Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on October 18, 2005, 11:28:11 AM
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The first of this season's Chum salmon returned to the Creek on the high tide Sunday evening, October 9th. That is the good news. The bad news is that it was intercepted as it was trying to make its way up the Creek. The fileted 30 inch carcass was found Monday morning near the mouth of the Creek. The remains of a fire were found above the high tide mark on the sand next to the Creek with indications that at least two people had enjoyed our salmon.
The Chum salmon returning this year were spawned four years ago at the Kanaka Creek hatchery in Maple Ridge. Kanaka Creek is a tributary of the Fraser River. Most of the Chum fry that were placed into the Creek in the Spring of 2002 were raised from eggs at the hatchery and the rest were raised by school children in Vancouver schools. Last year 65 Chum returned, the first four appearing on October 18th. We estimate that we had twenty pairs that spawned in the Creek close to Marine Drive.
Because of this recent poaching event the Streamkeepers will increase surveillance at the Creek especially during high tide, but we would also appreciate it if you could help us by watching for suspicious activity. If a car is involved make a note of its licence number and report the illegal activity to the Federal Fisheries ORR (Observe,Record,Report) line at 604 666-3500. Also please report the activity to Ron Gruber when you meet him at the Creek, or phone me at 604 228-9346. Thanks.
Dick Scarth
President, SBSk
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With people like this these days, how could a small creek survive?...with the odd fish returning, some greedy moron has to ruin it all for the rest of us.
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Let's just say that the Vancouver Police will be "supervising" the area.
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That is very sad news indeed. It would be nice to have salmon back in all of the small creeks in the Greater Vancouver area and hopefully it will come one day.
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I cycled by the Creek today-some kids were playing in like it was a mud puddle.
I told the kids there that it was a Salmon bearing stream and no one was to enter the water/disturb the place-no response-then asked the oldest one if she spoke English-no.
So the only other language I speak (sort of) is Spanish so I said "Hablas Espagnol"?
When she nodded I explained that there were many small fish in the river-remember it ain't my first language.
I also shouted at the kids who weren't moving at all the same thing.
I had to be careful as I learned most of my Spanish from Mexican fishermen so some words aren't exactly polite.The kids then started to move and I cycled off-if I had stayed I might have become less polite.
I hate stupid people.
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I cycled by the Creek today-some kids were playing in like it was a mud puddle.
I told the kids there that it was a Salmon bearing stream and no one was to enter the water/disturb the place-no response-then asked the oldest one if she spoke English-no.
So the only other language I speak (sort of) is Spanish so I said "Hablas Espagnol"?
When she nodded I explained that there were many small fish in the river-remember it ain't my first language.
I also shouted at the kids who weren't moving at all the same thing.
I had to be careful as I learned most of my Spanish from Mexican fishermen so some words aren't exactly polite.The kids then started to move and I cycled off-if I had stayed I might have become less polite.
I hate stupid people.
Are there any signs? Like "Stay out of the creek - Max fine $10K - DFO" or anything like that?
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There are some signs I recall. Whether they are still there is another matter.
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The gall of some people to poach fish and to eat it nearby is unbelievable.
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sounds like some homeless people in the area did that. no where to go.no where to sleep. hungry all day and they see a salmon swimming by there feet..hmmmmm . i woudn't be surprised.
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There are signs on the logs there are signs on the bridge. ::)
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Unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless people living in the bushes near Spanish banks as well as the odd Hostel youth from out of town who thinks that grabbing a salmon out of a small creek is cool. Many parents in the area don't care that their little ones are playing around in the water and messing up a spawning ground, as they can't read the posted signs because of language difficulties.
Maybe they need larger signs ( without them having to be 6 feet by 6 feet) with a few different languages on them as the lower mainland has become very multi-cultural and not everyone seems to be able to read english unfortunately..
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And for some it doesn't matter if they understand what the sign says, they'll just break the law.
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Then report them and fine their @$$E$!!!!!!!
