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[Rodney]

The last few days emails started to emerge as First Nations have begun their Fraser River pink fishery. As usual, people have reported male pinks being improperly released by tossing like basketballs. While the amount of fish being impacted is insignificant, by-catches are being killed for no reason and wasted.

I'm not going to express my thoughts on this right now, too angry at two things.

One, pressuring has shown no result. Same problems still exist in the current openings. The absence or lack of monitoring, the neglect of fish abuse.

Two, since the recreational sector was given a short sockeye opening, everyone has gotten quiet! Pathetic. Protest? River cleanup? Letters to the ministers?

Some of us have started to ask, why do we even bother?

Please don't post a short rant here if you don't intend to take further actions. The forum only serves the purpose to communicate with other anglers, the words here are not read by those who create the system.

Have a great rivers day everyone.

Fraser River First Nations Pink salmon Commercial Food Fisheries

BC Interior - pink economic fisheries, both using fishwheels

• Shuswap First Nation in mainstem Thompson River - 3000 pink
• Siska First Nation in mainstem Fraser River near Lytton - 20,000 pink

Sto:lo

• gear: beach seine
• Time: 07:00 to 17:00 hours, daily from  Monday September 22, 2005 to Sunday, October 2, 2005.
• Area: Port Mann to Hope
• numbers: maximum catch of 215,000 pink salmon, 3,900 sockeye salmon and an incidental harvest of chinook, chum and marked coho salmon
• sale of pink, sockeye, and chinook is allowed
• there will be DFO observers on these fisheries (not every single day at every single site)

Musqueam
boat #1

• gear: Purse Seine, knotless bunt, will be brailing
• time: 17-Sep to 20-Sep
• Area: 29-3,4, 6, and part of 10
• target: 11,000 sockeye
• sale of 700 (yes, two zeroes) sockeye, pink, and chum allowed
• must release wild coho, steelhead & sturgeon
• DFO observer will be on board

boat #2

• gear: shallow purse seine (175 mesh) fished from a herring punt
• time: 19 or 20 - Sep start is planned
• area: 29-9, 13, 14
• target: pinks (no set number) - maximum of 2000 sockeye
• sale of pink and chinook only
• DFO observer will be on board

[Old Black Dog]

As always, 2-4% of the people actually get involved.

If it were not for that group the rest would be loosing more than they are.

 

[Sterling C]

Thats the one and only reason they opened up sockeye, appeasement. It's time to show them what you're made of. Everyone was so concerned before, where are they now? Probably too full from all their sockeye.

[keithr]

Canadian pink salmon have been selling at the store where I shop here in Oregon for $1.68 per pound. 

Tell us who to write, please.

[MatthewJ]

Was out at PegLeg today, Natives were out in full force, netting.  I saw several dozen fish on the end of what looked like a spear, being catapulted back into the river....Made me sick

[Rodney]

Four responses, truly disappointing.

Last night I was trying to come up with possible reasons that result in a lack of interests.

• People do not appreciate how bad the situation is.
• Despite knowing what is taking place, people are unwilling to take actions because the higher authority would not listen anyway.
• As long as people get their sockeye salmon for the year, they do not care.

For those of you who fall in category one, here is a brief summary of the problems that are taking place right now.

Hatchery coho harvest
Many people have found it difficult to catch coho in the Vedder River so far this year. Water has remained low and clear, but in the past people do pick up a good number of fish under these conditions. Where are the fish? Has anyone carefully read the entire First Nation pink salmon fishery opening notice? Have you noticed under Sto:lo's opening, hatchery/marked coho are allowed to be harvested? "an incidental harvest of chinook, chum and marked coho salmon", how many marked coho salmon can they keep? Is it every single one that gets caught up in the net? Is there a projected number for an incidental harvest?

Improper harvest recording
Under Sto:lo's opening, "there will be DFO observers on these fisheries (not every single day at every single site)". Note they are observers, not fish recorders. The actual recording is being done by trained staff in the tribes. If DFO allows me to harvest 100 fish, under the monitoring by my cousin or neighbour, who will gladly to accept a fish or two, what do you think would happen to the recording? I am not suggesting ALL monitoring and recording are improperly done, but third party monitors with no direct relationship with the harvesters should be employed to produce valid harvest record for better management.

