port alberni derby

[Cuba Libre]

The latest escapement bulletin from DFO-- please read in light of some members thinking that we need to stop or restrict our recreational catches in Alberni Inlet..[xx(]

quote:CHINOOK FORECAST: The 2008 forecast total return of Robertson Creek chinook to the terminal fishing area is ~53,000. The escapement goal is ~25,500. The available TAC in the terminal area is ~ 27,500 chinooks.
ESCAPEMENT: The Stamp Falls chinook counters are being installed on August 28th and 29th and will be operational September 02. First escapement counts from Stamp Falls will be September 4th or 5th. The last 7-10 days has seen a classic fall weather pattern form with a series of low pressure systems hitting the coast. Rainfall over that period combined with cool temperatures has provided good escapement conditions for salmon. While there is no escapement estimate at this time Chinook have been observed throughout the river.
BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION: Biological samples will be collected from commercial and First Nations in Alberni Inlet.
ABORIGINAL FISHING: Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations had an 8 hour gill net opening on Monday evening August 25th. Approximately 70 nets fished in the upper Alberni Harbour and lower Somass River to Paper Mill Dam. The estimated catch for this opening was 2600 chinook and 290 coho.
COMMERCIAL FISHING: Area D gill nets had an 8 hour gill net opening on Sunday evening August 24th. 81 vessels operated in this opening with an estimated catch of 2075 chinook and 28 coho.
Area B seines were assigned a weekly target catch of 1600 chinook. This fishery opened at 06:00 Monday August 25th and operated until 10:00h August 26th. 2 vessels participated in this opening. The catch from this opening was 1499 chinook and 849 coho. .
RECREATIONAL FISHING: Fishing effort continues to increase in Alberni Inlet as early September approaches. The recreational catch to August 25 for Alberni is approximately 4600 chinook.
NEXT WEEK'S FISHING PLANS:
Aboriginal –A five hour Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations gill net opening is scheduled for Tuesday September 02 from 20:00h to 01:00h Wednesday September 03 in upper Alberni Inlet. Both Bands are authorized to sell their catch. Commercial - Area D gill nets will open for 4 hours commencing 20:00h Wednesday September 03. The fishing area is bounded on the north from a line from a boundary sign situated at 49°14.19 north latitude and 124°50.23 west longitude thence through the southern most point of Hoik Island thence to the flashing green light at the mouth of the Somass River thence due east to a boundary sign on the opposite shore and bounded on the south by a line from Lone Tree Point Light to a boundary sign on the opposite shore. At 22:00h each opening the outer boundary will move from the Lone Tree Pt line to a line from Dunsmuir Pt across Alberni Inlet to the navigation light at the north end of the China Creek breakwater.

Area B Seine: Two seine vessels will participate in an opening from 06:00h Tuesday September 02 until 21:00h Tuesday August 26 with a maximum catch of 2000 chinook allotted for this opening. The southern seine boundary is from the Dunsmuir Pt. light to a boundary sign on the opposite shore at 49°09.66’N latitude, 124°47.72’W longitude (approximately .75km north of China Creek breakwater) and the northern boundary is from a boundary sign at the Harbour Quay clock tower in Port Alberni harbour to a boundary sign on the opposite shore of Alberni Inlet
Recreational – The recreational fishery is at full limits for chinook and coho salmon in Alberni Inlet north of the Hocking Pt. boundary line. The Nahmint Area closure is in effect. Chinook conservation measures are in effect in other portions of Area 23, Barkley Sound /Alberni Inlet. For more information please contact the DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440 for more information or go online to :
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/Opportunities/PN/A23&123BarkleyChinookPN.pdf for the Area 23 Recreational Chinook Fishery Notice or
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/Opportunities/PN/A23&123BarkleyCohoPN.pdf for the Area 23 Recreational Coho Fishery Notice
For more information contact the local DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440
If you want your name removed from the distribution list please call the above number.


Prepared by: Alistair Thomson
Resource Manager
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Port Alberni, B.C.

20ft Alumaweld Intruder

 

[The Fish Assassin]

IMHO the underlying problem here and everywhere on the coast is the "Escapement Goal" Like I have stated before the department of Fisheries runs the entire coast on a escapement platform that will get the most dollars out of the amount of fish available. It is a simple formula really, that has taken years to perfect.