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Unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless people living in the bushes near Spanish banks as well as the odd Hostel youth from out of town who thinks that grabbing a salmon out of a small creek is cool. Many parents in the area don't care that their little ones are playing around in the water and messing up a spawning ground, as they can't read the posted signs because of language difficulties.
Maybe they need larger signs ( without them having to be 6 feet by 6 feet) with a few different languages on them as the lower mainland has become very multi-cultural and not everyone seems to be able to read english unfortunately..
I have never thought that ignorance of the laws of the land was a valid excuse. Language problems are no problem either---it's their fault...PERIOD. No "ignorance is bliss plea" ever got someone off the hook for murder of a person....so there ya go.
FINE 'EM BIG!
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Unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless people living in the bushes near Spanish banks as well as the odd Hostel youth from out of town who thinks that grabbing a salmon out of a small creek is cool. Many parents in the area don't care that their little ones are playing around in the water and messing up a spawning ground, as they can't read the posted signs because of language difficulties.
Maybe they need larger signs ( without them having to be 6 feet by 6 feet) with a few different languages on them as the lower mainland has become very multi-cultural and not everyone seems to be able to read english unfortunately..
I have never thought that ignorance of the laws of the land was a valid excuse. Language problems are no problem either---it's their fault...PERIOD. No "ignorance is bliss plea" ever got someone off the hook for murder of a person....so there ya go.
FINE 'EM BIG!
well.. very true; however, I think the point was to inform people and stop them from killing the fish. Not to get big fines after the deed is done. Big fines don't spawn.
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well.. very true; however, I think the point was to inform people and stop them from killing the fish. Not to get big fines after the deed is done. Big fines don't spawn.
"Big fines don't spawn"...true!.....but big fines could lead to more enforcement to our local rivers , lakes and beyond....it could also go into more stream habitat restoration projects. :)
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Unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless people living in the bushes near Spanish banks as well as the odd Hostel youth from out of town who thinks that grabbing a salmon out of a small creek is cool.
I beg your pardon that is bunk.
In fact there is one person living homeles in the bushes there-name of Greg.
The hostel closed back @ the end of September and won't reopen until May.
Many parents in the area don't care that their little ones are playing around in the water and messing up a spawning ground, as they can't read the posted signs because of language difficulties.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
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Before people start believing money derived from fines due to higher enforcement would fund more enforcement and habitat enhancement, please find out where the money is actually going to first.
Habitat enhancement falls into a section of the Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP). Here's how money is allocated in SEP:
- $2M for habitat restoration
- $19.5M for fish production
- $3M for public involvement
My advice to the Spanish Bank Streamkeepers would be, to encourage more involvement from the community. Make the public aware of the existance of these projects and the stream. By getting the community involved in these projects, a sense of ownership will form among local residents, who will make the extra effort to ensure the restoration of this stream progress smoothly.
There are many examples in the Greater Vancouver Regional District when it comes to successful community stream restoration. Stoney Creek in Burnaby and Noons Creek in Port Moody are just two of them.
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/2002/image/0502_05.jpg)
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Rodney-that is exactly what they do daily.
There's a guy there taking water temps every day-he carries a photo album of returned fish and constantly talks to people about the project-name of Ron I speak to him every time I see him.
Sometimes he's there in the AM then the PM as well.
In additon-as mentioned earlier in the thread-they are using fry raised by local schoolkids-I have been there when classes came down to see their fish released.
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sorry sam, didn't realize that the hostel closed, so i am wrong on that account.
but there is more than one homeless person living down in the bushes. maybe you know one by name, but there are many many living down there from the stretch of jericho beach to further past spanish banks where all the summer raves take place.. maybe they leave for the summer, i'm not sure , but when i was fishing for smelts in late summer, there were many people living in the bushes that may or may not be illegal campers or homeless.
since i live right up from the beach, i'm down there walking the dog at least twice a day so i'm just going with what i see. it's not anything like the vedder, but there are people in there, who are obviously having themselves a salmon bbq in the late evenings. :(