smokedvw
Active Member
Send in your email regarding salmon closures.
Here is the list you can use for all the emails and I have included a sample email as well below.
Put DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and joanne.thompson@parl.gc.ca in the TO field
BCC
DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, joanne.thompson@parl.gc.ca, elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca, will.greaves@parl.gc.ca, stephanie.mclean@parl.gc.ca, jeff.kibble@parl.gc.ca, tamara.kronis@parl.gc.ca, gord.johns@parl.gc.ca, aaron.gunn@parl.gc.ca, patrick.weiler@parl.gc.ca, jonathan.wilkinson@parl.gc.ca, terry.beech@parl.gc.ca, wade.chang@parl.gc.ca, wade.grant@parl.gc.ca, hedy.fry@parl.gc.ca, don.davies@parl.gc.ca, gregor.robertson@parl.gc.ca, parm.bains@parl.gc.ca, sukh.dhaliwal@parl.gc.ca, Rob.Botterell.MLA@leg.bc.ca, L.Popham@leg.bc.ca, grace.lore.MLA@leg.bc.ca, N.Krieger@leg.bc.ca, Jeremy.Valeriote.MLA@leg.bc.ca, D.Rotchford@leg.bc.ca, D.Lajeunesse@leg.bc.ca, Ravi.Parmar.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Debra.Toporowski.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Stephanie.Higginson.MLA@leg.bc.ca, josie.osborne.MLA@leg.bc.ca, sheila.malcolmson.MLA@leg.bc.ca, G.Anderson@leg.bc.ca, B.Day@leg.bc.ca, A.Kindy@leg.bc.ca, Randene.Neill.MLA@leg.bc.ca, bowinn.ma.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Susie.Chant.MLA@leg.bc.ca, s.chandraherbert.MLA@leg.bc.ca, brenda.bailey.MLA@leg.bc.ca, george.chow.MLA@leg.bc.ca, mable.elmore.MLA@leg.bc.ca, kelly.greene.MLA@leg.bc.ca, ravi.kahlon.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Ian.Paton.MLA@leg.bc.ca, raj.chouhan.MLA@leg.bc.ca, rick.glumac.MLA@leg.bc.ca, mike.farnworth.MLA@leg.bc.ca, garry.begg.MLA@leg.bc.ca
RE: Proposed Amendments to the Marine Mammal Regulations – Southern Resident Killer Whale Approach Distance (Canada Gazette, Part 1, Vol. 160, No. 10)
I am a BC resident and recreational salmon angler submitting formal comments in opposition to the proposed 1,000-metre SRKW approach distance as it applies to recreational fishing vessels.
I have fished these waters my entire life. I grew up on the Gulf Islands and around the ocean alongside family and friends for whom salmon fishing has always been a way of life — not a luxury, but a tradition, a connection to place, and a way of putting food on the table. Today I fish with my own children, passing down the same values and the same love of the coast that shaped me. This is not something I am willing to have regulated out of existence by a proposal that singles out recreational anglers while failing to address the primary drivers of SRKW decline.
I support Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation. I do not support regulations that disproportionately burden recreational fishers while ignoring the real threats.
KEY CONCERNS:
Disproportionate burden on a low-impact sector. BC's recreational fishery accounts for a small fraction of total Chinook salmon harvest. Commercial fisheries — including significant bycatch by Alaskan trawl fleets — account for the overwhelming majority of Chinook removals affecting SRKW prey availability. Any science-based approach must distribute regulatory burden accordingly.
The proposal would functionally close key fishing areas. A 1,000-metre moving exclusion zone in areas like the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Gulf Islands, or Swiftsure Bank would render recreational salmon fishing impossible during periods of SRKW presence — including the exact waters where families like mine have fished for generations.
Recreational fishers already carry significant restrictions. Rolling seasonal closures at Swiftsure Bank, Juan de Fuca Strait, Gulf Islands, and the Fraser River mouth are already in place. Vessel Restricted Zones add further limits. This proposal piles further burden onto a sector that has already absorbed major cuts.
Recreational vessels have minimal acoustic impact. Modern recreational fishing boats produce significantly less underwater noise than commercial shipping. The justification for extending a 1,000m distance restriction to small family fishing boats is not supported by a proportional threat analysis.
The economic, cultural, and community impact is severe. BC's recreational fishery is valued at over $1.3 billion annually and supports more than 9,100 jobs. For families like mine — and for the many friends I grew up with on the Gulf Islands and coast — recreational salmon fishing is also how we feed our families and maintain a way of life rooted in the ocean. These are not interchangeable losses.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
— Retain the 400-metre approach distance for recreational fishing vessels
— Apply the 1,000-metre standard only to commercial whale-watching and high-impact commercial vessel categories
— Direct conservation investment toward contaminant reduction, habitat restoration, and commercial harvest accountability
— Establish a transparent, multi-stakeholder SRKW Recovery Roundtable before imposing further restrictions
I urge DFO and all elected representatives to issue a revised proposal that is proportionate, evidence-based, and fair to the recreational fishing families and communities who have lived alongside these waters — and these whales — their entire lives.
