Impact of seals on salmon fishing on the Victoria Waterfront

[jimbob]

If you fish the waterfront regularly like I do in the winter, I would appreciate it if you could report regularly on your encounters with seals.

Can you use the following format:

Date Fished:
Number of Salmon hooked:
Number of Salmon landed:
Number of Salmon lost to seals:

Perhaps we might be able to use this data to build a case for seal management. Who knows. If not then at least we might have a better handle on the true impact of seals locally. I would wager that the number of fish lost to seals is at least equal to, if not double, the number of fish landed. Perhaps we can start a 50/50 pool to guess the actual ratio.

Jimbob

 

[Rum Buddies]

I don't fish in the winter but spend many man days out in the summer and I only lost one fish out of dozens all summer. Sounds like things are real bad right now though!!

I will say, with the eco-tours and the inner harbour being right there, you will NEVER EVER see a seal cull off the waterfront - no way that would happen.

 

[scott craven]

Not sure on the dates but we have lost 3 to seals this winter, 2 of which gear was lost.
One of the hookups, the seal ended up with hooks in him.
needless to say the gear was lost on that one.
Will follow your format on future trips Jimbob.

 

[Fish-Hunter]

Seal Management equals what - guided seal hunting trips? You fishing guides might be able to get an angle on that one...but you would for sure need to have some good ear plugs to drowned out the cries from the humane societies. "Don't kill those poor little creatures, they are so cute and cuddly", in fact don't kill anything. Oh yeah and don't fart either that emits CO2 which is causing global warming.

Maybe we could "trap" the seals like we do bears and then do what??? move them into someone elses waters, cull them, or do nothing. If we do nothing they will eventually eat enough of the salmon that they will start to die off or else move off to find more fish, (nature's balance). Problem is that there isn't enough fish these days for us and the seals it seems.

The seals are like the rabbitts at the U-Vic campus, we as a society are too politically correct to be able to do anything about them. Management involves the concept of control at some point.

 

[profisher]

Harbour seals aren't a big consumer of free ocean swimming salmon. Shallow river mouths at spawning time..yes. Stealing from fishermen...yes. On their own out in the ocean..rare. Sea Lions are swift and maneuverable enough to do it very successfully. How many times (other than when they steal yours) do you see a Harbour Seal with a salmon in its mouth? I see them swimming in herring balls often along side the divers and gulls. It all speaks to them needing some form of help in catching these fish. ie; shallow water, being tethered to a line or fish schooled up in a slow moving ball. Why don't you see Sea Lions at the river mouths at spawning time...because they don't have to!!! Bottom fish would be another target for them as they are restricted in an ability to get off the bottom in their effort to get away. Be honest, we just get pissed because they take OUR fish.

 

[Cuba Libre]

"On their own out in the ocean..rare."

You dont fish Kitty Coleman do you???

 

[Derby]

Ship them off to Coombs and they can hang out with the cute little bunnies!

I believe a bunch of thoses really cute bunnies have already passed on- You got my vote on shipping them to Coombs

 

[Justfish]

Just convince certain ethnic groups that Seals and Sea Lions taste like chicken........

 

[profisher]

Never fished Kitty but have fished Sidney (Coal Island, James Island etc) seal infested and never seen a seal with a salmon other than one attached to a rod. Same with Sooke, Victoria, Barkley, Nootka or Knight Inlet. I see Sea Lions with salmon often.

 

[Fish-Hunter]

Ship them off to Coombs and they can hang out with the cute little bunnies!

I believe a bunch of thoses really cute bunnies have already passed on- You got my vote on shipping them to Coombs

Hey guys, if you want to get rid of them, you know the boys up here aren't against loadin up the shotguns and letting the lead fly, Coombs Country Style. HA HA.

 

[Silver Streak]

Oct 31 - 2 salmon hooked, 1 landed, 1 lost to seal
Nov 27 - 4 salmon hooked, 2 landed, 0 lost to seals

 

[beemer]

Here we go again!! Leave the damn seals alone! humans have screwed up nature trying to "manage" it and now we get bent out of shape when a wild animal takes a fish in the wild from a supposed top predator , humans? Why aren't people trying different techniques or inventing ways to **** off the seals so they don't take your fish?

beemer

 

[bigsbee]

Caught lots of salmon over the last 30 years and like most fishermen have lost my share to seals. That's just the way it is and I don't lose any sleep over it. I'm sure most of you have a freezer or two filled with salmon so quit your whining and just enjoy your time on the water.

 

[Reel Knotty]

I used to get p oh'ed by seals, but it's a fact of fishing. We get seals taking fish off lines. I've even had an osprey take a trout.
Down in warmer water they have sharks doing the same thing. I think it's pretty much a conclusion that no matter what ocean you fish, some critter is after the same fish you are.
That doesn't mean it's a not pain when the seals are excessive. I quit fishing the Nanaimo area for a few years just because it was no longer an enjoyable day out.

 

[cohochinook]

On the other side of the pond we have Vancouver Aquarium rescuing abandoned seal pups and raising them to old enough to release into the wild. Just what we need more seals! Not even letting Mother Nature taking her course on the fur faces! In the infinite wisdom they released them in upper Howe Sound where our Salmon populations are at extremely low levels.

 

[Derby]

On the other side of the pond we have Vancouver Aquarium rescuing abandoned seal pups and raising them to old enough to release into the wild. Just what we need more seals! Not even letting Mother Nature taking her course on the fur faces! In the infinite wisdom they released them in upper Howe Sound where our Salmon populations are at extremely low levels.

i believe they release the Aqarium seals in a RCA area around Howe Sound-So I have told

 

[Drewski Canuck]

Years ago I frished out of Bowser Bill's in the heart of seal country. At Tribune Bay we lost every fish over 20 pounds when buzz bombing. Norris Rock and Flora was OILY BLACK back then. I bought a tape called Whales of Blackfish Sound, which was produced by the Vancouver Aquarium, and had different killer whale dialects on it, including the transient, meat eaters. Next season every time we had a fish on, we cranked the boat stereo and played the Killer Whale tunes. It was amazing. The first test was at Norris rock. Turned up the stereo and the heads popped up everywhere and started swimming for the rock!!! I now fish Nootka which is really seal free, for some reason? (I thank my commercial fishing friends, in case they have anything to do with it.) Perhaps one of you will download the whale dialects onto a CD for your boat stereo and try it out? Don't do it if there are Killer Whales around, and only play it when the fish is on, and then turn it off right away once the fish is in the net. I wonder if this experiment could reduce the chances of accidental hooking of seals by fishing tackle. There can't be a more noble cause than that.

Drewski

 

[profisher]

Just wondering how many fish you hooked up after playing the sounds. Often thought that someone in 1st place in a big money tournament might try that trick by running up and down the grounds with killer whales sounds blasting. Seems it might make it tough to catch a bigger fish with that going on.

 

[MRACER]

http://www.archive.org/details/KillerWhaleorcinusOrcaSoundsVocalizations

FYI------interesting concept

 

[porcupine]

I fish mainly in the summer off the waterfront and have seen seals with salmon that they have caught many, many times. It seems that there is a migration of seals to Victoria in the winter, as the numbers increase in the fall and decrease in the spring. If there are lots of bait around, and not a lot of competition, the seals dont pose as big a problem.