Sport Fishing Institute On Target:
October 3, 2019
ELECTION QUESTIONS
Many issues are competing for the attention of voters and candidates. Asking key fish and fishery questions during the coming weeks is critical to keep our issues being discussed and considered by politicians and the public. Regardless of who or which party is elected, ensuring that the government understands, supports and is willing to invest in the future of our fishery and the resources that it depends upon has never been more important.
It is critical that our elected officials are made aware of and and asked to support initiatives that maintain and, where necessary and possible, rebuild salmon populations in order to avoid a repeat of the harmful and, in many cases, unnecessary restrictions that were imposed on fisheries on the South Coast in 2019.
Healthy, abundant salmon stocks and the fisheries they support are vitally important to many British Columbians. With over 300,000 individuals who purchase recreational fishing licenses each year, the effects, impacts and benefits to small communities and businesses from access to sustainable resources is socially and economically vital to BC.
Here are some key points that every potential MP should be asked to address and provide a position for.
Ask your local candidates: Do you and your party:
Support the use of hatchery-based enhancement to either maintain or rebuild salmon populations at a level that will support vibrant, healthy, sustainable fisheries?
Support the use of Mass Marking and Mark Selective Fisheries as a way to provide access to abundant stocks of hatchery produced salmon and avoid wild stocks of concern?
Support the need for government to enforce existing laws and regulations that protect salmon habitat, and invest in habitat rehabilitation initiatives to promote long term sustainability?
Support the idea of science-based predator control in specific areas to address the impacts that predators are having on juvenile and adult salmon stocks?
Understand the importance of the public fishery to your riding, and the impact that a lack of certainty and stability in regulations and access has on businesses and citizens who either support or participate in the fishery?
Understand that fishery resources are a common property resource, managed by the Federal Government at tax-payers expense for the benefit of all Canadians, and are willing to support the idea that all Canadians should be able to benefit from those resources in a meaningful way?
A Commitment to Move Open Net Pen Salmon Farms to Closed Containment by 2025
Some excellent progress has been made in making the case for the importance of salmon and salmon habitat. Three of the four main parties have agreed that a plan will be developed to transition from open net pen salmon farming in coastal waters to to closed containment by 2025. While it is an election time promise, it is a positive step and should be commended. For more details about open net salmon farming issues and where candidates and parties stand please visit Wild First and the Pledge Tracker.
Perspectives on Public Fishery and the Election
Please see the Island Fisherman Magazine election poll for some perspectives on how the public fishery issues are being or should be addressed in the election dialogue. Provide your thoughts and perspectives too.
LET THEM KNOW!
Please take the time to make candidates understand that the public fishery is important to you and your community. Get out there, ask about Marked Selective Fisheries and other fishery questions too. Make sure local politicians understand that the public fishery is important to their riding, that their feedback on these important issues is vitally important, and that their responses will be held to account following the election.
BACKGROUND
The BC public fishery and related businesses produce $1.1 billion in annual sales, create more than 9000 jobs and 3,950 person-years of employment resulting in a $398 million contribution to the province’s Gross Domestic Product. The sport fishery is the single largest economic driver of all B.C. fisheries, even though anglers take only 15% of the annual halibut catch and less than 10% of the annual salmon harvest.
MARK SELECTIVE FISHERIES (MSF)
Coast Wide Chinook Fishing and Returns
It has been falsely claimed that Chinook salmon as a species are either endangered or at risk of extinction in Canada. This is simply not true. Those that try to argue this are badly misinformed or are blatantly trying to misinform the public for questionable motives. Not only is the claim inaccurate, it is extremely damaging to BC's reputation and the public understanding of what is happening on our coast and river systems. Many BC Chinook runs this year are either way above average or even at historic highs, as evidenced by what was seen in tidal waters this summer and in the huge returns many of our rivers have experienced this fall.
There are Chinook stocks of concern in the mid to upper Fraser River and on the Skeena River that are in serious decline. These stocks deserve attention and defined plans to aid in restoration of their habitat and enhancement. It is these Chinook stocks that are affecting access to much more abundant Chinook runs that are available all over the Pacific coast.
Mark Selective Fisheries - A Simple Solution
Anglers can fish selectively, harvest can be moved away from wild stocks. When and where necessary, wild salmon can be released if encountered when pursuing more abundant marked Chinook. Before removing a salmon from the water it can easily be determined if it is wild, and therefore potentially from a stock of concern, or it was produced for harvest in a government or volunteer hatchery system. Canada produces over 35 million hatchery Chinook every year and in Washington State the number is more than 150 million. These hatchery produced Chinook salmon are intended to provide fisheries all along our coast and river systems. At this time in Canada only about 10% of these fish are “marked” by the removal of the adipose fin, a small fin on the back between the dorsal fin and tail. Mass marking 100% of the fish Canada already produces will properly identify the abundance of hatchery fish and would provide a dramatic increase in harvest opportunity in many areas of the coast. This is particularly the case in areas hit hard by Chinook restrictions in 2019. And, this is without producing any more hatchery Chinook than we currently do!
Marking all hatchery Chinook (mass marking), providing for marked only fisheries for the public to move harvest away from stocks of concern, and initiating intensive habitat protection and strategic enhancement plans to rebuild troubled stocks are all required. These are not complicated adjustments or plans but they do require dedicated funds and a genuine spirit of sharing between all Canadians. Adjusting the public fishery to harvest marked Chinook is not hard and is only limited by the political will to make it happen.
Author
Topic: Poll: How Will Fishermen Vote in the 2019 Federal Election? (Read 3133 times)