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[RalphH]

nice to see people with local experience adding some balanced opinions.

The Skeena has been closed the past season or two until about the 3rd week of July.

If, and it's a big If, court in BC supports this claimed right then the opinion has to work it's way though the justice system to the SCOC. That could take years.
 

[Floater]

Last years closer was something very similar, the DFO is under constant pressure to shut down rec fisheries on traditional territories. One of the concerns voiced last years was that the bands were worried about not enough sockeye and Chinook would make it up river for the food fishery to be viable. The DFO was able to mask it as their decision to minimize public outcry. The northern nations are finally getting foot hold over government agencies and being consulted in matters of public resources in their territories, this is the result of the so called reconciliation process. There have been many situations in the north coast where such motions have been brought forward to close down all rec fishing for certain periods of the year but have been shut down by the DFO or the province. Things are changing very rapidly now and the nations are getting what they want. You have to remember in all of this that the order fisheries go in the eyes of DFO are, Commercial, First nations and at the very bottom the rec guys. I fully expect the Skeena to be shut down next year as it was in 2018 and maybe so as we move further into the future.

[Hike_and_fish]

Last years closer was something very similar, the DFO is under constant pressure to shut down rec fisheries on traditional territories. One of the concerns voiced last years was that the bands were worried about not enough sockeye and Chinook would make it up river for the food fishery to be viable. The DFO was able to mask it as their decision to minimize public outcry. The northern nations are finally getting foot hold over government agencies and being consulted in matters of public resources in their territories, this is the result of the so called reconciliation process. There have been many situations in the north coast where such motions have been brought forward to close down all rec fishing for certain periods of the year but have been shut down by the DFO or the province. Things are changing very rapidly now and the nations are getting what they want. You have to remember in all of this that the order fisheries go in the eyes of DFO are, Commercial, First nations and at the very bottom the rec guys. I fully expect the Skeena to be shut down next year as it was in 2018 and maybe so as we move further into the future.

These are simply baby steps towards full out salmon closures province wide in the near future. Its clearly trending in that direction. Again, all in the name of reconciliation. Then, the FN will be banned to finally finish off the United nations Adgenda 21.

[BBarley]

I thought the reasoning for the complete summer closure was to protect Chinook and Sockeye stocks as they believed they had poor outmigrating survival conditions due to “the blob”. It was kind of funny to see the numbers as they came back and how wrong they were, Chinook numbers really weren’t as bad as they thought they would be and sockeye came back relatively healthy, healthy enough to warrant commercial fisheries once the 700k fish threshold was accounted for in the IFMP.

I hardly want to steer this to the latest and greatest racial debate but it seems like going after the recreational fisherman is the cheapest and easiest option when in reality commercial fishing does the most harm. Perhaps if the northern bands want to implement a positive strategy to rebuilding stocks at a time where all species are facing the most difficult conditions ever observed, they could lobby for a complete change to the way DFO handles fishery management be it their own fisheries, commercial and recreational. I personally would have absolutely no issue with leaving that river alone to recover as best as possible if other user groups similarly restrict their activities. Individually targeting a user group that has minimal impact and continuing business as normal seems extremely miscalculated as far as the big picture is concerned.

Also, I believe the pecking order as far as the courts and DFO is concerned is Conservation-Aboriginal-Commercial-Recreational

[Floater]

These are simply baby steps towards full out salmon closures province wide in the near future. Its clearly trending in that direction. Again, all in the name of reconciliation. Then, the FN will be banned to finally finish off the United nations Adgenda 21.

I am ok with no more harvest of pacific salmon but I am not ok with giving up the right to angle.

[avid angler]

I am ok with no more harvest of pacific salmon but I am not ok with giving up the right to angle.

I’m ok with giving up wild stock retention. But they should never close retention of hatchery fish in lower mainland systems.

[Hike_and_fish]

I’m ok with giving up wild stock retention. But they should never close retention of hatchery fish in lower mainland systems.

My prediction is, a shrinking budget to hatchery production. The powers that be have made some compelling arguments for cutbacks in the past. The Chehalis summer run program is a prime example.

[adriaticum]

They have no authority to close the river, but they are just a canary in a coal mine.
Skeena and Nass are being raped after Fraser couldn't be anymore.

[wildmanyeah]

I’m ok with giving up wild stock retention. But they should never close retention of hatchery fish in lower mainland systems.

I agree even if they closed down fishing and removed the hatcheries, Poaching alone would kill the systems.

Hatchery's in the Lower-main land are good insurance, Not to mention the education they provide to city folk that have no clue

We need more people like you Avid angler that have experience on the water and say it like it is in the SFAC process.

If you are not already involved you should email Barbara.Mueller@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and tell her that you would like to join the upper Fraser valley SFAC and ask to be put on the distribution list for future meetings and info.

[SPEYMAN]

The "Systems" did very well for thousands of years. Removing the hatcheries would be very intelligent. There would be no need to poach if the "Systems" had been monitored and maintained. Numbers have and will continue to improve when the resource in maintained in a self sustaining manner.

[avid angler]

The "Systems" did very well for thousands of years. Removing the hatcheries would be very intelligent. There would be no need to poach if the "Systems" had been monitored and maintained. Numbers have and will continue to improve when the resource in maintained in a self sustaining manner.

Lol what. Removing the hatcheries in the lower mainland would more or less be the end of lower mainland salmon and steelhead fishing.

[Hike_and_fish]

Lol what. Removing the hatcheries in the lower mainland would more or less be the end of lower mainland salmon and steelhead fishing.

Absolutely. Even systems without hatcherys ( up north ) have bad numbers these days. I think it's a tree huggers dream to believe by removing the hatcherys the numbers will get better.

[BBarley]

This thread is getting derailed!

[wildmanyeah]

This thread is getting derailed!

Well getting the thread back on track, They are well within their rights to declare what ever they want with respect to their traditional territory. It will be up to the supreme courts to determine if they actually have to rights to do so.

So I guess stay tuned on what happens, but until as other people have stated DFO or the provence closes it to fishing, its open to the public.

[RalphH]

declaration is one thing - enforcement is another.

So they charge people with Trespass? Who is going to arrest, who is going to issue a summons and what court will hear charges?

Sounds more like symbolism to me.