SFAB/SFAC REORGANIZATION

[Silver Streak]

AMALGAMATED CONSERVATION SOCIETY

1101 MUNRO STREET, VICTORIA, B.C., V9A 5P2



REPRESENTING THE ANGLING COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

​

April 10, 2023



Rebecca Reid,

Regional Director General,

DFO Pacific Region





Thank you for your reply (via Neil Davis, Regional Director Fisheries Management) of March 02 to the ACS letter of February 06 concerning the restructuring and realignment of the Sport Fishing Advisory Board and the local Sport Fishing Advisory Committees.



The Amalgamated Conservation Society is very disappointed with the new direction this change will bring about. We do not feel that the position of both DFO and the SFAB will result in a change for the better.



The ACS continues to be concerned about the diminished presence of primary angler representation on the Sport Fishing Advisory Board and especially with the SFAB executive. The secondary (commercial) sector seems to dominate in contradiction of the original Terms of Reference of the SFAB which has stood the test of time and gained the trust of individual ‘tin boat’ anglers.



In your reply of March 02, it is noted that “… recreational fisheries on southern Vancouver Island have evolved and grown over recent decades.” The ACS believes that this is not true. Angler effort and catch have plummeted over the past several decades. Statistics prove this out. One only has to check out local boat launch and angler boat moorage facilities to see the precipitous decline in effort around southern Vancouver Island.



The reallocation of our catch to another user group has been accomplished by the plethora of restrictions on our Chinook fishery over many years. These include, but are not limited to, reduced annual limit from 20 to 10 (without consultation), four month retention closure from April through July, reduced daily limits and maximum size restrictions and closed areas under the guise of protecting Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) whose population is stable.





Yours truly,



Wayne Zaccarelli,

Secretary-Treasurer, ACS



cc. Martin Paish, Chair, Sport Fishing Advisory Board

Mark Frisson, South Coast Recreational Fisheries Manager

Neil Davis, Regional Director, Fisheries Management

UNITED IN PROTECTING THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS​

 

[fishinforever]

Whats this?

 

[Silver Streak]

AMALGAMATED CONSERVATION SOCIETY

1101 MUNRO STREET, VICTORIA, B.C., V9A 5P2



REPRESENTING THE ANGLING COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

​

April 10, 2023



Rebecca Reid,

Regional Director General,

DFO Pacific Region





Thank you for your reply (via Neil Davis, Regional Director Fisheries Management) of March 02 to the ACS letter of February 06 concerning the restructuring and realignment of the Sport Fishing Advisory Board and the local Sport Fishing Advisory Committees.



The Amalgamated Conservation Society is very disappointed with the new direction this change will bring about. We do not feel that the position of both DFO and the SFAB will result in a change for the better.



The ACS continues to be concerned about the diminished presence of primary angler representation on the Sport Fishing Advisory Board and especially with the SFAB executive. The secondary (commercial) sector seems to dominate in contradiction of the original Terms of Reference of the SFAB which has stood the test of time and gained the trust of individual ‘tin boat’ anglers.



In your reply of March 02, it is noted that “… recreational fisheries on southern Vancouver Island have evolved and grown over recent decades.” The ACS believes that this is not true. Angler effort and catch have plummeted over the past several decades. Statistics prove this out. One only has to check out local boat launch and angler boat moorage facilities to see the precipitous decline in effort around southern Vancouver Island.



The reallocation of our catch to another user group has been accomplished by the plethora of restrictions on our Chinook fishery over many years. These include, but are not limited to, reduced annual limit from 20 to 10 (without consultation), four month retention closure from April through July, reduced daily limits and maximum size restrictions and closed areas under the guise of protecting Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) whose population is stable.





Yours truly,



Wayne Zaccarelli,

Secretary-Treasurer, ACS



cc. Martin Paish, Chair, Sport Fishing Advisory Board

Mark Frisson, South Coast Recreational Fisheries Manager

Neil Davis, Regional Director, Fisheries Management

UNITED IN PROTECTING THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS​

Thanks for your reply Old Black Dog.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Still don't know what this is all about???

 

[wildmanyeah]

I believe the primary/secondary SFAC rule thing that no one followed anyways is removed in the new SFAB terms.

Tho i dont really know that much every time we put it on our agenda at our sfac meetings it get pushed as chinook/SRKW issues and other more important issues take up the time.

 

[SpringVelocity]

 

[Teal]

Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) terms of reference | Pacific Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) terms of reference

www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

The majority of members of the SFAB will be Primary Level User Group Members.

Primary Level User Group Members are persons who do not receive a significant amount of their annual income directly or indirectly from the recreational fishery. A Primary User Group Member may include a person who is the representative from a non- industry recreational fishing advocacy organization.

The remaining members of the SFAB will be Secondary Level User Group Members.

Secondary Level User Group Members are persons who receive a significant amount of their annual income directly or indirectly from the recreational fishery. A Secondary Level User Group Member may include a person who represents a recreational industry organization.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Sorry guys I am still not getting this, and why it keeps getting dragged on fishing forum on here. So basically the complaint is that industry runs the SFAB and it is working for their own interests.

Sorry your losing me on this one. Not getting it. Please enlighten me with your examples?

If you all are so obsessed with numbers of primary people than maybe try attract more anglers to the meetings? Seems more constructive to me then nitpicking on who is on what board, and who has the most seats.

 

[Derby]

The majority of members of the SFAB will be Primary Level User Group Members.

Primary Level User Group Members are persons who do not receive a significant amount of their annual income directly or indirectly from the recreational fishery. A Primary User Group Member may include a person who is the representative from a non- industry recreational fishing advocacy organization.

The remaining members of the SFAB will be Secondary Level User Group Members.

Secondary Level User Group Members are persons who receive a significant amount of their annual income directly or indirectly from the recreational fishery. A Secondary Level User Group Member may include a person who represents a recreational industry organization.

Thank u Bob for the clarification

 

[ziggy]

Sorry guys I am still not getting this, and why it keeps getting dragged on fishing forum on here. So basically the complaint is that industry runs the SFAB and it is working for their own interests.

Sorry your losing me on this one. Not getting it. Please enlighten me with your examples?

If you all are so obsessed with numbers of primary people than maybe try attract more anglers to the meetings? Seems more constructive to me then nitpicking on who is on what board, and who has the most seats.

I think we need to be careful here. The requirement for primary fishers of Not receiving a significant amount of income from the industry was likely to placate Commercial Fishers. It was used to define the general public from commercial interests in the industry. As you may or may not know, many Commercial Fishers argue that Guides and Lodges are as Commercial as they are. We may or may not agree with them, but it’s important to know that argument is constantly being used and if they can tie the Public Fishery to a form of commercialism, they will.

 

[onefish]

As you may or may not know, many Commercial Fishers argue that Guides and Lodges are as Commercial as they are. We may or may not agree with them, but it’s important to know that argument is constantly being used and if the can tie the Public Fishery to a form of commercialism, they will.

The commercial guys have a very valid point, that being the case, the commercial rec guys, average Joe's, and commercial guys, are all fighting an uphill battle against a common foe.