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[Rodney]

From Vancouver Sun

Native fishing, DFO blamed for Fraser disaster
 
Peter O'Neil
Vancouver Sun

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

OTTAWA -- A parliamentary committee is expected today to cite unauthorized native fishing and federal mismanagement as two key reasons for the disappearance of up to 1.6 million sockeye salmon from the Fraser River last year.

A draft copy of the House of Commons fisheries committee report, obtained Monday by The Vancouver Sun, rejects the original assertion of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that unusually warm water temperatures on the Fraser were the likely cause of what the committee calls a "major ecological disaster."

Instead, it says the warm water was probably only a contributing factor to problems related to excessive authorized and unauthorized aboriginal fishing.

The DFO, according to the draft copy, effectively has a "policy" of seeking to avoid conflict when dealing with aboriginal fishermen.

"DFO has been overly cautious in its dealings with first nations out of fear of confrontation," according to the MPs, who held several days of hearings in B.C.

"This 'policy' has led to uneven application of regulations to all participants in the Fraser River fishery."

The MPs, who have scheduled a news conference for today, will call for the creation of a separate enforcement branch within the DFO to crack down on poaching.

They say the government should have reduced the amount of fishing last summer to take into account the stress on fish caused by the warm water.

The MPs support the assertion of some critics who alleged the DFO has unwisely allowed aboriginal fishermen to establish too many nets in the Fraser -- creating the so-called "wall of death" that severely reduces the ability of salmon to get upstream to spawn.

"Higher water temperature in the Fraser River alone does not account for the missing fish," states the draft copy, stamped confidential and dated March 2, 2005.

"Higher water temperature, combined with other factors such as increased fishing pressure, is more likely to have caused significant mortality on the way to the spawning grounds."

Ernie Crey of the Sto:lo Tribal Council issued a statement Monday saying that native fishermen use short gillnets or dip nets to take salmon in the canyon, methods the fisheries department has approved "for over 120 years."

"We have only a short season to catch and preserve the salmon we need to supply our villages; we must fish hard in order to avoid hardship in the winter months. Some call our fishery aggressive, but we call it hard work and we are happy to do it."

The statement also said "there is more enforcement by the DFO on the lower Fraser River than at any previous time in history."

The MPs' report concludes that Ottawa isn't properly managing the native fishery, or enforcing the law, on the Fraser north of the counting station at Mission.

They say the DFO lacks the resources to count the fish, do scientific research, monitor fisheries, and enforce the law.

"No matter what the cause of the 'missing' fish in 2004, everything points back to problems with the management of the fishery and the lack of resources to do the job effectively," the draft report states.

B.C. Conservative MP John Cummins, a committee member, issued a news release Monday saying he will issue his own report outlining his view that the principal problem was aboriginal overfishing.

Cummins said he will cite testimony by fisheries officers before a federal panel, headed by retired justice Bryan Williams, investigating the missing salmon.

"DFO enforcement painted a picture of massive black market operations moving illegally caught salmon into the U.S. and Alberta being largely ignored by the department, and of food fisheries acting as a source and a cover for the black market operations," Cummins wrote.

The committee lists a series of recommendations, though it points out that it made similar suggestions in 2003 which, had they not been ignored by the Liberal government, might have prevented last summer's disaster.

The top recommendation calls on the DFO to establish a separate and beefed-up enforcement branch headed by a regional director "with extensive law enforcement experience" who would report to an assistant deputy minister responsible for enforcement.

Currently, fisheries officers charged with investigating illegal fishing serve within the fisheries management branch, which is run by bureaucrats mandated to set fishing quotas, manage the various fisheries, and deal with aboriginal communities.

Among other recommendations:

- The government should establish an "independent body" to review the various reports into problems on the Fraser over the past dozen years, including commission reports into similar disasters in 1992 and 1994.

- Equip the Mission hydroacoustic station with better fish-counting technology, and establish additional stations along the Fraser and Thompson rivers.

- Establish more stringent guidelines so fishing is prohibited when water temperatures reach dangerous levels.

"In particular, the department should not shy away from limiting all fishing opportunities, both below and above Mission, when the conservation of salmon stocks is at stake."

- The DFO should study the use by first nations of drift gillnets and set gillnets on the Fraser, and ban the use of driftnets until the study is completed.

