DFO proposed chinook retention

[searun]

My contribution is pretty minor in comparison to others on the SFAB team. We are just trying to make a difference for our fishery. The SFAB team is comprised of a number of people who are incredibly talented and make many personal sacrifices to work on behalf of the public fishery. The real thanks should go to them!

Similarly, DFO has a lot of incredibly talented people working with very limited resources - let's not direct our anger at the people. We need to direct our attention towards getting them the tools and $ necessary to get the job done. Let's work hard at getting the public aware of the value the public fishery provides to Canada, and then get this elevated to an election issue.

 

[wildmanyeah]

This situation is the result of a combination of factors at play that seriously impact many Fraser - Thompson stocks. Particularly we are seeing Stream-Type S-1 & 2 Chinook performing very poorly, whereas their Ocean-Type cousins (S-0 Lower Fraser) whom emerge from the gravel and out-migrate within a short time to the ocean are performing far better.

We are recently learning that some of the shift in performance now appears to be happening in fresh water as well as in the marine environment. On top of that we also know predation is a large factor impeding early ocean entry survival.

As many will recall, in the past several summers we have experienced severe heat waves and massive forest fires in BC's interior. This climate related shift saw some situations where we wild stocks on upper Fraser experience very poor returns as compared to their hatchery cousins. The difference being hatcheries have controlled water temps etc.

The upshot of this appears to be that there will be no easy solutions in the short and perhaps even long term for some chinook stocks. Climate change is real and some chinook stocks are in the line of fire. This isn't a situation that will likely change quickly, nor is it as a result of over-fishing.

Faced with that, DFO managers have a daunting challenge to quickly shift gears to save what is left of the remnant stocks, while figuring out how to re-jig what we have been doing to rebuild what is left. Unfortunately, we do not have the political and public support to fully and aggressively fund the types of actions that will be necessary to accomplish this task.

While it is easy to pin the problem on DFO, we should be reminded of how we got here. I would also strongly suggest to everyone who is considering writing letters etc, that blaming DFO, and especially the people within the Department for this situation is simply aiming at the WRONG target. We (the Canadian public) have not provided DFO with the resources necessary to do the job. Its shameful actually given the very significant social and economic value that Canada derives from our Public Fishery!

We got here because successive governments and the public have failed to realize the social and economic value of our fishery. AND, we in the recreational sector have failed miserably to tell our story and build public support to invest the $$ necessary to protect Chinook and the unique pacific Public Fishery that exists no where else in Canada.

If you are writing letters, please be respectful to DFO staff - they are not the enemy. Secondly, please help by sending a clear message to the Fisheries Minister that he has a duty to protect the Public Fishery, and to take bold action to find the financial resources necessary to fund chinook recovery. What has happened to this point is a disgrace as compared to the investments we are seeing being made to the south of us by Washington STATE...I bolded "state" because Canada is a country and we are being out-performed by a small state in the US. Shameful.

Here's some economic data that you may wish to include in your letters to the Minister and frankly our Prime Minister - they need to hear that this will be an election issue!! Report is Nov 2018 Stats BC report on British Columbia's Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector

https://app.box.com/s/g6hv5ljaps3ilqh002hlki5b1lblnhmv


Note - the Public Fishery is the single largest of all fisheries for economic inputs, employment etc

I have always found it funny that when taxes are raised no one blames revenue Canada every see that it’s the party in power driving it. Yet when it comes to changes with our fish managerment people blame it’s all on DFO.

They work within a framework and budget set out my politicians. Laws that have been written, court rulings that have been made and rights and freedoms that have been established.

Like wise when people want more policing they don’t go to the rcmp, they go straight to the mayors and the leaders that set their funding and policy’s.

It’s pretty easy for our politicians to keep reducing DFO budget it no one makes them accountable for it. DFO is not managing our stocks to zero. We the people are and the people we elect to government.

it’s been pretty rare these days to see anything to do with our fisheries actually make it into a political parties platform.

 

[searun]

I have always found it funny that when taxes are raised no one blames revenue Canada every see that it’s the party in power driving it. Yet when it comes to changes with our fish managerment people blame it’s all on DFO.

They work within a framework and budget set out my politicians. Laws that have been written, court rulings that have been made and rights and freedoms that have been established.

Like wise when people want more policing they don’t go to the rcmp, they go straight to the mayors and the leaders that set their funding and policy’s.

It’s pretty easy for our politicians to keep reducing DFO budget it no one makes them accountable for it. DFO is not managing our stocks to zero. We the people are and the people we elect to government.

it’s been pretty rare these days to see anything to do with our fisheries actually make it into a political parties platform.

Roger that...the people doing the jobs are often scapegoated, when the real blame rests with the politicians who don't take the time to fully understand the value our fisheries represents and take the bold steps to provide the tools to their DFO staff to get the job done!

This should be an election issue. We need to be coming together to make it one. People need to demand government invests in Chinook - and shame them into at least matching the investments we are seeing from a small state. Good grief...little WA state is investing over a $billion USD, compared to the country of Canada spending a few hundred million CAD.

Pitiful....not enough Justin. Time to man up here.

 

[halimark]

Maybe this December we will not have another 4 years of Sunny Ways. We are living/feeling lots of differences and lost opportunities with JT as compared to the last Gov. Its impossible for Justin to "man up". Have you seen his antics on question period????? Refused to take his headphones off for questions... Who voted for this??? Spoke recently with a CO who was as frustrated as me. Sent my email in but bet it fell on deaf ears, sad but more of my friends have given up rather than continue to loose the fight. Time will tell if JT gets his way.

HM