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Author Topic: Poaching in the Lower Fraser  (Read 6896 times)

TimL

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Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« on: October 28, 2014, 10:15:52 AM »

Bunch of us bar fishing out at Brownsville Bar yesterday discovered this disturbing scene in the river. A fellow angler retrieved a total of 11-12 poorly filleted carcasses of both wild and hatchery coho.



We suspect that this was the work of overnight poachers that were using nets (First Nations?), although having not seen the poachers, it is not possible to tell for sure.
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StillAqua

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2014, 12:24:37 PM »

We suspect that this was the work of overnight poachers that were using nets (First Nations?), although having not seen the poachers, it is not possible to tell for sure.
Why point your finger at First Nations? They don't need to poach...they've had their fill of legal FSC and Economic Opportunity fisheries on sockeye this year. They also know how to fillet a fish. More likely stupid non-natives....... ::)
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TimL

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2014, 02:45:15 PM »

Why point your finger at First Nations? They don't need to poach...they've had their fill of legal FSC and Economic Opportunity fisheries on sockeye this year. They also know how to fillet a fish. More likely stupid non-natives....... ::)
Yeah...I was wrong to blame FN. I figured if the poachers were using nets, it would more likely point towards FN but that is most likely dumb stereotyping on my part. Regardless of whoever did this, it is upsetting to see it happening. It is my first season bar fishing and also my first time seeing illegal activity going on along the river (previously I have witnessed poaching of Dungeness crab in Burrard inlet). This definitely does not look good for the fishery.
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TimL

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2014, 02:52:48 PM »

Not only last night but everytime I fish there people retain more than two coho. DFO have been called and do . nothing. Its a gong show there. When confronted, the poachers either act asif they didnt know, take off, hide the fish, or pretend not to understand you. It is sick and nothing can be done. Not to mention the countless jacks under 30cm being kept without a doubt.
I have never seen this problem while fishing with the regulars on the bar but come to think of it, I'm probably the only guy down there that carries a measuring tape. I guess it's pretty easy to hide a slightly undersized jack but with the larger fish it would be harder as it will attract attention very quickly.
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firstlight

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2014, 05:04:39 PM »

Maybve someone just dumped there carcasses there after filleting legal fish at home.
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minnie-me

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2014, 05:43:45 PM »

My guess would be a commercial boat that caught them as a by catch...wasn't there a recent chum opening? might as well clean them and package them for the home freezer between sets then toss the remains for the bottom feeders including sturgeon. Again,  just my guess but it sounds plausable.
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bigblockfox

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2014, 08:25:35 PM »

They were in the area on sunday when I went by in the boat.
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Flytech

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2014, 08:29:10 PM »

Maybve someone just dumped there carcasses there after filleting legal fish at home.


There is adipose fins there, not all legal fish.

firstlight

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2014, 10:23:05 PM »

Maybe Chinook in there with the adipose?
Maybe they are Sockeye?
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FlyFishin Magician

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #9 on: October 28, 2014, 10:33:14 PM »

Maybe Chinook in there with the adipose?
Maybe they are Sockeye?

Hard to tell for sure in the photos, but those tails look like coho to me.  Definitely NOT Chinooks!  Chinook tails will have small spots covering the top and bottom of the tail.  Sockeye have no spots (although everyday showed a photo with sockeye with spots on the tail which I've never seen before).  Coho tails are typically "black" with just a few spots along the dorsal portion of the tail.
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silver ghost

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2014, 11:02:32 PM »

maybe someone bought commercially caught coho from save on and filletted them at home and dumped the carcasses...

maybe the wild fish were taken from vancouver island and the angler decided to feed the sturgeon milling about...

 ;) hmmm... maybeee
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A Frayed Knot

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2014, 08:51:41 AM »

Boy some of you are really grasping at straws for a theory aren'tcha!
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For the supreme test of a fisherman is not how many fish he has caught, not even how he has caught them, but what he has caught when he has caught no fish.

StillAqua

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2014, 10:59:01 AM »

Aliens no doubt....probably didn't even get a non-resident fishing licence.....  ;D
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TimL

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Re: Poaching in the Lower Fraser
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2014, 11:38:39 AM »

Hard to tell for sure in the photos, but those tails look like coho to me.  Definitely NOT Chinooks!  Chinook tails will have small spots covering the top and bottom of the tail.  Sockeye have no spots (although everyday showed a photo with sockeye with spots on the tail which I've never seen before).  Coho tails are typically "black" with just a few spots along the dorsal portion of the tail.
Coho for sure...though hard to see in the photos, the spots on the tail were only on the upper lobe of the tail fin.

And hey the alien theory doesn't sound like such a bad idea... ;D
« Last Edit: October 29, 2014, 11:48:21 AM by TimL »
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