Print

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

[fishgutz63]

dfo has been very busy over at belcarra ,why is it when there,s certain people of ethnic origin .or should i say immigrants just blatantly abuse the fishing regs that are put in place for a reason,seen many suspicious activity of over limit and under size crabs,just last week i witnessed 2 guys take over 30 plus crabs male n female the dfo was notified and some heavy fines were handed out.things like this just make everyone suspicious of all these folks good or bad ,which is too bad cause it just takes a few greedy people  to ruin it for everyone ,so if anyone of you folks see any thing illegal being done out there speak up and let them know even if get a answer back such as ''sorry english no  good''

[vancook]

Almost every time I've gone to Belcarra I've witnessed violations, I've even called the dfo before...sometimes they come and sometimes they don't.
I avoid weekends and go on my weekdays off to avoid the large crowds.

The last time I was there I witnessed a man catch his 4 dungeness, leave and about an hour and a half later return and cast his traps again. It's an old guy, see him almost every time I go out there. I mentioned to him he already caught his limit for the day, he laughed and waved his hands. Dfo unfortunately didn't show up before I left, about an hour later.

[ssd0904]

I agree so much! i've seen some white people do it, but most are Chinese. Im Korean, but white White people can't catogerize Aisans by our looks, so the Chinese always ruin it for Asians. I mean, saying an excuse that they can't speak English, i tried to speak up, one guy just ignored me completely and took about 10 crabs that were a bit smaller than the permitted size, i mean i caught like 200 crabs that are sooooo close, but i let them go!  Im young, so i couldnt really say anything, but unless you stay with them while they measure the size, they just wrap them around with newspaper, and take them home. Same with fishing. Most are Chinese who just take stuff that are small and not allowed. I mean im not saying ALL Chinese are bad, but they just MAKE me think they all are.  No effence at all,  and im Asian too and i see some Korean and Japanese, White poeple do it too, but usually it's all Chinese. Like the OP said, PLEASE speak up.

PS. White Rock is better for crab fishing, there arent many crabs coming up but it's either a big one, or a small one so most i got from Belcarra is like 6, but i got 8 from White Rock. (It's not just me with my family and friends so we had MANY licenses)

[Steelhawk]

Back then when I was still crabing at the piers in early 80's, it was mostly Vietnamese refugees doing it, because these folks flooded the city during the Vietnam War. Now Mainland Chinese immigrants dominate the new comers, so they are at it. It is not a matter of race or ethnic background or the colour of their faces, it is just the number game. Which ever group flood the city with new immigrants who come from a fish eating culture where regulations are almost non-existent, you will find them doing this kind of thing. I mean, no offence to Koreans, if say, we allow North Koreans to come over freely in big number, you will see the North Korean overwhelm the piers just like the Chinese now. How about Europeans if we allow them in big number? Much like the Chinese. This is not a race thing. This is just being human and greedy.

But hey, you've got to look at this thing in multi-angles. The new Mainland Chinese flood the city with investment money and real estate spending and jam up restaurants and retail outlets (they are a spending bunch) and do we blame them for spending money? Obviously businesses love them. In fact the world's bad economy love them spending their way so China can help the world get out of the global recession. The Hong Kong people love them. When I visited HK this last December, I saw literally long long waiting lines (long enough for couple blocks) of these Mainland Chinese tourists lining outside those shops selling luxury goods, like LV bags, jewlleries, & name brand fashion shops. Every one there know they are generous spenders. No kidding. Do we see any locals here doing that to help our local economy?  

So this is a two-edged sword. Good & bad. But go & report them for Heaven's sake. They can afford the fines all right.  

[~IvAn~]

    We must caution ourselves when we say " a single ethnic group" out there are responsible for raping, and exploiting our fisheries. Generalizing that mainly Chinese people are doing this, is merely just a generalization of what is actually going on out there. I for one, have crabbed at many different local piers and witnessed a even mix of other ethnic minorities doing what you have described,and yes, some are Chinese.However, race is a social construct that is designed to oppress and divide. You support this theory by issuing statements, such as " Chinese always ruins it for Asians". That being said, we have to look at the broader picture than just " oh he is from Chinese decent,therefore, he must be a poacher". Accusing one particular race of being greedy, and have no respect for the law, solely based on your qualitative prospective is discriminatory. Instead of focusing your concerns over a particular race of unethical behavior,you should think of innovative ways to be proactive in protecting this fishery.
    
