2% is always a number thrown around for the take of the recreation sector. If you read enough about this kind of info on user groups harvest, this number comes out. I am not going to debate you based on an exact %, but it does not take rocket science to know that sporties with one rod and one hook are not going to hurt fish stock as compared to when other groups are using nets.
Like I say, some forum members always lay blame and guilt on others who wish to have better or fairer fishing opportunities, and blame them for causing fish stock collapse. This is silly indeed in the bigger picture of things.
4 springs per day? I have never seen it happened with any body that I know. Many spring trips are skunked as a norm. People just want to have a fair chance to catch a fish, to have a day out to the river, but very few actually catch a spring on the bars. So I don't know how real is the figure. To use such extreme example is not being fair to your fellow fishermen, I think. Even on good days on any popular bar, it is rare to see more than 30 fish taken in total, and that is with weekend crowd. At least that is my experience.
Anyways, the thread is not about ethics, but about return numbers and ocean survival, which test fisheries plus catches in other areas can give a glimpse of the return. Yes, the Americans had much more stocking and money, but their returns were not always as high. This article from down south tells the bright picture:
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/06/26/1070608/columbia-salmon-fishery-fit-for.htmlThe columbia return was a disappointment last year but not this year. There are so many fish out there in the ocean that they predict 650K fish return, which is 250K more than last year. Our test fishery is also way more than before (2 times more than 2008). So if we could open the fishery as scheduled on June 1st 2 years ago, why delay it till July 15 this year when the numbers are much higher.
Everyday, I respect your concern for fish stock conservation. Most seasoned anglers are. If DFO is sincere about protecting the endangered run of some small stocks, why the heck they allow the nets now? Isn't conservation concern a higher mandate than FN food fishery? If some run can be endangered by guys with a rod & hook, it can be wiped out for sure by hundreds of nets.That is the hypocrisy about the whole thing.
I happen to believe that DFO is again using the shutting down of a small impact group (the sporties) as always for public consumption that they are doing something to conserve stock but in reality our impact is minimal. I support shutting down all user groups if some endangered run is running, like the Stuart sockeye run. If not, open it when the numbers are higher than prior years and other areas are reporting historic return. Stop playing PR or political game. That is my 2c.