Ghost fishing gill net in the Fraser North Arm

[trendsetter]

There is a gill net in the fraser river north arm just north of the Musqueam boat launch. This net has been in the water since at least Sunday, Aug 28. The net is full of fish; sockeye and pinks and has not been checked in at least 3 days.

It's suspended from two log boom pilings about 30' apart. I know it's not been checked because on sunday we passed it at low tide and there was a salmon suspended out of the water dead. Today the net was still there and the same salmon was a dried out skeleton, carcass picked clean by birds.

This is clearly a native net since it is on their land and no one else is allowed to fish with nets like this. Are there rules as to how long they can leave nets unattended for? This thing is killing loads of salmon. Every time the tide drops the salmon are suspended out of the water and die. The tide comes back in and it catches more fish.

I'm considering lodging a complaint to DFO. What do you guys think?

 

[lorneparker1]

im thinking that is ****** and i am pretty sure i would have cut it off the pilings.

 

[trendsetter]

more pics....

 

[FishBC.org]

Sickening....

 

[trendsetter]

im thinking that is ****** and i am pretty sure i would have cut it off the pilings.

Yeah it is fu%#ed isn't it? The thought crossed my mind to cut it but I just took pics instead. I'm not sure if they are allowed to do that or not.

 

[Heavyc]

Someone with a really sharp prop should burn through that full boar.

 

[finaddict]

Ahh yes, our "stewards of the lands and seas" Makes yah proud don't it? Remember........ Total recreational Fraser sockeye catch to date: 11,070, Total Aboriginal Fraser river sockeye catch to date 623, 030. Check the report from PSC. Those are their numbers. Our catch to date is less than 1.8% of the aboriginal harvest to date. But we are the big bad sporties!

 

[xavier]

Lodge the complaint with DFO, your MLA and MP.

 

[PurgedTT]

Go back tomorrow and cut that **** down and report it to the DFO.

 

[Sushihunter]

I just forwarded the photos and info to 2 DFO personel, a reporter, and a half dozen MP's

I hope they hang the bastards!

 

[brews]

That's just nasty. I say take a video camera, cut it down, and drop it on the door of the DFO. The camera is to document that it's not yours, and to give a nice clip to the media if necessary.

 

[Drewski Canuck]

Embarrass them!!! Call the local TV Station, offer to take them out to see it themselves, let the reporters interview the Chief, DFO, sportsfishermen, etc. The Band Council is sensitive to criticizm and the band council will take steps to do some policing of their own rather than have more media coverage.

Drewski

 

[trendsetter]

I just forwarded the photos and info to 2 DFO personel, a reporter, and a half dozen MP's

I hope they hang the bastards!

Thank you for taking the next step sushihunter. PM me if they ask for my contact info or anything else.

I will be heading out later today and will check if anything has been done about the net.

Cheers.

 

[salmonkiller01]

just called cbc news with it, got an answering machine of course but will follow up.

 

[Captainkirk]

is that net still up ?

 

[trendsetter]

is that net still up ?

Not sure. The pics were taken yesterday around noon and the net was still there when we came in around 5:00 PM.

It's about 1.5 miles out (towards the mouth) from the mcDonald beach boat launch on the north side of the river.

I'll be out later.

 

[pescador]

I'd be very interested to see what DFO does about it. Lets see how quick they react and what they do. If it was me or you decimating a natural resource.... we know what would happen.

 

[trendsetter]

I've been trying to find out what law this breaks and I found one in the Fisheries Act. However I'm not sure it applies to aboriginals.

Fisheries Act, Section 25, Paragraphs 2 and 3.

"Removal of gear

(2) Subject to the regulations and subsection (3), any person who places or sets any fishing gear or apparatus in any water, along any beach or within any fishery shall remove it when the gear or apparatus is not being tended and prior to the commencement of a close time.

Officer’s discretion

(3) A fishery officer may permit fishing gear or apparatus to remain in the water, along a beach or within a fishery after the commencement of a close time for any period the fishery officer considers necessary to permit the removal of the gear or apparatus.

R.S., 1985, c. F-14, s. 25;
1991, c. 1, s. 6."

 

[pescador]

Allowing fish to rot is immoral.....law covering it or not.

 

[easywater]

I'd be very interested to see what DFO does about it.

Saw a similar net in the water near the Alex Fraser bridge.

I saw 5 or 6 floats sitting on top of the water while driving by - wasn't sure if it was a net or not.

Driving back, I saw the DFO boys in their inflatable pulling up the net and tossing the fish into the water.