Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing-related Issues & News => Topic started by: bkk on August 21, 2013, 06:04:17 PM
-
This just arrived this afternoon. >:(
A commercial pink salmon fishery in Howe Sound starting tomorrow morning at 0600 hrs to last 3 days with 15 hours fishing per day. This should effectively remove any pinks from upper Howe Sound. Pink salmon are currently worth about $0.25 per pound to the fishermen or about $1 per fish. No mention of what the sport fishery is worth to the economy.
What is the size of the pink population that a commercial fishery can be justified? What is the size of the spawning escapement? Is there a spawning target?
If this upsets you then contact the person at the bottom of the fishery notice to voice your opinion.
Category(s):
COMMERCIAL - Salmon: Seine
Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Subject: FN0771-COMMERCIAL- Salmon: Seine - Area B - Pink Limited Participation Opening in Area 28 - Squamish
Area 28
A limited opportunity fishery for two seine vessels will occur from 06:00 hours
to 21:00 hours daily from August 22 to August 24, 2013 in Subareas 28-4 and 28-
5. Minimum bunt mesh size of 70 mm. All catch must be sorted and brailed.
The Area B Seine Harvest Committee has proposed a limited opportunity fishery
near the mouth of the Squamish River to target pink salmon. This limited
opportunity will assess the ability to harvest pink salmon by seine in the
terminal areas of the Howe Sound. The target species is pink and all other
species encountered must be released.
The Department has authorized a maximum of two (2) Area B Seine vessels with
observers to fish in this limited opportunity fishery. Arrangements to
participate in this fishery must be co-ordinated with the Area B Harvest
Committee. This fishery will not proceed should undesignated seine vessels
attend or attempt to participate in this fishery.
Variation Order No. 2013-STN-SN-001, 2013-STN-SN-002, 2013-STN-SN-003
NOTE:
1. The target species in this fishery is pink salmon. There will be non-
retention of sockeye, coho, chinook, chum and steelhead. None
of these species may be aboard a vessel that is engaged in fishing unless they
are being revived in the revival tank immediately prior to release.
2. Seine vessel masters are reminded that operating revival tanks and
brailing are mandatory as condition of their licence and are legal requirements.
Harvesters are required to release all non-possession/non-retention species to
the water with the least possible harm. Operating revival boxes are mandatory
and may be used to revive fish prior to release.
3. The mandatory logbook and phone-in program will be in effect similar to the
Johnstone Strait chum fishery. Vessel masters are reminded to provide start
and end fishing reports to the service provider by phoning Archipelago Marine
Research Limited at 1-888-387-0007. Vessel masters are also reminded that
within 48 hours of stopping fishing to offload catch or within two (2) hours of
completing offloading catch, whichever comes first, to provide to the service
provider the weight by species (in pounds) of fish offloaded. Note that a
phone report is required for all fishing activity even if no fish are caught.
Failure to report zero catches may result in the over estimation of total catch.
4. Fishers are reminded it is an offence under Section 7 of the Marine Mammals
Regulations to disturb marine mammals. Fishers are advised to follow the Be
Whale Wise: Marine Wildlife Guidelines for Boaters, Paddlers and Viewers (BWW)
which are available from local Fisheries Offices or on-line at
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/species-especes/mammals-mammiferes/view-
observer-eng.htm to avoid disturbing local killer whales and other marine
mammals.
5. Fishers are requested to avoid fishing among birds and not to run the net if
birds are near the net. Fishers are requested to retain all dead birds which
are entangled and to release live and unharmed birds by placing them in the
water. Please check all birds for metal bird bands (rings) on the leg. If a
bird is banded please contact Laurie Wilson with the band number and capture
date and location at 1-866-431-2473 (BIRD) or by the email below. Handle birds
with gloves, double bag dead birds and label each bird with date, time, and
location and store them on ice. Please call your local charter patrol to
organize pick-up or drop them off at a local DFO office. Alternatively, please
send photographs of birds with a reference object such as a coin, and the date,
time and location to laurie.wilson@ec.gc.ca. Your names and vessel names do not
need to be identified or included.
6. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is interested in reports of sea turtles in BC
waters. By documenting sightings we are able to learn more about how, when and
where these turtles are using our waters. If you see a sea turtle, please call
this toll-free phone number: 1-866-I SAW ONE (1-866-472-9663). Please include
information such as the type of sea turtle seen (i.e. leatherback), the
location, and time of sighting.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Barbara Mueller
Resource Manager
(604)666-2370
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN0771
Sent August 21, 2013 at 14:14
Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
If you have any questions or would like to unsubscribe, please contact us via e-mail to: OpsCentre@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
-
No it doesn't upset me. The pink run is healthy, very healthy. I'd say that enough fish has gone through already to meet spawning targets.