- Increase funding in part to hire more fisheries officers.

Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan has not announced major initiatives to improve his department's management.

poneil@canada.com

CRISIS YEARS FOR THE FRASER SOCKEYE:

Draft of report on the disastrous 2004 sockeye run compares it to 1992 and 1994, other famous years for "missing" fish; and to 1998 and 1999 when one third of the run disappeared. However, 2004 was in a class of its own because of the small size of the run combined with the high ratio of unaccounted-for fish to spawners.

2004

5.2 million fish

Caught 58%

Spawned 10%

Missing 32%

Diagram shows the various fates of the Fraser River sockeye salmon during the 2004 season

Total run

5.2 million

Commercial

1.8 million

First nations

890,000

Spawning 500,000

Unknown

1.6 million

Canadian test fishing

70,000

United States

190,000

Source: House of Commons fisheries committee

Ran with fact box "Crisis Years for the Fraser Sockeye", which has been appended to the end of the story.

[Rodney]

Come on in folks, wade into the issue, it won't hurt...

Ok, I'll start.

I think we can be a bit optimistic with some caution on this small step.

What I am not happy about is this:

Ernie Crey of the Sto:lo Tribal Council issued a statement Monday saying that native fishermen use short gillnets or dip nets to take salmon in the canyon, methods the fisheries department has approved "for over 120 years."

"We have only a short season to catch and preserve the salmon we need to supply our villages; we must fish hard in order to avoid hardship in the winter months. Some call our fishery aggressive, but we call it hard work and we are happy to do it."

The statement also said "there is more enforcement by the DFO on the lower Fraser River than at any previous time in history."

Anyone who fishes the area regularly would know this is an absolute lie with no solid backing behind it. I can go on and rant about what really goes on, but I'll save that breath for something more constructive since you've all heard it before.

[Rodney]

Complete report

[chris gadsden]

Wow 37 pages to read!!!!!

Interesting that the Standing Committee on Fisheries comes down with this report before reading the Williams' Inquiry report. Did not want to be scooped I quess.

At least the Standing Committee have finally admitted what we have been telling them for some time. As well not to forget to mention the waste of so much money and time spent on so many meetings when the reason for the missing fish could be described in one sentence.

Terrible mismanagement by FOC and all the illegal netting that went on this past year and before. Not sure if that is the correct order.

[Fish Assassin]

I don't trust anything that Ernie Crey says

[dlaw52]

I wish they would use plain english.  Those fish are'nt   "missing" , those fish are gone.

[Randog]

And they say "White man speak with fork tounge"

  What a shame!

[Athezone]

Well it certainly seem's that the information obtained from this draft copy The Sun used in it's story is just about Bang On as far as placing blame on the DFO and over-fishing by the natives. The
DFO made horrible decision's (and continue to) and anyone with a set of eye-ball's could see the destructive pattern the aboriginales set. I thought the Indian nation lived in harmony with nature and cared about the world, the tree's, the air, the balance Mother Nature had blessed us with. After last year's sockeye rape and pillage show  I wonder about thier place in the environmental end of things, because if a group really cared would'nt they at least make an attempt. It was a get as many as I can show and thier leader ( ) ernie is about as credible as a three dollar bill. Hopefully the DF-OH-NO not again will bring a new brain to the table this year and stop this wasteful sockeye suicide perpetuated by the, dare I say. The Wall Of Death People, again. I do realize that it's not just that simple and that thier are other mitigating factors involved in all this but hey. Lets conserve, protect and evolve, and move past where we''ve been, what we've seen and even what we may of done. Only in doing that will we and our children's children still be able to enjoy that which has been handed down from generation to generation. The right to fish.   

[canoe man]

ok this maybe my bad but isnt ernie cray from the cheam nation
i thaught sto:lo was from south of the river chilliwack area
and last year year when i met up with a family on a legal fish-in
they where more worried about cheam poachers than us whiteys
it was a very bizzare twist on reality
but still a very important one
cnm

[Steelhawk]

Poaching millions of fish is sure HARD WORK, and the obscene profit from the illegal catch... sure THEY ARE HAPPY AS HELL TO DO IT! 

Fish as over-winter diet...   what a joke. The burger shops are all over the place.  It is not like the natives are stuck in polar land and hibernate through winter, at least not the Fraser natives. 

