There is a bunch of speculations in this thread which leads to misunderstanding so this post hopefully can clarify the issue and add some of my thoughts to it too.
The pier in question (Ambleside Landing Pier) was closed to the public due to structural damages from the storms that we experienced last winter. Closed to the public meaning closed to everyone, including anglers. No one can access the pier for safety reasons, so there isn't a concern that people who don't speak English are still fishing on it. At least that's the concern I interpreted from Matt's post:
From the times i spent there as a kid, my guess is the individuals responsible didn't speak the language and still fish there. Ruined it for the wrong people.
Regarding the status of the pier, it will remain closed until fixed of course. Originally it was supposed to reopen now, but the City has not received the building material from its suppliers so the reopening is being pushed back by a few weeks. For future references, if you want to find out the current status of a pier in West Vancouver, please phone 604-925-7275.
There has been one pier closure in West Vancouver due to illegal fishing activities and littering issues. Dundarave Pier was closed in early 2004 after receiving complaints from residents for several years. The main concern was that people were cleaning their fish on the benches at the end of the pier, which is rather unpleasant for non-anglers who wish to sit on. Because it is cheaper to close it to fishing than establishing facilities that accommodate fishing cleaning etc, anglers unfortunately lost another fishing opportunity. Regarding Matt's concern on non-English speakers not being aware of the closure, the City also thought of that and had the signs in multiple languages.
Since the closure, the parks department has received feedbacks from anglers who were disappointed with the closure. Because of the closure, parents or grandparents have lost another venue where they can take kids out fishing. My suggestion is that if you wish to see things done, then you need to be vocal. Phone the City if you are concerned about certain changes. In a society where majority makes the changes, anglers are always neglected because most of us simply don't speak up. Instead we like to talk among ourselves and complain about these changes that have been given to us.
Back to Matt's concern on non-compliance by non-English speakers. It is always on the agenda whenever fishing regulations are being discussed among stake holders and various government agencies. They recognize that non-English speakers do make up a good percentage of the angling community, and we need to find a channel to deliver crucial information to this group. DFO has produced brochures on crabbing in several languages. I have them, which are given out at our annual event "
Fish for the Future". We are working hard to have signs/information kiosks established on piers in Richmond so people are aware of the regulations and fish species identification.
The general perception is that non-English speakers do not care about regulations. That is in fact not true. Most don't wish to do wrongs in a new society that they try to integrate themselves into, but it is just difficult when there is a language barrier even if they try their best. I know this as I speak both languages and quite often I do receive calls from people asking me to translate the regulations. That being said, there is also a number of people who choose to use the language barrier as an excuse to violate, even though they are well aware of the regulations. I am also aware of this because many have bragged about their ways of tricking English speaking individuals by acting clueless. It is a serious problem and of course ethnic communities intend to do something about it because these people represent their groups poorly.
I hope that clarifies a few things.
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Topic: Ambleside pier??? (Read 8982 times)