[Your Name]
[City, BC]
[Date]
Here is the list you can use for all the emails and I have included a sample email as well below.
Put DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and joanne.thompson@parl.gc.ca in the TO field
BCC
DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, joanne.thompson@parl.gc.ca, elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca, will.greaves@parl.gc.ca, stephanie.mclean@parl.gc.ca, jeff.kibble@parl.gc.ca, tamara.kronis@parl.gc.ca, gord.johns@parl.gc.ca, aaron.gunn@parl.gc.ca, patrick.weiler@parl.gc.ca, jonathan.wilkinson@parl.gc.ca, terry.beech@parl.gc.ca, wade.chang@parl.gc.ca, wade.grant@parl.gc.ca, hedy.fry@parl.gc.ca, don.davies@parl.gc.ca, gregor.robertson@parl.gc.ca, parm.bains@parl.gc.ca, sukh.dhaliwal@parl.gc.ca, Rob.Botterell.MLA@leg.bc.ca, L.Popham@leg.bc.ca, grace.lore.MLA@leg.bc.ca, N.Krieger@leg.bc.ca, Jeremy.Valeriote.MLA@leg.bc.ca, D.Rotchford@leg.bc.ca, D.Lajeunesse@leg.bc.ca, Ravi.Parmar.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Debra.Toporowski.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Stephanie.Higginson.MLA@leg.bc.ca, josie.osborne.MLA@leg.bc.ca, sheila.malcolmson.MLA@leg.bc.ca, G.Anderson@leg.bc.ca, B.Day@leg.bc.ca, A.Kindy@leg.bc.ca, Randene.Neill.MLA@leg.bc.ca, bowinn.ma.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Susie.Chant.MLA@leg.bc.ca, s.chandraherbert.MLA@leg.bc.ca, brenda.bailey.MLA@leg.bc.ca, george.chow.MLA@leg.bc.ca, mable.elmore.MLA@leg.bc.ca, kelly.greene.MLA@leg.bc.ca, ravi.kahlon.MLA@leg.bc.ca, Ian.Paton.MLA@leg.bc.ca, raj.chouhan.MLA@leg.bc.ca, rick.glumac.MLA@leg.bc.ca, mike.farnworth.MLA@leg.bc.ca, garry.begg.MLA@leg.bc.ca
RE: Proposed Amendments to the Marine Mammal Regulations – Southern Resident Killer Whale Approach Distance (Canada Gazette, Part 1, Vol. 160, No. 10)
I am a BC resident and recreational salmon angler submitting formal comments in opposition to the proposed 1,000-metre SRKW approach distance as it applies to recreational fishing vessels.
I have fished these waters my entire life. I grew up on the Gulf Islands and around the ocean alongside family and friends for whom salmon fishing has always been a way of life — not a luxury, but a tradition, a connection to place, and a way of putting food on the table. Today I fish with my own children, passing down the same values and the same love of the coast that shaped me. This is not something I am willing to have regulated out of existence by a proposal that singles out recreational anglers while failing to address the primary drivers of SRKW decline.
I support Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation. I do not support regulations that disproportionately burden recreational fishers while ignoring the real threats.
KEY CONCERNS:
Disproportionate burden on a low-impact sector. BC's recreational fishery accounts for a small fraction of total Chinook salmon harvest. Commercial fisheries — including significant bycatch by Alaskan trawl fleets — account for the overwhelming majority of Chinook removals affecting SRKW prey availability. Any science-based approach must distribute regulatory burden accordingly.
The proposal would functionally close key fishing areas. A 1,000-metre moving exclusion zone in areas like the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Gulf Islands, or Swiftsure Bank would render recreational salmon fishing impossible during periods of SRKW presence — including the exact waters where families like mine have fished for generations.
Recreational fishers already carry significant restrictions. Rolling seasonal closures at Swiftsure Bank, Juan de Fuca Strait, Gulf Islands, and the Fraser River mouth are already in place. Vessel Restricted Zones add further limits. This proposal piles further burden onto a sector that has already absorbed major cuts.
Recreational vessels have minimal acoustic impact. Modern recreational fishing boats produce significantly less underwater noise than commercial shipping. The justification for extending a 1,000m distance restriction to small family fishing boats is not supported by a proportional threat analysis.
The economic, cultural, and community impact is severe. BC's recreational fishery is valued at over $1.3 billion annually and supports more than 9,100 jobs. For families like mine — and for the many friends I grew up with on the Gulf Islands and coast — recreational salmon fishing is also how we feed our families and maintain a way of life rooted in the ocean. These are not interchangeable losses.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
— Retain the 400-metre approach distance for recreational fishing vessels
— Apply the 1,000-metre standard only to commercial whale-watching and high-impact commercial vessel categories
— Direct conservation investment toward contaminant reduction, habitat restoration, and commercial harvest accountability
— Establish a transparent, multi-stakeholder SRKW Recovery Roundtable before imposing further restrictions
I urge DFO and all elected representatives to issue a revised proposal that is proportionate, evidence-based, and fair to the recreational fishing families and communities who have lived alongside these waters — and these whales — their entire lives.
[Your Name]
[City, BC]
[Date]