Waste and abuse of unwanted male pink salmon
Members of the Upper Fraser Sport Fishing Advisory Committee, Sportfishing Defence Alliance, Fraser Valley Salmon Society and even a resource manager of DFO have witnessed male pink salmon being tossed ten feet into the air and landing either in a shallow pool of water or dry land. Ok, so the amount of male pinks being killed for no apparent reason and the amount of female pinks being harvested for roe have no significant implication on the overall population, but since when the abuse and waste of unwanted fish become part of the lawful practice in the First Nation, or any fishery?! So fish in the recreation sector are viewed differently than in the First Nation sector. First Nations regard fish as food, but what do they regard those fish that are not good enough to be food, garbage? It angers me so much knowing that the unwanted pinks that I have done my best to release in the tidal Fraser River are probably dead by the time it gets to Chilliwack and Hope.

Illegal retention of by-catches
The current bait ban in the Fraser River sportfishery until early October is in effect to ensure the safe return of the protected stocks such as interior coho and steelhead. I have absolutely no problem with this as long as long as the conservation measures taken are consistent in all fishery sectors! Seine net fishery is selective as it provides opportunities to release by-catches. Wild coho, steelhead and sturgeon are to be released, which has not been the case since the beginning of this opening! Both Thursday and Friday, I have received reports of totes that are packed with wild coho salmon, retention of small sturgeons.

Sales of the fish
Cormorant Seafoods was given a permit to operate out of Island 22 by FVRD during this opening. As a result, FN boats, trucks, trailers take up a huge portion of the launch as it has turned into a fish market place. To make matters worse, other unidentified buyers have shown up to purchase. Guides are reporting that recreational boats are lining up and waiting to launch or load up their boats, while some FN fishers decided to even toss a net out at the launch! Originally the permit was in effect during the weekend too, but after recognizing potential collision between the two groups the FVRD and Cormorant Seafoods have decided to stop this operation on weekends. One good note at least. Other sales are taking place at the netting sites on the river. Some boats are stopping to purchase fish and roe. Now, to what % of error is taken into account in the harvest recording?

Not a Native hater, just a fish lover
I am not suggesting that legal fisheries for the First Nations should be cut down or taken away, they have every right to get what they are allowed. This is not a rant about the fact First Nations have more rights to fish than us, I am grateful for the amount of fishing opportunities that I receive each year. I am not judging whether the sales of fish are right or wrong, I couldn't care less what they do with their quotas as long as they are not wasted. My concerns and anger are triggered by being manipulated (yes! played around, manipulated, whatever), by those who are allowing the above events to take place. Don't tell the recreational anglers that baits are endangering interior coho salmon when you fail to control another sector by allowing those fish that we are seemingly protecting slipping through the crack. Don't preach proper/ethical catch and release practices in the recreational sector when you are allowing First Nation fishers to throw male pink salmon into the air and break their back in the process. Don't tell me "they are just male pink salmon" because their economic value is dwarfed by the price of roe.

It seems everything is legal these days, and when they are being told not to, they do it anyway! Just about everything that I am experiencing contradicts the fishery management practices that I have been taught. To make matters worse, most recreational anglers are now satisfied by the short sockeye opening and so caught up by the fall salmon season, the voices are no longer there! So as long as we get some sockeye salmon, then we are happy, is that how it works now?

This commercial food fishery opening is a short one, only until October 2nd. By the time momentum picks up to pressure for more actions, the fishery is over! Two years later from now, it'll just happen again! and again! and again!

I was going to wait until I manage to get some photographs and videos later on this week before I write because I hate to report second-hand information, even when it is coming from colleagues who I trust greatly. I felt this needs to be told right away.

So I ask the same question again, what are you going to do about it?

[Old Black Dog]

Lets be clear, the responsibility of raising this to the Political level is YOURS.
That means every one who fishes ANY river let alone the Fraser.

You are loosing your right to fish these rivers and it is not going to get better by ignoring it.

This is a POLITICAL fight, and the Politicians at this time DO NOT CARE.
Why, because, FISH are never on the  agenda when vote!
Therefore, why should they worry?

Only if there is a massive outcry from YOU to your Politician will it get the attention of them.

So, if you really care the answer is obvious, get to your Politicain via every means you have and don't give up.

It takes a lot of time and effort .

The alternative is going to be less and less fish and fishing in the near future!

[chris gadsden]

One way to help is send a donation to the SDA that is trying to deal with these and other issues with the the limited amount of money and volunteers that have.

Also I was going to wait awhile before mentioning this but maybe the time is right now.
The Sportsfishing Defence Alliance is holding a fundraising dinner on Friday, November18th at the Best Western Rainbow Country Inn here in Chilliwack.

There will be a great meal, silent and live auction, raffles and door prizes. As well  Steve Kanaly from the Dallas TV series will be in attendance.