And there will always be a few pinks that will make it through, providing opportunity to sporties who don't mind working hard for their fish.
The crowds will thin out and that's a good thing. ;D
-
Milo, you and I, the sport fishermen, cannot determine whether the pink salmon run is healthy or not. High CPUE does not always translate into a healthy stock. bkk on the other hand, has a better idea since his job involves working closely with this watershed for many years now...
-
Its only 2 boats netting ?
I guess that is plenty with how narrow the sound is however why not make it a boat parking lot like the Fraser becomes ::)
-
Where are these fish that are to be caught going to land up?
In the store? I have heard from someone from this site that there is an interesting loophole with leases with boats.
Are these seine boats being leased out by a third party?
Maybe he can elaborate.
-
Milo, you and I, the sport fishermen, cannot determine whether the pink salmon run is healthy or not. High CPUE does not always translate into a healthy stock. bkk on the other hand, has a better idea since his job involves working closely with this watershed for many years now...
True, but DFO has sanctioned the opening...and DFO knows, right? :-[
-
True, but DFO has sanctioned the opening...and DFO knows, right? :-[
No....but canfisco does ! >:(
and I would expect and opening for them out in front of the fraser too ounce those pesky sockeye clear thru ! :(
-
Considering that the Jimmy Pattison corporation runs DFO I'm not sure what the salmon numbers are.
-
My question is.. what does this mean to the squam river
I was planning a trip for monday... is it even worth going.. this boat can't take 100 percent of the fish
-
I guess we can say bye bye to many of the chinooks and cohos on their way to the Squamish...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSLAELBaakg
But that's right, chinooks and cohos stocks on the squamish and super healthy
-
Wow that video is pretty eye opening for someone who has never seen that fishery before. I hope this video was submitted to the media or DFO? Preferably both. The video observer clearly got a good look at the boat ID numbers.
-
yes the media have seen the video, you'll find some articles on the CBC for instance, and yes DFO said it will do an investigation.
But that's all politically correct and this is not the point: Seine fishery is not a selective practice as claimed by DFO to allow commercial fishing of certain stocks while other endangered stocks are mixed, typically chum/sockeye with steelheads, or pinks with cohos.
They even have to have revival boxes on the boat, which is a real joke.
Counting on a salmon compressed with thousands others in a net and bonked on the floor of a boat?
It's not a selective fishery. Period
-
I guess i just don't like what the message is that we seem to be getting.
Chase us out of the fraser.
We all pay a lot of gas and effort to go to squamish where we are allowed 2 fish a day. We adapt and deal with it almost happily.
Let the seiners take As MUch AS THEY CAN during their opening. Where is the parity?
Not to mention the squished bycatch.
Finally, is this not the river that needs every available break to regenerate from a vicious spill not too long ago?
Someone at DFO needs to shake their heads to fix their brains properly:(
-
I guess we can say bye bye to many of the chinooks and cohos on their way to the Squamish...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSLAELBaakg
But that's right, chinooks and cohos stocks on the squamish and super healthy
this is pretty disgusting. The fact that this is not monitored is a freaking joke. yet people complain about FN taking too many fish. Commercial fishing in itself is a joke. They dont care about any sort of wild stocks or hatchery programs. They are out to take as much as they can get. This why I dont buy fish from stores. People think just because the government okays something they think its kosher. Just because there may be an abundance one year, doesn't mean you have to take a good portion of them. fight the real problem commercial fishing. dfo only allows first nations to fish so they have someone else to blame.
-
With plenty of pinks heading for the fraser dont see they need to clean up the squamish ,mamquam plus creeks in howe sound .makes no sense to me. seine boats have been cleaning up the alberni inlet for years and now the derby is coho only.chinook run now down to 15,000 fish for the hatchery very low. I know the run of pinks is tailing off but let them be.
-
No it doesn't upset me. The pink run is healthy, very healthy. I'd say that enough fish has gone through already to meet spawning targets.
And there will always be a few pinks that will make it through, providing opportunity to sporties who don't mind working hard for their fish.
The crowds will thin out and that's a good thing. ;D
Well it should upset you Milo because there are way to many questions that have not been answered. You say that enough fish have gone through to meet spawning targets. Care to enlighten us on what those spawning targets are? How many fish should the Ashlu have? What is the target for the Cheakamus? Upper Squamish? Do they make it into the Elaho?