But again, the words are for the uninformed general public, not for you and me. They sure know how to play the media game - 'white guilt' will win lots of sympathy from the uninformed.

[2:40]

I think Randog said it well.

Funfish hit it on the head why this keeps happening. "White guilt" and the sympathy from those who dont know any better. If you cant get past this, there will always be a rift between natives and non-natives at the expense of our resources, money, country and, of course all people. Makes me sad.

Very clever...talking about dip nets and sustaining themselves through the long cold lower mainland winter while admitting they do fish aggressively. Are they now trying to legitimize their drift nets now that they see the cat is out of the bag? A good way to do it. People who dont know any better will begin to support this aggressive fishing style if they think it means life or death for them.

[Rieber]

Okay Natives did that, Commercial fishers took some, DFO is underfunded so they say they can't do much. Enough finger pointing. Who's going to stand up and do something - Our Minister Bill Barisoff?

Sure you can shut down the Sockeye fishing for the 2004 spawn year but everyone knows the Natives will still net. It will be a tough road to educate but perhaps there could be some gains - I doubt it.

What's the fix and what's the long term solution. One option is to close that year to non-native fishing, do nothing else and hope nature recovers. Probably what's going to happen.

[Fish Assassin]

Who's going to stand up and do something - Our Minister Bill Barisoff?

Salmon is a federal responsibility.

[marmot]

I just don't understand the rationale behind our governments treatment of the aboriginal populations fishing rights.  If you look at this issue on a personal level, it makes absolutely no sense:  if you gave somebody matches and they kept lighting your house on fire, you would stop giving them matches sooner or later.  Stupid people would wait a long time to do anything about it, and the house would be burnt to a crisp and there would be nothing left of it.  This is what our government is doing, proving just how useless they are when it comes to this, and so many other social issues.  Nobody wants to go out on a limb and speak up for fear of being racist, and its not even a racial issue.  So frustrating.  Sorry for the rant, and sorry if I offend anybody, I'm just tired of seeing this viewed as a "right" and not a priveledge.

[Rodney]

From Chuck Strahl

Strahl calls on DFO to act on new Fraser River Salmon Fishery Report

2005-03-22 - Blame laid at the feet of DFO mismanagement for loss of fish in 2004

Ottawa – This time, let’s hope the government will listen and act.

In a unanimous report, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans today outlined causes for the disastrous 2004 salmon run, including DFO mismanagement and lack of enforcement.  It also made several recommendations to help the fishery get back on track.

“I hope the government will listen and act on this latest investigative report into the Fraser River Salmon fishery,” Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon MP Chuck Strahl said.  “Many studies have been done in the past, have made excellent recommendations and the federal Liberal government has ignored them with predictable results.”

Over the past twelve years, the sockeye salmon fishery has been in major crisis mode four different times.  The 2004 crisis saw the disappearance of 1.6 million sockeye.  Study after study has pointed to mismanagement and abuse as the cause of the disaster and has called on the government for greater enforcement measures.  This latest report is no different.

“Poor mismanagement is at the core of why so many fish disappeared last year,” Strahl said.  “The government did not provide the resources necessary to count fish, perform scientific research and enforce regulations – DFO needs to clean up its act immediately so that there is a fish resource for present and future generations.”

In its recommendations, the Standing Committee Report urged the government to bring in better enforcement procedures, including the establishment of an enforcement branch in DFO Pacific Region, separate from fisheries management.  It also called for an increase in the number of fisheries officers.

“Hopefully with more resources dedicated to enforcement, rules regarding over fishing will be respected,” Strahl said.  “Poaching must stop, or the fishery won’t survive.”

The Committee made a total of twelve recommendations, including the disallowance of drift net fishing above the Mission Bridge, a closure to all fisheries when water temperatures get too high, and a review of the many reports over the past twelve years with a promise of implementing and funding all recommendations.

The Twelve Recommendations

Therefore the Committee recommends:
Recommendation 1
That, in agreement with the 1995 report of the Fraser River Sockeye Public Review Board, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans establish an enforcement branch in DFO Pacific Region, separate from fisheries mangement; and

That this new branch be headed by a regional director, Enforcement, with extensive law enforcement experience, who would report to an assistant deputy minister, Enforcement, and who would be responsible for developing and maintaining enforcement capability at a level of competence and coverage that would ensure that the Minister’s mandate to conserve and protect Canada’s Pacific fisheries resources will be fulfilled.