Proceeds to the SDA to help defend your right to fish and your fisheries resources.

This is a way to help out and have a fun evening as well. I have tickets so PM me if interested and I will save them for you. They are $50 each.

Thanks.

[allwaysfishin]

what we need is a petition to prime minister paul martin and the federal fisheries minister to express CANADIAN CITIZENS, being tax paying residents of B.C., have lost ALL CONFIDENCE in the ability of provincial fisheries managers, chief enforcement personel and the provincial fisheries minister to effectively manage the west coast salmon populations. WE NEED TO DO THIS RIGHT FREAKIN NOW!!
my question... will the SDA and other groups begin and deliver such a petition? Berry's Bait is behind this idea 110%.
The goings on on the fraser by FN fishers is repulsive, ignorant, and an utter shame. In my 20 plus years of fishing salmon (and other species) I have never in my days seen or heard of such purposefully reprehensible and down right irresponsible treatment of fish. I have read letters from Frank Kwok and Linda stevens describing the events on the fraser of late and have also witnessed this behavior on some 1 and a 1/2 hour video of male pinks being tossed with no regard for the well being and survival of the fish.
They are taking only FEMALES and most of these i understand are being sold to foreign fish buyers.
DFO's lack of managing these fisheries is a blatant attack on conservation, the very thing they are hired and mandated to practice.
I WANT TO SEE ALL CURRENT (regarding salmon and steelhead) DECISION MAKING DFO PERSONEL FIRED, from the minister to the enforcement chiefs, to those who give the green light for these openings. there is simply no excuse for this type of behavior to go unscrutinized nor unpunished.

[Truecast]

The stink of this topic permeates through all levels, from unethical recreational fishermen, natives,

commercial fisherman, the governing bodies and any paying customers from the previous list. I

strongly object to the unnecessary mistreatment of any fish, animal or environment , and it

sickens me that anyone would think differently. But who do you put the blame on in the end?

  Last year , someone I know went out fishing with a native, at night, on a commercial sized

boat. Perfectly legal according to regulations at the time for native food fisheries.After a few hours

of netting, their bilge was full. But they never brought their catch to shore. After a quick cell phone

call, several commercial boats pulled up alongside the natives boat and pumped her dry. Calling to

them as they drove away that the check would be in the mail. Where did these fish go? Caught by

a legal native fishery,taken illegally by legitimate commercial fishermen(from what I'm told) to perhaps

legitimate wholesale or processing establishments, and in the end perhaps sold to legitimate

customers.All of which probably knowing on at least some level that what they were

doing was wrong. But a profit or savings was there for the taking by all parties.

  People at all levels are responsible for our fisheries, and people at all levels abuse our fisheries.

Perhaps it is time for drastic measures..... Does our commercial fishing fleet really contribute that

much to our economy? According to my expenses on recreational fishing, I pay about $150 a fish

How much do tax payers spend on trying to regulate all of this vs. how much we get back from it?

It seems that a few scumbags are getting rich off the expense of everyone else.

  I say we shut down commercial fishing entirely for now. Police the hell out of our natives, make

sure they eat what they catch, and do the same for the recreational guys too. Treat our fish like

illegal narcotics on the market, with extremely severe sentences for violators.

  I think that the environmental benefits, as well as economic ones, would be beneficial to everyone

in the long run. A healthy productive fishery could be a beautiful and profitable thing for this

province. More so than any polluting fish farm(but thats another story).

    But then again maybe I'm just thinking too far ahead.

[Rivertrekker]

Truecast you are so right on. The abuse of the fish is not only done by FN. I saw many rec fishermen this summer kicking fish up onto the beach. Another told his child to throw rocks at the fish til it was dead. I have never seen anything like it.

I also stopped at the KWB the other day and saw rec fishermen fishing and I was embarrassed. Truly.

It all comes down to personal ethics doesn't it? Whether under darkness, or what can I "legally" do?