Not trying to hack on you but your, or mine or anyone elses observations are not scientific and a fishery should not be based on that criteria. You need defensible data, not that there are just lots of fish. That is too subjective. Some people say there are lots of sockeye in the Fraser so should we open up the fishery there?
The Squamish has no spawning assesment for pinks, no spawning goals, no escapement data and no idea what the run size is or should be. That is not good enought to base a commercial fishery on. How many did they / will they harvest? 10% of the run or 70% of the run? something between that amount?
If you can't justify the fishery with sound biological data then it should not happen. That has not happened.
The other thing that bugs me is that all of the salmon fishery is closed on the Fraser so the only other significant fishery is on the Squamish. Then you open a commercial fishery here. No prior discussion with angling groups such as the Squamish Lillooet Sport fish advisory board. Notice comes out 1 day before the fishery begins. The last commercial fishery on Squamish pinks in Howe Sound was in 1957.
Lots of explaining to be done to justify this one.
-
really 1957. wow. in the past has the run been healthy?
-
The run was strong until the mid - late sixties and then it tanked. Down to a small amount in the early 80's and then the rebuilding work began. Transplanted pinks from the Indian and local Squamish broodstock enhanced out of Tenderfoot Hatchery. Rebuilding began but was set back by large floods. Back to the Indian and rebuilding began again along with habitat restoration projects in the upper Squamish, Ashlu and Cheakamus rivers. Runs expanded and the secure habitat allowed the stocks to survive a few of the monster floods that this watershed seems to produce. Runs started to increase to significant amounts in the late 90's and have continued growth to present size. Enhancement from the CN Rail Recovery fund along with good ocean survivals and good fry from the river and secure habitat has allowed the stock to become robust. Only one good flood away from the crash but the habitat restoration projects should help to ensure that the amounts of adult spawners do not return to the levels seen in the 80's.
-
Well it should upset you Milo
If I let every political screwup upset me, I'd be on medication before you can say fish on.
Greed and deep pockets rule - it's been like that since the dawn of civilization.
All I know is, if DFO has sanctioned the opening (for whatever reason and based on whatever science), who am I to contest it?
I have no clue what the pink salmon spawning targets are. All I know is that thousands upon thousands of fish have been going upstream around the clock for the last several weeks - that should mean something to somebody. Somebody must be counting, taking notes and making decisions. At least that is what I choose to believe.
-
Informative thread. Thanks to all participants :)
-
2 boats now fishing SOUTHERN RIDGE AND OCEAN ACHEVER hoping for poor catches and they go back home.
-
2 boats now fishing SOUTHERN RIDGE AND OCEAN ACHEVER hoping for poor catches and they go back home.
The "Ocean Achiever" is the boat in my avatar, I fished on her for 3 years back in my commercial days, doubtful they will come home empty handed as the owner is considered a "HIGHLINER" when it comes to salmon fishing, if the fish are there he'll get em, but one can always dream I guess ;D
-
i place no blame on the skippers but DFO are baffoons to allow this fishery.
-
Baffoons ?? maybe, but what are you going to say if the returning cycle is at par or better ?? We fished sockeye for decades, then bam, all of a sudden there's 30 million fish returning, go figure eh ?? I'm pretty sure what goes on "IN" the sea is what determines how man fish come back {in most cases anyways}. If you have enough fish {too many is not always a good thing remember} past the point of being caught and are in their spawning grounds to do their thing then how can you blame the commercial fleet or DFO for lousy returns ?? Sure the FN nets get waaay to many fish for what they say they need them for {food and ceremonial purposes} but one must look at sea temps, food sources, the shape the fish are in and all the other obstacles that they face {predators in the dozens etc etc } while in their pursuit of ocean survival as well as their return to their native stream/river to spawn.
It's not easy being a salmon you know, lollol. :P
-
1 boat leaving howe sound, would this mean he is full and going to unload, quitting, fishing no good, has a hot date friday night.
-
I can't see the company having a packer out there for two boats so my guess is that he is full and will offload then turn and burn back to the grounds, that's if he's got time and it's still open in that area. For all I know they have other company boats ready to go next, i imagine it's a pool fishery of some sort as well so whatever they catch will be pooled with other fishermen that don't even have to work for it, this happens quite often nowadays, especially on the herring roe fishery.
FYI, seine boats can, and do at times, fish at night when allowed, but very rarely do they {seiners} conduct fishing operations in the dark unless time is of value. In my career i only did it maybe 3 times, and rarely is it good fishing.
The "Ocean Acheiver as well as the Southern Ridge berth in Coal harbor, one at Oceans plant and the other at MacMillan Fisheries so it's not a very long steam to get there and tie up instead of dropping the hook for the night but I'm just speculating there so.........
