Emergency SFAB Meetings About Proposed SRKW Fishing Closures

[Governor]

Victoria and Area SFAB Committee is holding three emergency meetings to address the recent proposed fishing closures related to Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery.

Monday February 26th - 7:30 pm - Sidney Anglers at Mary Winspear Centre, Sidney

Wednesday February 28th - 7:30pm - Esquimalt Anglers CLubhouse, 1101 Munro Street, VIctoria

Tuesday March 6th - 7:30pm - Prestige Hotel, Sooke


SFAB Representatives will present the maps contained in the DFO proposed closure document released on Friday February 16th by DFO and will seek input and advice from their constituents.

These meetings are open to the public and are free to attend - If you are a salmon or ground fish angler please make a point of attend as we would really like to hear your perspective.

 

[Jaybones]

"The primary objective of the proposed measures is to improve Chinook Salmon availability for SRKW by decreasing potential fishery competition, as well as, minimizing physical and acoustic disturbance in key foraging areas to the extent possible."

So by reducing "acoustic disturbance in key foraging areas" I assume that would mean that these areas also become a restricted no-go zone for all the whale watching boats that continually buzz the whales from sunrise to sunset 7 days a week. If we are to provide them with key foraging areas it should be an area where they can go hunt in peace and not be bothered by all of the acoustic disturbance, seems only logical. Furthermore, BC ferries should be rerouted to avoid these areas and all freighter and tanker traffic into the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Delta should be rerouted or even better the Ports should be relocated to an area not frequented by the whales.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Here is the link to info on the DFO Proposed SRKW Protection Areas courtesy of the SVIAC website:

https://anglerscoalition.com/emergency-sfab-meetings/

If you are not a member of SVIAC or need to renew now is the time. SVIAC is working hard for SVI anglers but we need strength in numbers of members and $ to effectively lobby the govt. on behalf of the rec sector.

Join/re join here: https://anglerscoalition.com/

 

[Bag-Juan]

Hey Chris , can we renew our memberships at the meetings?

 

[wolf]

Well I hate to say it But told you all about 6 or 7 years ago this was going to happen, had LOTS of hate mail to me etc, people from up island saying quite your whining. some of it REALLY nasty stuff.
For what its worth Im going to step up on my soap box one last time and be honest with you..
WE NEED EVERYONE to show up and rally say NO to these plans as they are NOT going to help orcas feed (whos gonna tell the orcas its closed so go feed). we have the most sport fisherman from Campbell river north to bamfield and beyond where these whales frequent, Can tell you now they will want more and more areas and it will get to your own backyard in time.
And yet when a meeting is held every excuse is given to not go....THIS will spider out more and more IF you dont put a stop to it...trust me on that.

Can you imagine what it will be like if 400 to 500 people show up at this and DFO sees and hears about all of this ??? people in masses works look at the halibut rally's years ago , DFO stood up and noticed.
hope to see you at one of these. now is the time.

Also come there and get a SVIAC membership the amount for it is 1 day of gas for fishing i am sure you can spare that. they need funds to fight for ALL of YOU as they lobby for all of the coast...

Good luck Wolf

 

[Whole in the Water]

Hey Chris , can we renew our memberships at the meetings?

Yes!

 

[wildmanyeah]

Here is the link to info on the DFO Proposed SRKW Protection Areas courtesy of the SVIAC website:

https://anglerscoalition.com/emergency-sfab-meetings/

If you are not a member of SVIAC or need to renew now is the time. SVIAC is working hard for SVI anglers but we need strength in numbers of members and $ to effectively lobby the govt. on behalf of the rec sector.

Join/re join here: https://anglerscoalition.com/

Is this also for area 29 and 28? Also what group looks after the chinook pen in Vancouver?

 

[Derby]

Hello All:

We are having a special Sports Fishery meeting regarding the DFO SRKW proposal for the Port Renfrew area and area 18 sub areas 18-2’ 18-4 and 18-9. The meeting will be held at the Valley Fish and Game club located at 6190 Mayo Rd. Lake Cowichan at 1:30 pm Tuesday Feb.27 [tomorrow]. The purpose of the meeting will be to address and adjust proposed management measures in order to minimize the impact on the Community and recreational fishery in the Port Renfrew area. Sorry for he short notice. DFO requests feedback on the discussion questions by March 15/18. Please pass this on to other folks that may not be on our group email list.

 

[bones]

Is this also for area 29 and 28? Also what group looks after the chinook pen in Vancouver?

The pen in the harbor, hidden around the Indian arm? Seymour hatches for the Pemberton sportsmen. 40 pcs

 

[Derby]

I believe the guide association does in the Vancouver area...

 

[wildmanyeah]

I believe the guide association does in the Vancouver area...

lol this is so frustrating so many different groups. I think I will join SVIAC, it seems to be the only group out their for rec fishers. Maybe they will adopt us ocean fishermen from Vancouver!

Update: Just purchased my 40$ membership Props for being the only group taking on our cause!

 

[Samnjoe]

lol this is so frustrating so many different groups. I think I will join SVIAC, it seems to be the only group out their for rec fishers. Maybe they will adopt us ocean fishermen from Vancouver!



I agree. Its time for the SVIAC to include all BC coastal anglers.
Strength in numbers.