RT

[Steelhawk]

As Rod puts it so eloquently, DFO seems to function on different standard when it comes to native fishery.  Sport fishers cannot bar fish with baits until Oct 7 or longer, to protect Thompson Coho, as if even catch & release of wild coho is not good enough.  With this decree of theirs, hundreds of older fishermen (too old to go far) are deprived of their favourite fall fishing activity that they have done for eons of time.  I have seen old timers who limped their way to the river bars in Lower Fraser & enjoyed a good time with their friends bar fishing for coho starting Sept.  This was stopped in the name of protecting Thompson coho.  But what the heck this same DFO who is preaching conservation of endangered stock is doing by opening up so much net fishery to the natives, as if they will pick up each wild coho & release them unharmed, not to say the notorious abuse of male pinks which is well known.  So, they stop all bar fishermen in the name of fish conservation, who are fishing with only a rod & a hook, and then they let in these monsters of fish killers of nets which take fish massively & indiscrminately.  What is the logics?  I am not saying that we should lift the bait ban to endanger the Thompson coho, but at least we need to see DFO's policy on conservation of endangered stock to be consistent among all user groups. To me, this organization has lost total credibility, and all its head honchoes should be fired.   Lets get some email names & addresses and start firing out those letters of termination of their services.

[Nostro]

All of the above posts say the samething. We all agree that there are a lot of things wrong with management of this resource: the allocation, the priorities, the counting/accounting, the enforcement, financing, etc...
BUT, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
Sure, we can each do our own individual thing: write to your MLA/MP; rant on forums  such as this, and that is it!
DFO and the FN appease us by giving us a week of sockeye fishing. But, it's not the fishing that is at issue here.  IT IS THE FISH RESOURCE! That is the message we should all emphasize. The resource that covers all of the fisheries, not just FN, not just sockeye, or coho, or whatever sector.
We have numerous organizations that represent some of our voices at DFO and FN discussions. But, we have no united voice. Chris and Rod FROM THIS BOARD do excellent work. Work that most of us are not at all aware of. But, it's not enough. We need one voice, with the same message: PROTECT THE RESOURCE!
WE NEED TO ORGANIZE AND BECOME VISIBLE. BE EVERYWHERE, ALL OF THE TIME, not just at sockeye season.
Rod and Chris, you took on leadership roles in the fishing community in the Lower Mainland. So, lead! We are all here to support whatever cohesive action you and your organizations propose. Make the call and I'm sure we will all be there to support a well planned cohesive action.
This is an excellent time to start getting the media's attention again. The related activities around Island 22 is current, it is upsetting. This may be a good rallying cry to start a sustained and united series of actions.
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!

[lunker]

Nostro, you summed it up pretty well.  It is difficult to motivate political action because the rec fishing sector is very divided and does not act as a whole.  Because only relatively small groups of people make any noise about the issue, government can get away with sweeping it under the rug.  Two things need to happen for this to change.  One, the rec fishing sector needs to get together under a single banner and make a sustained push for improvement in fisheries management.  Two, the word needs to get out to the general public.  Even with some of the media attention this summer, most people have no idea of what is going on.  For example, If everyone in the lower mainland was shown images of salmon being thrown on the rocks like garbage we would have a much better chance of motivating a few politicians.

[chris gadsden]

We have numerous organizations that represent some of our voices at DFO and FN discussions. But, we have no united voice. Chris and Rod FROM THIS BOARD do excellent work. Work that most of us are not at all aware of. But, it's not enough. We need one voice, with the same message: PROTECT THE RESOURCE!
WE NEED TO ORGANIZE AND BECOME VISIBLE. BE EVERYWHERE, ALL OF THE TIME, not just at sockeye season.
Rod and Chris, you took on leadership roles in the fishing community in the Lower Mainland. So, lead! We are all here to support whatever cohesive action you and your organizations propose. Make the call and I'm sure we will all be there to support a well planned cohesive action.
This is an excellent time to start getting the media's attention again. The related activities around Island 22 is current, it is upsetting. This may be a good rallying cry to start a sustained and united series of actions.
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!

Thanks Nostro for the verbal support you have given. Right now our best chance in my humble is opion is through the SDA that I am a director of. They have the hardest working indiviuals although too few in numbers that I have known in trying to do the things you have mentioned in your post.

The way to help now is as I mentioned in a earlier post is to buy some tickets to the SDA fundraiser here in Chilliwack on November the 18th. We are also looking for those that can not attend to maybe obtain some prizes for the draws, door prizes, and auctions, nothing is too small. This is a chance for those that are really concerned in protecting our fishing opportunies and our fish stocks to help out.

I ask all readers of this forum to try and help out in this way. Please PM as soon as possible me if you wish tickets or can donate some prizes. I will keep you posted on this thread or start another how the ticket sales are going or donations that come from the posters of this forum. No names will be mentioned without permission.

Now is the time to get involved, talk is cheap but it is action that is needed. Hoping I am not too blunt with the last sentence but if we are to improve the things people are complaining about they have to help out in one way or another. I will start things rolling, rolling rolling right along  by donating at least $200 to buy some prizes for the fundraiser.

Hope others can and will help out as well.