 

[Steel_Mo_Head]

       how irritating.

[marmot]

I have seen it happen for over 25 years now and I can say from what I've observed that poaching doesn't observe ethnic or geographic boundaries.  I've seen everyone from 14 year old white kids in soccer gear to old japanese dudes doing it.

I think crabbing is one of those activities in which certain cultures just participate more than others, so it may seem like it's always asian cultures poaching.

Call RAPP and don't be afraid to make some noise on the dock....use your discretion of course

[ssd0904]

Back then when I was still crabing at the piers in early 80's, it was mostly Vietnamese refugees doing it, because these folks flooded the city during the Vietnam War. Now Mainland Chinese immigrants dominate the new comers, so they are at it. It is not a matter of race or ethnic background or the colour of their faces, it is just the number game. Which ever group flood the city with new immigrants who come from a fish eating culture where regulations are almost non-existent, you will find them doing this kind of thing. I mean, no offence to Koreans, if say, we allow North Koreans to come over freely in big number, you will see the North Korean overwhelm the piers just like the Chinese now. How about Europeans if we allow them in big number? Much like the Chinese. This is not a race thing. This is just being human and greedy.

But hey, you've got to look at this thing in multi-angles. The new Mainland Chinese flood the city with investment money and real estate spending and jam up restaurants and retail outlets (they are a spending bunch) and do we blame them for spending money? Obviously businesses love them. In fact the world's bad economy love them spending their way so China can help the world get out of the global recession. The Hong Kong people love them. When I visited HK this last December, I saw literally long long waiting lines (long enough for couple blocks) of these Mainland Chinese tourists lining outside those shops selling luxury goods, like LV bags, jewlleries, & name brand fashion shops. Every one there know they are generous spenders. No kidding. Do we see any locals here doing that to help our local economy?  

So this is a two-edged sword. Good & bad. But go & report them for Heaven's sake. They can afford the fines all right.  

Yes i do agree, it's not a race thing, but i've seen too many Chinese people doing it, and that's why. But i guess it's right most White people dont really like crabs or they just dont know about it so they just buy it but Asians like crabs really much that's probably why there are so many Asians there. But it really sucks for you to call on your race when you are in a foreign land, it just feels like you are betraying them, but W/E im just going to speak up. BTW im South Korean and South Koreans DO NOT respect North Koreans at all, so ya. I dont consider North Koreans same people as me.    

[ssd0904]

Calling the RAPP Line only gives you a momentary relief because you felt you did something but really....what did you do??  There is clearly not enough officers to cover the problem areas, poachers know this and don't care because they know the chances of being caught are slim.

This past fall I witnessed the ugliness of the canal snag fest and yes they were ALL Asian but the ironic thing was that they were selective harvest snagging and only keeping the bigger fish. They knew there was a limit and stuck by it but I did see a White person(no accent) with his friend and father snagging and killing chinooks till they fished the spot out. I yelled at the guy from across the river and he said,"GO AHEAD CALL ME IN...THEY DON'T COME DOWN HERE!" I called it in a left a message but will that bring back the 7-8 chinooks that the 3 A-Holes took...NOPE!

I think that as a group that really cares and loves this sport, you should do more that just called and report it!  Just my personal feeling!

Totally agreed, speak up!

[clarki]

race is a social construct that is designed to oppress and divide.

Sounds like something from a sociology text... Certainly it is a social construct, however it is a stretch to also state that it is designed to oppress and divide. Isn't your statement also a generalization; no different than the race generalizations that you argue against?  

I love the story of the 3 scientists that are travelling through New Zealand and see a hillside covered in white sheep. One scientist says " We can therefore conclude that all the sheep in New Zealand are white". The second scientist says "No, all that we can conclude is that some of the sheep in New Zealand are white." The third scientist says "No, all the we can conclude is that some of the sheep in New Zealand are white on one side" Whether it's sheep or race, it is dangerous to generalize or make assumptions based upon the observations of a few.  So yes, I agree with the rest of your post.

[~IvAn~]

Sounds like something from a sociology text... Certainly it is a social construct, however it is a stretch to also state that it is designed to oppress and divide. Isn't your statement also a generalization; no different than the race generalizations that you argue against?  

