Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[canoeboy]

We're you in lower mid or upper rod? I'll be heading g that way tomorrow but wasn't sure if the upper was worth my time yet.

[stsfisher]

I have personally dealt with people who retain over 20 hatchery coho a year none of us are fishing for survival or sustenance we are fishing for sport and need to regard it as such if we want to fish for these magnificent fish in the future.

I am curious why you think my 20 plus coho a year is an issue? my retention of hatchery coho some years is this while other years it is not but not one goes to waste. I enjoy coho over every other species of salmon. I have a family of 4 who also enjoy having fish through out the year. and yes with proper care fish will keep all year. As fishers we should not be looked down upon for keeping whatever amount of fish we feel we can consume.
I will note in most years I will not harvest any trout, char, or other salmon species throughout the year and have no issue with my harvest come the fall. Not one of these fish harvested is meant to make any difference in the future other than giving anglers the opportunity to harvest fish while ensuring wild fish are given the opportunity to populate for the future.

[Rodney]

I am curious why you think my 20 plus coho a year is an issue? my retention of hatchery coho some years is this while other years it is not but not one goes to waste. I enjoy coho over every other species of salmon. I have a family of 4 who also enjoy having fish through out the year. and yes with proper care fish will keep all year. As fishers we should not be looked down upon for keeping whatever amount of fish we feel we can consume.
I will note in most years I will not harvest any trout, char, or other salmon species throughout the year and have no issue with my harvest come the fall. Not one of these fish harvested is meant to make any difference in the future other than giving anglers the opportunity to harvest fish while ensuring wild fish are given the opportunity to populate for the future.

Exactly. People need to have all the background information on the fishery before commenting. When these coho salmon (mostly hatchery fish) reach the hatchery, certain number of them are picked to use as broods. Once enough broods have been collected to reach the egg target, the remaining fish (pretty much all hatchery fish) are surplus. Usually there are 20k, 30k, even 40k of them. A fish processor, contracted by Soowahlie First Nation, then come to the hatchery to transport them to their plant, where the fish are sorted and graded. Some end up as pet food, some end up as fertilizer, some would even end up at your local supermarket. How many hatchery fish anglers retain, have absolutely no impact on the sustainability of this fishery (unless we have a abnormally low return and brood target is hard to achieve). The hatchery staff in fact would love to see you retaining all the hatchery fish that you are allowed, so there are less fish plugging up the channel for them to deal with. I much rather having people retaining and enjoying as many hatchery fish as they want, then focusing on retaining wild stocks, or buying fish from the grocery stores. This, in my opinion, is the most sustainable and healthy protein you can get.

[Darko]

Exactly. People need to have all the background information on the fishery before commenting. When these coho salmon (mostly hatchery fish) reach the hatchery, certain number of them are picked to use as broods. Once enough broods have been collected to reach the egg target, the remaining fish (pretty much all hatchery fish) are surplus. Usually there are 20k, 30k, even 40k of them. A fish processor, contracted by Soowahlie First Nation, then come to the hatchery to transport them to their plant, where the fish are sorted and graded. Some end up as pet food, some end up as fertilizer, some would even end up at your local supermarket. How many hatchery fish anglers retain, have absolutely no impact on the sustainability of this fishery (unless we have a abnormally low return and brood target is hard to achieve). The hatchery staff in fact would love to see you retaining all the hatchery fish that you are allowed, so there are less fish plugging up the channel for them to deal with. I much rather having people retaining and enjoying as many hatchery fish as they want, then focusing on retaining wild stocks, or buying fish from the grocery stores. This, in my opinion, is the most sustainable and healthy protein you can get.

if there's truly so many why cant there be a lottery system where you can come and get a couple? assuming you have a lisence ofc, in fact the more I think wouldnt that reduce the amount of meatheads on the river. although it ruins the idea of catching them yourself

[canoeboy]

Managed 2 hatchery coho today that got there heads donated to the pit tag program. Talking with the man was very interesting. I thought the bit of rain might have pushed more fish into the system but my long hike and fish today did not reveal the amount of fish I was expecting.

[dennisK]

but my long hike and fish today did not reveal the amount of fish I was expecting.

welcome to my world.

and if. just if. I get into a fish I swear to god it's like some zombie apocalypse homing beacon goes off and the dead fishers emerge from the forest edges.

[Rodney]

if there's truly so many why cant there be a lottery system where you can come and get a couple? assuming you have a lisence ofc, in fact the more I think wouldnt that reduce the amount of meatheads on the river. although it ruins the idea of catching them yourself

Because your licence provides you opportunities to fish, not to provide you fish.

[Rodney]

Managed 2 hatchery coho today that got there heads donated to the pit tag program. Talking with the man was very interesting. I thought the bit of rain might have pushed more fish into the system but my long hike and fish today did not reveal the amount of fish I was expecting.

Don't complain, my sweaty long hike this morning resulted in four lost coho and nothing else.

[canoeboy]

Hey no complaints! I was mostly by myself, landed 2 lost 1 I just would have thought I'd have seen more with the water so clear. I'll try again tomorrow who knows what I'll stumble apon.

[roeman]

When these coho salmon (mostly hatchery fish) reach the hatchery, certain number of them are picked to use as broods.

Too many hatchery fish inbreeding would produce more genetic defects and reduce genetic diversity in future generations.  The hatchery fish are produced from a small number of broodstock.

Is this not a contradiction.  Its ok to use hatchery fish as a brood stock but not ok to let hatchery fish spawn in the river..  Makes no sense.

[Rodney]

Is this not a contradiction.  Its ok to use hatchery fish as a brood stock but not ok to let hatchery fish spawn in the river..  Makes no sense.

No it doesn't, it actually strengthens the theory.

The hatchery isn't using hatchery adult coho salmon as broods by choice, it's because there is a lack of wild coho salmon available for broods. They take as many wild as possible for the program, and make up the rest by using hatchery adult coho salmon. Artificial selection like this decreases diversity, which is very evident among specimens of the hatchery stock. The most obvious characteristic is the size variation, which is very little.

[chardeemacdenis]

Retaining 20 hatchery coho? Fly at 'er

Retaining 20 sockeye? Ehhh, unimpressed.

[RalphH]

I am curious why you think my 20 plus coho a year is an issue?

I think chumslayer was making a personal value statement and nothing more. Once a member, who longer posts here commented that he had smoked some large amount of sockeye one season... it was well over 100lbs IIRC. It seemed excessive to me but it was perfectly legal. Only a few species in BC waters are subject to annual limits, coho are not one of them. how much one needs and what is excessive is a personal view. Twenty doesn't seem out  of line to me, at least for the Vedder.

[rymack]

what my take on chum slayers comments were was how to reduce pressure on the Vedder. Making it two a day ..ie you get your 2 hatch a day and head home and leave the river ostensibly less crowded.

At any rate the pressure on the vedder will only grow as the population grows , access remains free and easy and there are harvest opportunities. It is what it is.

[Rodney]

what my take on chum slayers comments were was how to reduce pressure on the Vedder. Making it two a day ..ie you get your 2 hatch a day and head home and leave the river ostensibly less crowded.

At any rate the pressure on the vedder will only grow as the population grows , access remains free and easy and there are harvest opportunities. It is what it is.

The daily quota doesn't need to be reduced, because as mentioned in my last post too many fish end up at the hatchery already. What we need, and many of us at the SFAC agree, is to have the same reg for steelhead implemented for salmon. Once you catch your limit, you have to stop fishing. You can't stand there and catch and release more fish, or hand your rod to other people around you. This should free up some space for others.