-
how much is full, he went to the fraser river last night and is still there at 7.30am. still only one boat in squamish fishing the southern ridge. open another 2 days.
-
Ocean Achiever holds about 70 gross tons of herring, around 130,000 lbs of rockfish when their Dragging so if he's salmon fishing my guess is a full load would be somewhere in the 140,000 to 150,000 lb range. Salmon stack like cord wood in slush tanks and you can get more in than when your fishing rockfish etc etc. as they ice those. Fishing salmon they just take a few ton of ice then add water, kinda like your slurpy at 7=11
Maybe he's still unloading ;D
-
just read a paper on pinks the other day and when we have hit the quota that our processors can handle the rest is flash frozen and sent to china for processing for the European markets
-
no boats fishing in howe sound yet today.
-
no boats fishing in howe sound yet today.
I hope not as the fishery closed last night. Observed 4 seiners in the Sound yesterday.
-
then they only fished 2 days,only 2 boats supposed to be fishing per day.hope they dident damage the run.
-
The fishery didn't affect the fishing on the Squamish, nor on Furry Creek for that matter.
It was steady action most of the day today.
-
http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20130823/SQUAMISH0101/130829974/-1/squamish/commercial-fisheries-opened-in-howe-sound (http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20130823/SQUAMISH0101/130829974/-1/squamish/commercial-fisheries-opened-in-howe-sound)
Commercial fishing opened in Howe Sound
DFO conducting three-day catch with an eye toward future possibilities
AUGUST 23, 2013
REBECCA ALDOUS
RALDOUS@SQUAMISHCHIEF.COM
For the first time in half a century, commercial fishing vessels were scooping salmon out of Howe Sound this week.
Starting on Thursday (Aug. 22), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) opened up an exploratory fishery for the area, said Herb Redekopp, DFO's chief of conservation and protection for the Lower Fraser. The goal of the three-day opening is to assess the strength of the pink salmon run travelling to the Squamish River.
“They felt like the runs were quite abundant,” he said.
It's an historic event, Redekopp noted. The last time commercial boats dipped their nets into the sound's water was in 1962. Throughout the trial, only two boats are allowed to fish at a time. They must use seine nets which encircle the fish and scoop them out of the sea. The equipment promotes better survival rates by helping fishers return unwanted fish caught in the haul, Redekopp noted.
DFO officials discussed recreation fishing and Squamish Nation representatives before going ahead with the experiment, Redekopp said. Each vessel has an independent observer aboard to monitor the vessel's take and any unwanted catch.
“They are quite pleased at the number of pinks the boats have been able to catch,” Redekopp said.
Once the final haul is in, numbers will be crunched and DFO officials will determine the possibility of opening up future pink runs to the commercial industry. Redekopp anticipates the report will be complete next week.
“I think this is a very unique opportunity,” he said.
Squamish Streamkeepers member John Buchanan went out to chat with the fishing vessels' crew on Friday (Aug. 23). The crew aboard the vessel Istra were aware of Howe Sound's environmental improvements and the return of sea life to the sound over the past decade, he said.
“They were pretty excited,” Buchanan said.
One vessel had packed its hold to the halfway mark with 25,000 pink salmon, he said. At the time, the independent observer recorded one Coho salmon accidently snagged in the load.
As long as it's done correctly, Buchanan said he's not against commercial fishing.
-
Ah the good ol days, she still looks good with a jag on though. :D
-
The results from the commercial opening were 282, 000 pinks harvested an a bycatch of less than 30 other salmon species. Evidently a very clean fishery and another opening is being considered.
-
On a side note, there are record breaking Pink catches in Area 12 recently....88,275 on August 28th. Today, Fraser Pink numbers have been upgraded again...now at 16 million.
http://www.psc.org/NewsRel/2013/NewsRelease09.pdf
http://www.psc.org/TestFish/Area12PSsummary.PDF
-
If I let every political screwup upset me, I'd be on medication before you can say fish on.
Greed and deep pockets rule - it's been like that since the dawn of civilization.
All I know is, if DFO has sanctioned the opening (for whatever reason and based on whatever science), who am I to contest it?
I have no clue what the pink salmon spawning targets are. All I know is that thousands upon thousands of fish have been going upstream around the clock for the last several weeks - that should mean something to somebody. Somebody must be counting, taking notes and making decisions. At least that is what I choose to believe.
So you choose to believe everything you read from the DFO? ok, but why not encourage thinking as opposed to being an apparatchik. Aren't you a teacher or something...?