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[chris gadsden]

While at the Sportsman show in Abbotsford tonight it was brought to my attention WLAP is proposing a total bait ban on all BC rivers and streams starting in 2006.

To me this is totally unnessary. Pick up a copy of the new regulation so you can read the proposal. As it is a election year for the Provincial Government talk to your MLA and I would suggest you write to the WLAP Minister Bill Barisoff at bill.barisoff.mla@leg.bc.ca before it is too late. Also ask for an answer to your letter of concern. It would not hurt to write to WLAP as well, I know I will.

[Fish Assassin]

What or who is the WLAP and what is the rationale for such a move ?

[chris gadsden]

What or who is the WLAP and what is the rationale for such a move ?

Water Air and Land Protection Ministry. Was once called The Ministry of the Environment.

I forgot to bring home my copy of the new regulations that I picked up at the show that they try to explain the rationale.

I am sure there will be lots of opposition to it if what I heard from those at the show is any indication to this unreasonable proposal.

The loss of salmon and steelhead due to the use of bait I feel is so small that I am sure a half a dozen illegal nets would take more fish than the hooking mortality caused by bait.

Maybe we should start culling seals as they take thousands of more fish than a baited hook. Then there are fish that are killed by pollution of pulp mills, maybe we should make them tighten their control measures and close them down if they do not. Add in logging practices that cause flooding due to fast runoff of the snow melt and rain water that destroys spawning beds and layed eggs.

The loss of habitat caused by gravel excavation that destroys good spawning grounds goes on every two years on the Vedder and now I hear they may want to do some in the Chilliwack River above the Vedder Bridge. Then there is gravel excavation on the Fraser.

 Once again they want to take it out on the poor old recreational angler, where will this end? Recreational fishing puts millions of dollars into the economy each year but all levels of government seem to every thing they can to destroy it. Banning of lead, possible closing down sturgeon fishing on the Fraser River, allow hundreds of incidents of illegal netting to go on night and day and the list goes on.

In closing how many dead steelhead that have been caught and released do you see on the Vedder River were most of the steelhead are taken by bait. Over 25 of years of angling I may have seen a half a dozen, this year, so far none.

I believe I have made my case.

[Sam Salmon]

Apart from the Sturgeon fishery which is already exempt I think the Bait Ban as proposed is an idea who's time has come.

[BUBBA]

There's a bait ban in place on the Stamp and look what's happening there, Floss city.

[Fish Assassin]

Once again, misplaced priority. Shouldn't they be more worried about illegal native poaching ? Seems to me it's another attempt to direct attention.

[Addicted To Steel]

OH LORD PLEASE DON'T TAKE AWAY MY PRECIOUS BERRIES!!!!!

[Sterling C]

I don't even know what to say, I'm at a total loss of words.

There's a bait ban in place on the Stamp and look what's happening there, Floss city.

I don't think that would be the case. It seems to me that the people who are the most anti-flossing are the bait heads. I don't think we're too likely to see Randog, RW, CG, 240 etc. pick up flossing because they can no longer fish with berries.

As for what CG wrote: I think it's pretty clear to everyone that there alot of other factors that are effecting survival rates all of them doing much more harm than bait. However, if this resource is precious to us why not be the ones to step up to the plate and make the first move. Obviously, letting the greed of others ruin our resource is hainus and we should still advocate against gravel removal and illegal fishing activity but if we make the first move other would be more apt to follow suit.

Personally there are certain rivers which I already gave up bait on my own free will simply b/c I was catching far too many juvenile's and I can assure you that the survival was not the claimed 90%. Although I do not support such a ban, I think there are certain measures that we could take to help out. For example, why not have a bait ban on the vedder from july 1rst to sept 1rst. The river is loaded with juveniles, sockeye and the water temp is higher. Really, the only people who would be loosing out are the bucket fisherman who walk all over the 'residualized' smolts, which could just as easily be caught with artificials or on the fly.

My .02

[2:40]

Excellent post Biffchan.

[Hiker]

I would like to see a ban on led use though. I use it personally, because there are no other choices so easily available, and I would assume they would be more expensive, but once led is out, market will take its course, and we will see more alternative sources, with affordable prices. just my 2c

[keithr]

GW Bush is currently touring the country keeping us stirred up about Social Security.  During the last presidential campaign same sex marriages kept us hopping mad.  MEANWHILE, a lot of people are dying in a war and we are flushing our economy down the tubes.  Best to avoid that topic and keep the people stirred up with topics like faith-based initiatives.

I wonder if something like this isn't going on with the people in charge of policy for BC fisheries:  keep things stirred up over a potential ban on bait fishing.  Best to avoid topics like drift nets, poaching (and lack of effective enforcement of existing rules), and selling sport fish out of the back of pick-up trucks.

[Matuka Jack]

Bait ban is probably a good idea.  This may prevent people from killing salmon strictly for the roe.  I've seen so many times that dead fish left to rot on the river where the roe has been extracted from them.

[sassyboy]

Unbelieveable! a total bait ban, while they continue to ignore illegal netting on our rivers. I wonder who is going to enforce that one, OH Yeah the same guys who are watching out for the Illegal netters.
Personally I like to fish with bait, can I live without it? Yes! but I feel strongly about the fact that Sports anglers as usual are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to fishing opportunities.
Long live the FlOSS, Hey thats Legal! 

[Sterling C]

Bait ban is probably a good idea.  This may prevent people from killing salmon strictly for the roe.  I've seen so many times that dead fish left to rot on the river where the roe has been extracted from them.

Thats so true, the guy who lives at osbourne rd. lets one of his buddies fish on his property and on more than one occaision I've seen him 'thrill kill' springs and them dumb the carcass back into the river. Once he was so bold as to ask me if I wanted the fish. 

[Bantam_50]

I guess I need to stop the panick here also.

Well...here's my update after reading the new reg's today (picked up a set at the One the Way)

Firstly it seems everyones doing allot of premature overreactiving.

1) There will be NO bait ban on Sturgeon angling, as stated on page 19 outlining the proposal.

2) There isn't a TOTAL province wide bait ban. As there will be exceptions to allow stream specific usage, where harvest allows.


As stated before, IMO and by angling standards....I can live with it.

btw- I believe there was a email address added at the end of this proposal in the reg's (The set I grabbed are in my bro's car...opps should of got 2) and asked for any commnets and input. So may I suggest we all do exactly that. Unless someone gets it first...I'll try and post the email address tomorrow.