Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: clarki on March 06, 2017, 11:07:03 AM

Title: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: clarki on March 06, 2017, 11:07:03 AM
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/commercial-fleet-begins-harvest-of-bumper-herring-returns-to-strait-of-georgia

Regardless of your perspective on the fishery, it's good news all around to see such large numbers of herring in the Strait.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Rieber on March 06, 2017, 11:17:44 AM
Stands to reason with the decline in Salmon. Let's hope this helps everything bounce back a little.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: psd1179 on March 06, 2017, 12:45:57 PM
Stands to reason with the decline in Salmon. Let's hope this helps everything bounce back a little.

They stocked millions of Herring fries
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: clarki on March 06, 2017, 01:27:48 PM
They stocked millions of Herring fries

Who is "they"?

I'm aware of efforts by organizations, i.e. Squamish Streamkeepers, to improve spawning habitat but I'm not aware of any stocking.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: psd1179 on March 06, 2017, 04:31:25 PM
Check this out:

A False Creek full of dolphins and orcas could soon be reality, says conservation group
Squamish Streamkeepers are working to bring back herring to downtown Vancouver

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/a-false-creek-full-of-dolphins-and-orcas-could-soon-be-reality-says-conservation-group-1.4000470
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: psd1179 on March 06, 2017, 04:33:38 PM
"Historically, there were 20,000 tonnes of fish that lived off the plume of the Fraser River in 1966, now there are zero to 100 tonnes," Matsen explained.

Who eat up all the herring?
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Rieber on March 06, 2017, 06:04:57 PM
"Historically, there were 20,000 tonnes of fish that lived off the plume of the Fraser River in 1966, now there are zero to 100 tonnes," Matsen explained.

Who eat up all the herring?

This guy - one fish at a time.  ;D

(http://i63.tinypic.com/34zf6fl.jpg)
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Dave on March 06, 2017, 06:43:56 PM
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: typhoon on March 06, 2017, 09:10:39 PM
"Historically, there were 20,000 tonnes of fish that lived off the plume of the Fraser River in 1966, now there are zero to 100 tonnes," Matsen explained.

Who eat up all the herring?
The herring roe fishery really clobbered the stocks on the east side of Vancouver Island.
It's nice to see them rebounding. It can't be a bad thing for salmon.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: 96XJ on March 06, 2017, 09:13:19 PM
This guy - one fish at a time.  ;D

(http://i63.tinypic.com/34zf6fl.jpg)

Biggest laugh of the day
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: RalphH on March 06, 2017, 09:22:31 PM
"Historically, there were 20,000 tonnes of fish that lived off the plume of the Fraser River in 1966, now there are zero to 100 tonnes," Matsen explained.

Who eat up all the herring?

There's two types of herring in the inside waters - fish that come here to spawn but feed and grow out in the Pacific and there are resident herring that live in specific places; Pender Harbour had a resident population as did Skookumchuk Rapids near Egmont.

I think there is/was a resident population off the mouth of the Fraser.

FOC manages both stocks as if they are one and resident herring may get hammered by the commercial herring fishery.

The Strait simply ain't as rich as it once was and I guess that makes it doubly tough for the resident herring stocks.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: CohoJake on March 07, 2017, 09:23:13 AM
FOC manages both stocks as if they are one and resident herring may get hammered by the commercial herring fishery.
I hope this does't result in over harvest of vulnerable stocks like when interior coho get hammered during Fraser sockeye harvest.  Overall though, I think this is really promising news to have such a large amount of feed for this fall's returning salmon.  Should make them nice and fat!
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Damien on March 07, 2017, 10:00:16 AM
I had an orca swimming within an oar's length from my boat in October in the Nicomekl River by the golf course.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: stsfisher on March 07, 2017, 11:41:09 AM
I had an orca swimming within an oar's length from my boat in October in the Nicomekl River by the golf course.
Come on Man. lol
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Damien on March 07, 2017, 01:34:27 PM
No word of a lie.  It was a calf orca.  Three witnesses.

I have absolutely no reason or interest in making something like this.  And who would really care, I just thought it was interesting and it caught me off guard at the time.  Lots of seals, thats normal.  And then boom, there it was.  Right beside me.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Dave on March 07, 2017, 01:41:07 PM
No word of a lie.  It was a calf orca.  Three witnesses.
By itself? in the river?
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Damien on March 07, 2017, 01:51:45 PM
Yes, alone, in the river.  Right where the river bends sharply at the golf course and there are the large boats moored.   I called it in to the DFO mammal line;

 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/contact/emergency-urgence-eng.htm
Call if you see an injured, harassed, abandoned marine mammal (e.g., seal, whale)
Pacific: 1-800-465-4336

Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Dave on March 07, 2017, 02:06:53 PM
OK.  For a while there I thought you had been into Rieber's secret stash, the stuff he smokes out at Mill Lake ;D
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: clarki on March 07, 2017, 02:11:51 PM
That's interesting. In mid Sept a fishing buddy texted me that a friend of his had seen a dolphin while kayaking in the Nic. If she saw a Pacific white sided dolphin, then that may also explain your sighting. Unless you are 100% sure that it was an orca.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Dave on March 07, 2017, 02:17:21 PM
Clarki, this makes a lot of sense.  Seeing a calf orca away from it's family grouping is extremely rare; seeing an orca of any age in a river the size of the Nic is even more so.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Damien on March 07, 2017, 05:01:12 PM
Sorry for the thread hijack.  It went like this (re:dolphin)

" oh, shitty, another seal"

....few minutes go by after thinking to myself

"boy the last time it surfaced, it sure looked like a dorsal fin out of the corner of my eye"

then

"holy cupcakes!  it WAS a dorsal fin as I see it surface close by -  Never thought i'd see a dolphin in here!!!

wondering, is this a PWD or a Harbour Porpoise

to

"WHOLY EFFING cupcakes IT IS AN ORCA RIGHT BESIDE US!!!"
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Rieber on March 07, 2017, 05:17:23 PM
OK.  For a while there I thought you had been into Rieber's secret stash, the stuff he smokes out at Mill Lake ;D

Just because I live in Abbotsford, I'll have you know that I don't and won't smoke the Electric Lettuce or anything else for that matter.

Besides, I don't need that stuff to remember what hasn't even happened yet.  ;D

If I ever see an Orca at Mill Lake - I'll pack it in - I'll be done with fishing. Even on the Ocean, I think I would have a tough time going back out if I had an Orca come up right near my little boat. That must have been a serious adrenaline rush seeing that calf.
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Dave on March 07, 2017, 07:30:04 PM
Just because I live in Abbotsford, I'll have you know that I don't and won't smoke the Electric Lettuce or anything else for that matter.

Besides, I don't need that stuff to remember what hasn't even happened yet.  ;D

If I ever see an Orca at Mill Lake - I'll pack it in - I'll be done with fishing. Even on the Ocean, I think I would have a tough time going back out if I had an Orca come up right near my little boat. That must have been a serious adrenaline rush seeing that calf.

All meant in fun Pat ... but you know that ;)
Title: Re: Georgia Straight herring: near historic numbers
Post by: Rieber on March 07, 2017, 08:29:13 PM
All meant in fun Pat ... but you know that ;)

It's all good. I'm open to a little jab here and there as it makes this internet thing kind of fun.  ;D