 

[Derby]

Join any group that floats your boat.. SVAIC BCWF SFI WCFGA each organization has there strength and weakness... but join a group !!!... with that everyone single person that fishes needs to be a part of there Local SFAC.. find out the area chairs send them a email and ask to be part of there area email chains at the very least if u cannot go to a meeting.... as I said before there is more stuff coming folks either get in the game or stand on the side lines and be left behind......................................

 

[bones]

North shore guides take care of the lighthouse park Chinook 15,000

Port moody rod gun take care of the kinder Morgan 15,000 Coho

If you would like to feed the Coho at kinder Morgan. I'm sure th community advisor would love your help

FYI: tabled right now, sport fishing closure in the harbor. No fishing point Atkinson and in..... No cap fishery. This is being debated and a compromise will be there just what nobody knows yet

 

[fishin_magician]

North shore guides take care of the lighthouse park Chinook 15,000

Port moody rod gun take care of the kinder Morgan 15,000 Coho

If you would like to feed the Coho at kinder Morgan. I'm sure th community advisor would love your help

FYI: tabled right now, sport fishing closure in the harbor. No fishing point Atkinson and in..... No cap fishery. This is being debated and a compromise will be there just what nobody knows yet

For chrissakes man.....what have you been smoking?

 

[bones]

now what???

 

[profisher]

I will be bringing Oak Bay Marine Group 2018 Juan De Fuca Fishing Tournament tickets to the meeting as well. Proceeds of this event will support the May 2018 release of 500,000 Chinook smolts into Sooke Harbour from our temporary marine enclosure. There has been a fairly significant spike in new SVIAC annual memberships being bought since the Victoria Boat a couple of weekends ago. The board of directors has set a reachable goal of 2000 members by the end of the year. We have a ways to go but we all believe it can be done. Please come to the meeting if you can and help us fight to turn this never ending cycle of bad news into something positive for us, the fish and the whales.

 

[SpringVelocity]

I had a long think on this tonight, and I am having second thought on this thing now.

This post will get me into a lot of trouble, but I have to do it. Listen this isn't the time to fight amongst ourselves of what group we belong too. That isn't useful right now.

For years I have given my spare time, and money to salmon enhancement. When I do that I do it for something I believe in. Not once did I ever expect special treatment for some donation I made etc.

The net pen is great thing and I really commend SVIAC for doing it. I know not only was this was hard to do as significant group of volunteers withing Sooke area made that happen. What I am starting to do though is question if having the whale watching group in so close with us was really a good idea. I really think it is great they donated, but I am seeing a lot of chatter whenever someone gets questioned on the whale watchers there seems to be this defensive wall put up. Sort of like I/they donated, so therefore...

What bothers me though is that it seems like we don't want to question the study in this area with whale watching at all. Look I can handle an experimental quiet zone data if I knew that it was really going to work. If you aren't going to make whale watchers, navy blasting and other commercial boat have same restriction. How can that work in the experiment?

This post isn't mean to criticize anyone or SVIAC. I just think if our necks are on chopping block than we do reserve the right to criticize DFO for having some of the other groups in the test study areas. I also don't think we need guilt trips from other groups either. I get its sensitive subject with a major donor of a net pen but if we get shutdown and whale watchers stay we are going to all feel way different.

Just my thoughts.

 

[searun]

SV, it took a lot of guts to write your post. You are raising a good point regarding maintaining our objectivity when looking closely at how DFO plans to structure the study.

If we are more concerned about not offending potential funding providers, than we are about ensuring the study produces objective defensible measurement of the impacts (or not) of rec fishing activity, we are potentially going to let that influence our thinking and ability to objectively question DFO's methodology. That methodology is flawed in my view, and we are destined to have impacts from whale watching activities, that are allowed to continue unabated in the study area, added to the survey results aimed at measurement of rec only impacts. Lets clearly understand what is at risk if incorrect results are produced from the study, and the far reaching ramifications that will have for other fisheries up and down the coast.

Having said the above, let me be clear...the net pen project is a very important and necessary strategy in helping provide additional prey for SRKW - we can't take our eye off this.

 

[fish brain]

SV, it took a lot of guts to write your post. You are raising a good point regarding maintaining our objectivity when looking closely at how DFO plans to structure the study.

If we are more concerned about not offending potential funding providers, than we are about ensuring the study produces objective defensible measurement of the impacts (or not) of rec fishing activity, we are potentially going to let that influence our thinking and ability to objectively question DFO's methodology. That methodology is flawed in my view, and we are destined to have impacts from whale watching activities, that are allowed to continue unabated in the study area, added to the survey results aimed at measurement of rec only impacts. Lets clearly understand what is at risk if incorrect results are produced from the study, and the far reaching ramifications that will have for other fisheries up and down the coast.

Having said the above, let me be clear...the net pen project is a very important and necessary strategy in helping provide additional prey for SRKW - we can't take our eye off this.

I agree with you and @SpringVelocity we NEED more fish from where ever we can get them, and money from all funding groups to accomplish this. But the fact remains that if the proximity to numerous boats is part of the problem, then the whale watching boats must also make compromises, or else the basis for their existence will no longer be in existence.
We all need to work together to protect our resources for all of our futures. I say lets expand the bubble for whale watchers and turn off our sounders, pull gear, and move on for us. In the meantime lets get everyone working on putting more fish into the ocean and having them survive to return to their rivers and hatcheries.