Randog
You are right, there seems to be little accountability on the numbers of chinook and any other by-catch taken by the Cheam. There is little political will to deal with any confrontation with native bands now or in the future.The big loser in all of this will be our fish stocks which are under extreme pressure from all user groups, sports anglers included.
DFO had a sport closure on chinook for a number of years to protect declining stocks.The number of chinook in the system during those years was far greater than it is now, yet they were closed. Pressure by all user groups managed to get this fishery reopened even though numbers continue to decline.
Who is really managing our stocks, and do they really know how many fish are reaching the spawning grounds?
Interception of chinook by bottom bouncers, in my opion will have an impact on this species in the not too distant future. Don't get me wrong, I have used this method to catch chinook and after seeing how effective it is I think it should be band. Bar fishing should be the only method to angle chinook unless you have a drift net handy.
Even though I have made that statement, I find it difficult to be limited to using a single barbless hook bar fishing when I see drift nets going by every twenty minutes . How many more years can these populations be exploited before totally collapsing? Global warming has already had a severe impact on Fraser River sockeye and I think it will contine in the future. Early retuning stocks are in real trouble and may not recover if conditions do not improve.
Bigsteel, you don't need a jet boat, unless you own a bulk station!