X number of fish returning gets y $'s per pound. Now if you increase the amount of fish available for catch the value of the same fish will drasticly go down as well. So if they flooded the sea with Salmon the price would go down, the fishfarms would shut down, the commercial guys would make the same amount of money but have to fish 4 times as much. But us sport fisherman would sure be happy. Unfortunitly we don't have much of a say as a group. I would like to see more fish available for everyone to catch, but we know what that would do to the price on the markets. 25,000 fish returning seems like a horribly bad return on a river that we all depend on so drasticly. Why not double the escapement for 4 yrs and see what happens! Oh ya.. the price of the fish...

 

[highlights]

The game of Golf only ruins what would have otherwise been a perfectly nice walk.

 

[yo mama]

Ah I guess we wont have to worry much longer up that way anyways as the fish will be gone and we can all just point more fingers instead of doing anything eh Cuba. The hatcheries were put in place for more than servicing the fisherman. Everybody blame fisheries for missmanagment when the fishing sucks but the same people blame fisheries when the downgrade limits to protect declining stocks. There can be a good balance and if we don't find one soon they will be so few they will shut the whole thing down like the sockeye. And as Noggin put it yes there is a solid wild run still in place on that system. That river used to be wall to wall springs.

 

[WillyD]

Was the 29.3 Ib coho confirmed. Don,t get them that big very often. My biggest coho was 17 Lbs off port renfrew years ago fishing with my Dad.

 

[Cuba Libre]

See below-- double post

 

[Cuba Libre]

Hey Yo Mama-- I appreciate your passion about looking after the resource. But I happen to know that you are on the wrong track on some issues. Dont assume that someone like myself has not done time in the resource wars or has only worked to improve the lot of the users. The users do come second-- but you need to review the reasons for hatcheries in BC. After the success of pilots such as Qualicum, Capilano and Robertson Creek, a guy by the name of Ron McLeod pushed for a balanced Salmonid Enhancement Program in the 70's. Quinsam, Puntledge Lower site, Chehalis, Vedder, Kitimat, Eagle were meant as production facilities. At the same time, the CED part of the program gave us Pallant, Kincolith, Quatse, Sliammon, Nanaimo, Cowichan and others. Some of the facilities were meant to offset habitat loss (Quinsam, Cap,Upper Puntledge channnels, etc)

But do not think that for one minute that the facilities were not meant to provide fish for the all sector fishermen. That is how the program was sold to the Federal Treasury Board. No fish for the fishermen-- no money from Ottawa. Plain and simple.

Now-- as far as the "Wild" component of the inlet. I quess that a person could try to make that claim. But on what basis? Check out the stock composition of the Gold River chinooks and get back to me.

And as far as the river "used to be wall to wall springs" yes, it did. As a result of an agressive hatchery manager named Carl Peterson, who was said to raise chinooks in every available flow of water at the hatchery, including his bathtub!

Now to get back to the original issue-- the fact remainds that by taking a couple of thousand chinooks by the sportsfishery-- it makes no difference what so ever to the Alberni inlet stocks... Even given the unlikely possibilitythat a wild fish hits the fish cooler, it still wont chance the balance... So go fishing and enjoy the opportunity that having a hatchery run provides without guilt..


Pax Vobiscom


almost forgot-- was that 29lb fish verified as a coho????





20ft Alumaweld Intruder

 

[Striper Sniper]

Hey CL, I also took Latin in school...... for those of you that might be interested in CL's closing remark, "Pax Vobiscom" means Peace be with you........ SS

 

[Slabby20]

37.8 lbs. Isn't that the smallest winning fish in a long time? No question the size of the springs was down this year.

 

[The Fish Assassin]

I was only half joking when I told my friend that I was going to try to win the derby with a Coho.. There are some monsters up there!

 

[Linz]

Very depressing....
http://www.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/story.html?id=dcf8e2f5-13c8-4626-9b7b-87d2dc82043f.
Who is in favor of using nets anyway?

 

[highlights]

quote:Originally posted by Slabby20

37.8 lbs. Isn't that the smallest winning fish in a long time? No question the size of the springs was down this year.

Lots of feeder size fish around this year because that is exactly what they are. 3 year fish.
Areas with the 5-8 year olds have had enormous growth rates due to offshore upwelling and over abundance of feed.