Pink salmon net pens

[twinwinds]

I want to hear the opinions of the members of this forum on pink salmon net pens that the Sport fishing advisory board wants to put in various areas throughout southern Vancouver island? I personally don't agree with what they are doing to try and boost the sport fishing industry...this is a quick short term fix to boost the sales of sport fishing related industries...
I personally think if they want pink salmon back they should enhance Jordan river where there was once a native population of pink salmon. I have been actively restoring sandhill creek to enhance coho salmon along with sea-run cutthroat trout.
Will there be pinks spawning in the local creeks and rivers where there were never any before? Disease? Sealice?
Why cant they put the thousands of dollars into enhancing native species into native rivers.
Like to hear your opinions.......

Cheers .....

 

[Last Chance]

Jordon river is still wrecked from mine tailing pollution, I think it would be a lot cheaper to just pen the fish, and let 'em loose. If they spawn in local creeks that don't have them, that's great, seeing as most of our local creeks have nothing anyway. Since our rivers are about %10 of what they used to be, it would seem there is plenty of spare capacity.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:this is a quick short term fix

I think a lot of it is a quick fix so things look good for the olympics. A tourist from Europe doesn't know that a pink salmon is no prize, they just know its a "mighty salmon".

If they start fixing up jordan river, where is the political payoff?

But as far as I know the net pens do not compete for funding with hatcheries or other enhancement, the money comes from somewhere else.

 

[twinwinds]

quote:Originally posted by LastChance

Jordon river is still wrecked from mine tailing pollution, I think it would be a lot cheaper to just pen the fish, and let 'em loose. If they spawn in local creeks that don't have them, that's great, seeing as most of our local creeks have nothing anyway. Since our rivers are about %10 of what they used to be, it would seem there is plenty of spare capacity.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com

But those penned fish will ultimately spawn in the smaller local systems where I along with others have been trying to get the native species such as chinook and coho back into these systems.
So because these systems are at about 10% of what they used to be we should introduce salmon species that are not native to them?
Just because something is cheaper does not make it right....Jordan river in my mind can still sustain a healthy population of pinks providing the logging outfits or whom ever caused the damage are held liable for the things that have been done. ( but we all know this never happens)

I think having healthy chinook and coho back on southern vancouver island would boost the industry far more than a few pinks...
May be a lot longer and harder making this happen but ......
Anyway just my 2 cents.
cheers

 

[cuttlefish]

Chinook and coho utilize different spawning habitat than pinks. Pinks generally spawn in the lower reaches while chinook are further upstream and coho generally go all the way to the top before spawning. So there should not be any competition for spawning habitat.

We have always suspected in the systems we enhance in the NEVI region that pinks in the systems are beneficial for the other (more valuable) species. They act like little roto-tillers when they spawn, cleaning out the silt from the gravel. They also provide extra nutrients into the freshwater after they decompose and the emerging juveniles make tasty little morsels for coho parr and smolts in both fresh and salt water.

Interesting that SFAB can get the OK from DFO to grow out pinks in pens all around the coast to improve fishing opportunities yet Alex Morton is shut down by DFO when she wants to pen up pinks past the sea lice laden farmed fish just to give the pinks a chance to survive. Maybe she should talk to the SFAB.

 

[Dogbreath]

As cuttlefish has said the proper name is 'grow out pens' the other term is associated with Salmon aquaculture operations.

Note that once a population reaches a certain level there are always fish who are going to try and spawn in new places if it works it works if not no worries doesn't in any way interfere with populations already there.

 

[mason.jar]

It is more important to have a billion more pink smolts swimming in the straights than it is to have a billion chinook or coho fly - as Pinks are recognized as being part of the upper species of salmonids food source. They are only in the pens for a few short months before they are released into the wild. The Pinks are a key element for the southern reaches of VI, that will help to develop a successful and strategically planned expansion for sustainability of all other species of salmonid. If this program proves to be as successful as the others have been, then we will start to see other species abundance start to climb and hopefully re-establish themselves into flows that have been in decline or devoid for years. Mason

[www.savebcsalmon.ca]