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[lucky]

Well I decided to take the new boat out for a spin and get a few crabs.  got my 4 and when I got back to the dock I noticed a family of asians putting undersized crabs in their bucket, which is no suprise to me, everytime I visit Cates park there is someone poaching crabs, I tried to explain to them they had to be a certain size, and that they needed a measuring device to fish legally, but it was not understood, while this was taking place a boat pulled up, a family came down the dock and took a big bucket of crabs, five gallon pail and headed for the car while the boat left to get another load.  Upon returing home I did what I always do, called the north van rcmp in hope that they could aprehend them. I would like to see more signs put up in both languages stating the rules involved with crab fishing, this will not solve the problem but it sure could help. It would be great to go out for a day without having to deal with poachers, they really make me angry, and totally ruin  a nice day on the water

[Fish Assassin]

I've seen CO's lurking in the trees on several occasions and have charged a number of people for keeping undersize crabs. You should have followed them up to the parking lot and got their licence number.

[lucky]

In the past 4 months I have passed on at least 6 license plate numbers to the rcmp, but after a while it just gets tiring

[Fish Assassin]

Hear you Lucky. Several years ago I called the DFO hotline to report snaggers but nothing was ever done. After a couple of times I didn't bother wasting my cell time.

[2:40]

It sucks, but dont give up!!!

Keep doing it, and also spend a bit of time to record license #, descriptions and etc.  If you make it promising, they will come to something they have a start on. A call just saying somebody is taking undersized crabs doesnt get the attention of the call saying that 2 guys in a white boat with K#******** is taking buckets of undersized crabs to a white minivan #****** and heading back to get more. If you state you are writing more details (perps description etc) on the offence to bribe them out also helps.

[Gooey]

Do you think these people don't know any better or just don't care?  Sadly I think most of them know they are breaking the rules they just don't give a dam.

The only answer in this situation is is heftier fines and more inforcement.  I would like to see fines in the range of $500.00.  I would also like to see conservation officers paid like sales people...give them a commision on their successfully prosecuted and collected fines.  Lets give them a reason (hell lets even financially reward them) for kickin a little my friend on those poachers.

[Bubbles]

This just kills me. Gooey I think you hit the nail on the head. They know what they are doing and could care less. It's a complete joke and a very sad one at that.

I have seen it I have called I have told them while they are doing it - it really is frustrating to know that it also occurs 24/7. 

Again my vote is that they are simply choosing to snub their noses at the law and at all of us who are honest. That really ticks me off.

Okay my rant is done.

[Fish Assassin]

As much as it pains me to agree with CF, I agree

[Harps]

You can't blame the CO's for not holding up their end of the enforcement chain.  Getting more to the root of the problem I think you'd have to blame budget cutbacks and slackened government policy.

[Gooey]

I disagree with you harps, the CO's do play a role.  One thing I read, that came out of the recent fraser river inquiry is that CO's are only budgetted for $400 OT each and they arent willing to work unpaid hours to do things  like go after poachers and take them to court.  I don't know what they get paid so I can't be too critical; but it seems to be a detrimental attitude. 

Poaching is kinda like an arterial bleed in terms of its impact on the resource.  Its kinda like having an EMT who is sitting there watching someone bleed out and say, I am not on the clock...sorry I can't help.

Do you think all the people on this site who meet every now and then to clean up the river banks get paid to do so?!?  They do it for the love and enhancement of the sport/resource.  I say give each one of those guys a ticket pad so they can clean up the human trash too.

[keithr]

It's ironic.  You guys have about the most finely tuned fishing regulations I've ever fished under.  Everytime I change the outfit on the end of my line or move from one spot to another I have to check the regulations:  is the size of the hook right, is the barb right, is the shank right, sinker the right distance, what kind of bait.  And if I actually catch something a bunch of other stuff has to be figured out while the fish flops around in the water:  right size?  right kind? right fins?

But I think this is OK.  A lot of thought went into these rules, and the end result should be that there is more and better fishing for everyone if we all cooperate and don't abuse the resource.  But if you don't enforce the rules, the only people who obey them are the ones who wouldn't be abusing the resources in the first place.  Unenforced rules are worse than no rules at all.

And finally it comes down to what we are willing to put up with.  I remember my father telling me about some guys that fished with dynamite.  I asked him, "who are these guys, where do they live?"  He said they had moved away because every time they went to town or to a bar there would be a fight.

I realize you folks are pretty pacific up there and that times have changed, and fights are no longer seen as good fun and a way to get your point across.  But there are things we could be doing.  We could work in pairs:  one person with a copy of the regulations and a recording device and another person with a telephone and a video camera.  The person with the regulations explains the appropriate ones to the poachers and records the converstation.  The person with the camera and phone films the situation and calls the CO and the local cops (tell them there is a confrontation here that may get out of hand and lead to violence).  If the cops show up, explain that there is a law being broken.  Don't back down; get it all on tape:  poachers, CO, cops, the whole thing.  Make the authorities do something.  If they don't or won't, perhaps the local tv station could use that tape.  Make a stink, let the light shine in, get things out in the open, make somebody do something, emabarrass someone, make somebody really uncomfortable. 

I plan to be in Vancouver for at least a couple of months this summer.  I'd be glad to give at least two days a week to such a project.

[Harps]

Gooey, I am a former student at BCIT in the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation program.  One of our classes was an environmental law class run by a fisheries officer and a conservation officer.  Similarly with RCMP procedures, every hour in the field coorelates with two in the office, not including preparing court briefs and going to court.  Covering with the province with only 200 bodies means the enforcement is spread pretty thin.  Budget cutbacks and underlying inefficient and inadequate government policy is the problem.

[Gooey]

I can't imagine how 1 hour in the field equates to 2 more in the office?  If you say so then OK, but that (ie COST) cant be a justification for lack of enforcement.

 If that were the case too then why are all the calls re poachers going unaddressed.  Do away with big sting ops but if you get a call then send someone down to enforce the law.

I talked with my RCMP buddy and he knows NOTHING regarding the fisheries act.  he told me that if he was called to an infraction he could only record what he saw and submitted it to crown later.  He is based on vancouver island, uh I think people do some fishing over there too dont they?!?

[Gooey]

Oh ya Harps, you need to go thru the archive to look at what happened thios summer.  To Exemplify that DFO was not capable of enforcing the law, a protest was staged.

To Summarise:

At the close of the 2004 sockeye season a volunteer angler harvested a single sockeye.  The illegal harvest was advertised to the local and provincial media, DFO, and other interest groups. 

There angler was writen a ticket by DFO.  I beleive their plans were to fight it in court because DFO had not budged an inch all summer to stop illegal fishing (drift nets and fishing while closed) by local First Nations Groups...basically enforcement on the fraser was race based.

Instead of going to court, DFO thru the ticket out and swept the whole thing under the rug.  The group staging the protest immediately lost their chance to shine a spot light on the irregularities in enforcement and thus the protest in my opinion lost a majority of its potential punch.

Trust me all sorts of extreme measures have already been tried and I am sure will be tried again.

[~IvAn~]

time to call in aquaboy!! he'll teach them a lesson