Recommendation 2
That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans restore the number of fishery officers in the Lower Fraser River area at least to the highest level of the 1994-2003 period. DFO’s Conservation and Protection Branch should also be given all the resources necessary to carry on their enforcement activities and statutory responsibility to conserve the fishery, particularly during fisheries’ closed times.

Recommendation 3
That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Fraser River Panel adopt and use more stringent guidelines for closing the fishery when water temperatures reach dangerous levels. In particular, the Department should not shy away from limiting all fishing opportunities, both below and above the Mission bridge when the conservation of salmon stocks is at stake.

Recommendation 4
That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans undertake immediately a study on the impacts of drift gillnets and set gillnets in the Fraser River on the mortality of migrating salmon. In particular, the so-called “drop rate” and any compounding effects of elevated water temperature should be studied. In the interim, the Department should disallow the use of drift gillnets above the Mission bridge pending the findings of the study.

Recommendation 5
That the Government of Canada mandate an independent body to review the findings and recommendations of reports of the past 12 years investigating the management of the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery, including the recommendations of this committee’s 2003 report on the matter and those of the current report. The mandate should include determining which previous recommendations have been effectively implemented, and which others should still be implemented; and,

That the Government of Canada commit the necessary resources to implement the resulting recommendations.
The Committee believes that the PFRCC is the best suited body to carry out such a review. This assignment would fit well with the current mandate of the independent body. It is interesting to note that the PFRCC was established in response to a recommendation of the Fraser Report on the 1994 sockeye salmon fishery. The Committee received testimony from both the Chair and the Scientific Advisor of the Council, and it feels that they have a very good understanding of the situation.

The Committee further recommends:
Recommendation 6
That the government of Canada ensure, as a matter of priority, that the Mission hydroacoustic station be equipped with the latest technology, and establish additional acoustic estimation stations at various strategic locations in the Fraser and Thompson rivers to accomplish quantitative estimates of fish and their stock identity.

Recommendation 7
That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans re-establish the threshold of 25,000 fish for the mark-recapture method to be used for the estimation of spawning escapement.

Recommendation 8
That the Government of Canada support, fund, and collaborate with a scientific consortium established to study and fill the knowledge gaps related to the biology and the management of wild Pacific salmon. The Committee would like to see such a consortium developed as a Network of Centres of Excellence, and would encourage the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to be a partner in this NCE. As a matter of priority, the following knowledge gaps should be investigated:

        •       the impact of elevated temperatures in the Fraser River and other B.C. watersheds;     
        •       the quantitative estimates of spawning fish; and       
        •       the development of predictive models of river conditions.     
Recommendation 9
That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans allocate more resources and implement procedures to ensure that prosecutions are not dropped because the chain of evidence has been broken.

Recommendation 10
That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans promote stability and corporate continuity at the upper management level in the Pacific Region.

Recommendation 11
That, in agreement with the 2004 Report of the Commissioner for the Environment and Sustainable Development of Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans collect and analyze information to provide up-to-date assessments on habitat conditions and Pacific salmon stocks that are below departmental targets and declining.

Recommendation 12
That the Government of Canada secure and increase the annual budget of the Pacific Fisheries Research Conservation Council to enable it to hire professional, independent staff.

The above recommendations are offered in the belief that, if implemented, the systemic problems that led to the collapse of the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery will be addressed. However, it is clear that DFO’s track record of implementing recommendations is unacceptable and the Committee is concerned that its recommendations will, like recommendations from its previous reports, be ignored. Therefore, the Committee is asking the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans for a written response indicating his intention to implement this report’s recommendations. Because of the need to prepare for the upcoming season, the Committee is asking for that response within 60 days of the tabling of this report. If such a commitment is not forthcoming, or if it appears that in spite of a commitment no serious attempt is being made to implement the recommendations, the Committee will use all possible means to convince the Government of Canada to conduct a judicial inquiry into the Fraser River sockeye fishery, and that the focus of this inquiry be on enforcement and other issues relating to how the fishery was managed in 2004.