the Standing Committee on Fisheries & Oceans in Ottawa.
The flights and hotel were disastrous (more on that later).

However we were very well received at the Committee, and I have been engaged in follow-up all of the past few days.

https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20230326/-1/38796

While the entire meeting was interesting & informative, if you only wish to see what Ken (our Chair) and I had to say, jump in at the 17:26.10 mark.

Then follow through to the end as they kept coming back with more questions to us.

Happy to be home, and hope I never have to go through Toronto ever again!

Not a single dissenter in the room.
Amazed me, as I was quite prepared for that.

Loved taking Trites to task!! :Heh, heh, heh:

After the meeting, all but 2 (1 Bloq & 1 lieberal) came up to shake our hands.
Mike Drop. Commanded the room were the most repeated phrases.

Best one was Why do we need to bother with any more Witnesses?

And then they took us out to a rather fine (expensive) dinner

Safe to say we carried the field, and that it was worth all the bull$hit getting there and back!

Cheers,
One Tired Ol' Nog