The management of coho in area 19, as well as other GS ocean approach waters, is based on the low abundance of Interior Fraser coho stocks. They are not SARA listed yet (thank the Lord!) but none the less a recovery strategy has been implemented. Part of the recovery plan is to reduce all mortality through fishing on wild fish. We in Canadian waters MUST keep our mortality under 3% on wild IFC (DFO Mandated). So the only permitted mortality is from the low percentage catch and release mortality (less than 15%) associated with non-retention.
By having non-retention of wild coho in area 19 when there is any chance that an Interior Fraser Coho might still be present allows us to keep fishing and quitens the upper Fraser FN bands on the river from blocking (trying to get DFO to close us down) our tidal approach fishery. Hatchery fish are however fair game and can be kept, hence the regs.
Some concerns about that:
1. Not all hatchery coho are clipped, so some unnecessary cycling of fish caught occurs in our endeavour to land a clipped fish.
2.Interior Fraser coho are a unique genetic strain, that federal government looks to protect from extirpation/extinction, but have no real money set aside to do so. Rehabilitating the habitat and getting water for fish is NOT on the agenda at this time.
3. Interior Fraser coho stocks are actually at the very extreme edge of the optimal habitat range that coho can sustain themselves in. So some scientists question whether it is a waste of effort or not to try and recover IFC in the face of climate change that will eventually render fringe habitat useless.
This all equates to Oct 1 being the magic date that you can catch and keep the local wild coho stocks, which in truth aren't in any great shape abundance-wise either, so we get to keep one not two.
Trivia of the day: Did you know that Canada allows (can't do much about it either)the USA to catch Interior Fraser coho upto a 10% mortality factor in US waters when they only allow 3% in Canadian waters?
God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling - Izaak Walton
