CANADA
Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
Comité permanent des pêches et des océans
EVIDENCE NUMBER 12,
TÉMOIGNAGES DU COMITÉ NUMÉRO 12
UNEDITED COPY – COPIE NON ÉDITÉE
Thursday April 29, 2004 – le jeudi 29 avril 2004
<edit CJ Page #18>
I have received a letter from the Sportfishing Defence Alliance and it reads as follows,
and this was a letter sent to the current minister of fisheries. I'm only going to read you
the first paragraph.
Dear Minister Regan:
Our members are reporting that the illegal drift gillnet fishery has once again started in the Fraser River,
upstream of the Agassiz-RosedaleBridge. In addition to the illegal drift gillnets there are numerous set
gillnets operating seven days a week in defiance of the law. These operations are not being carried out
clandestinely but in plain view of the public highway and your enforcement staff. Our members have
repeatedly reported these infractions to your department through the Observe, Record & Report Program
with no response action from your department at all. In view of the government's response that where
problems are identified DFO initiates actions to provide proper control and monitoring, what is DFO
Western Region doing about the reported illegal drift gillnet fishery on the Agassiz-RosedaleBridge area of
the Fraser River?
Mr. Radford.
Mr. Don Radford: This is Don Radford in Vancouver.
The fishing that's been identified in the letter from the Sportfishing Defence Alliance is
related to a small group of Cheam First Nation participants. Action that we are taking is
to work very closely with the majority of the Cheam Band, including the elected chief
and council to develop an agreed-upon fishing plan for this year to provide us with a
basis to have support from the band to address the illegal fishing that's happening in that
area.
My understanding is the fishing that is happening is a very small group, a minority of
band members and that it's our intent to establish a relationship with the Cheam Band that
will facilitate enforcement of that kind of activity. I have to note that the relationship with
the Cheam Band has vastly improved in recent months over previous years with the
election of a new chief and council and that we are making significant progress in our
work with the band. The level of illegal activity that is occurring is much reduced and we
hope to reduce it even further to the point of being negligible.
The Chair: Well, good luck to you in that, Mr. Radford.
But another paragraph goes on to read:
This is the fifth year in a row that this illegal, continuous and high-impact illegal fishery has been allowed
to go on unchecked by your department. Not only that, but it is the fifth year that such fisheries have gone
on unchallenged during the migration period of stocks of high concern or endangered stocks.
Is that an accurate statement?
Mr. Radford.
Mr. Don Radford:
Yes, I'm just trying to digest the....
Could you please read the statement again?
�� (1150)
The Chair: Yes.
This is the fifth year in a row that this illegal, continuous and high-impact illegal fishery has been allowed
to go on unchecked by your department.
I'll stop there.
Is it true that for five years illegal fishing has been going on in this area while you talk
to the band?
Mr. Don Radford: I would dispute that. I think that we have not had a relationship
that allowed us to talk to the band for the past five years. That relationship is very recent,
perhaps within the last six to seven months.
http://www.johncummins.ca/docs/2004%20Apr%2029%20BLUES%20-%20FISH%20COMMITTEE.pdfCJ
Author
Topic: First Nations Cheam illegal fishing (Read 4732 times)