I love the story of the 3 scientists that are travelling through New Zealand and see a hillside covered in white sheep. One scientist says " We can therefore conclude that all the sheep in New Zealand are white". The second scientist says "No, all that we can conclude is that some of the sheep in New Zealand are white." The third scientist says "No, all the we can conclude is the some of the sheep in New Zealand are white on one side" Whether it's sheep or race, it is dangerous to generalize or make assumptions based upon the observations of a few.  So yes, I agree with the rest of your post.

 We know that there is only one human species out there: homosapiens. However, "race" is still a social construct, and is open to interpretation. If you look at history of the Europeans coming over here and declaring Terra nullius on this land you call Canada; but for who?. Certainly not for those indigenous people who occupied this land for many years before settlers came.  Through the process of colonization, indigenous peoples have lost their cultures, traditions,and title to land.  Through systemic racism by legislating indigenous children to attend residential schools, or making it illegal to practice their traditions. Another example of race designed to oppress and divide people is during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. When the railway was completed  there were many Chinese men who stayed in Canada. I say men because Canada did not allow them to bring their wives over. Furthermore, the Canadian government enacted the "Chinese head tax", which means everyone person of Chinese decent must pay a head tax..first it was 50 dollars...then the amount went up, but it did not stop them from coming to Canada; as a result, the Canadian goverment enacted the " Chinese Exclusion Act" in 1923. These are just some of the examples of how race is designed to oppress and divide homosapiens.

I have never heard the story of the 3 scientists! haha! I think it is a really good example!

[arimaBOATER]

Have done alot of scuba diving in that area Belcarra... lots of marine life. (sea cucumbers , star fish of all colors...)
Once my fellow buddy diver & myself came upon a commercial crab trap. It was really big...like 3 ft. wide maybe 4 ft long (at least )
The trap was just so crowded with crabs & est. that there must of been at least 80-100.
Noticed a line coming from that trap so I followed it only to come to the next trap & again it was so loaded as the 1st one was.
Another line came from it so followed it to another one. Same result.
I stopped following the lines as I was going quite a distance plus being in aprox. 40-60 ft of water wanted to make sure I had enough air to stay under till we got back near the shore.
That was back in the 1970's.  Do not know if crabs are still that plentyful in those parts.
Do know the crab population is high between Sandheads & the N. Fraser R.

Some say rules are made to be broken...but at what costs Till there are no longer anymore to catch. We've got security 1 BILLION WORTH during the games...lots of enforcement ...would be nice if they would give the DFO a few more field wkrs...
Say they can always have two stationed around the Vedder & area so if a call comes in they can get to the trouble spot & so on.

[Steelhawk]

A little off the subject, but hey we don't need 6 billions to enhance the vedder steelhead fishery. How about just double the steelhead smolt stocking a few years ago to boost this year's return for the Olympics. Obviously it didn't happen like what they did with EXPO 86. Sigh! Why didn't the government think about that? 

On a side observation about why so many Chinese crabbing, yes they like crabs, and yes they are the largest new comers as a group from Mainland China (not Hong Kong or Taiwan), and most importantly, they are LOADED and many don't have to work. They just eat & spend to contribute to the economy but don't take much from it. So with their retirement life style, it doesn't take rocket science to understand why there are so many of them fishing off local piers as a leisure hobby. The next step is to fine them bad enough that words get around that crabbing illegally is too expensive a hobby.....   Then the crowding will probably stop.

[arimaBOATER]

Steelhawk your right "big fines" are a deterent but all the rules in the book will not help if there isn't the manpower to enforce them.
When people phone in to report rules being broken it's my guess they do not show up sometimes is because they are too many miles away & by the time they would arrive the rule breakers would % wise would be gone.

But having the manpower & having DFO people always stationed in various parts throughout the lowermainland would insure they will respond to calls. Also if they are stationed in various areas...two here two there two over there...they can also do alot of checking & patrolling.
 Say if they were to show up in Belcarra 2-3 x daily doing patrols ...I think people would not be so daring to break the rules!!!
They have 1 billion for 2 wks... why not some better DFO enforcement too...more officers...
Should also say...more DFO people about will also deter all sorts of crime as they are also more "eyes & legs" observing the community...as they travel about. Surely they will get the police on scene if they see a drunk driver on the road ...or a break in..etc..