First off, those Fraser Chinook everyone is talking about are mostly “ocean type” Chinook and the majority are taken mid Strait of Georgia,WCVI, and the Washington/Oregon coast - "NOT" off Victoria or Sooke! See below, a couple of heads off Victory or Sooke - does "NOT" an "interception" make! A true conservation would be doing just the opposite of what is being done? Of course that is based off of a University of Washington study completed last year - where's DFO getting their information? Or, I guess it really doesn’t fit DFO’s agenda – of let’s just kill them off one species at a time, as that seems to be what is transpiring?
I have been watching this with an interest and do have to admit, my thought (as I was setting here shutdown), at least you “whiners” are getting to fish! I got to thinking about this so I decided to do my little internet search thing! BTW… the Fraser has a lot of studies, but since this seems to be focused on the early lower Fraser, especially the Nicola watershed, that is the one I focused. I just might owe an apology for the “whiners” thought and guess I'm starting ****, again?
You need to go make a drink - and sit down for this one!
“IF” the following "IS" still going on your current restrictions are complete ‘BULL ****”! I don’t think you guys/gals are going to be happy when you find out why your fishing is limited for the early returning Nicola Chinooks? "If" it is still going on, those fish are already dead; you just haven't buried them, yet! They do "NOT" have a suitable, viable, survivable "habitat", period! And DFO “KNOWS” that! At least they should their reports have been basically telling that for the last -
THIRTY YEARS! That is the first thing that jumped out, “Concerns over habitat degradation and the status of the Nicola stocks drew the attention of DFO and MELP in the late 1970s and early 1980s.” I venture to say, the below are “still" existing issues? Rather than restricting the fishery, I’d be asking when DFO is going to fix the habitat to protect these fish? What in the hell have “THEY” been doing for the last THIRTY YEARS? Other than reducing their enchancement of Chinook smolts? Yes, it appears they reduced their enhancement from 350,000 per year, to approximately 240,000 smolts. Maybe someone in DFO, also sees a dying fishery, without a viable recovery plan?
This information is right from ‘Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ 1997. The Nicola watershed is used heavily with a high demand for the irrigation of crops; has a large cattle ranching population; increased nutrient levels; used for domestic and industrial purposes (at least two ready-mix concrete companies); increased copper and molybdenum levels; logging; mining; human made obstruction; dams; bank instability; riparian clearing for development; water quality problems and yep - Used for human waste disposal.
I guess I can see why their might be a concern with - poor water quality, low water; high water temperatures; low oxygen levels; silt; all the herbicides fungicides, etc used for the Ginseng; and with the reduced enhancement - if DFO is "really" concerned about and trying to “save” those early return Chinook, leave the fisheries alone, and "fix" the fricken "habitat!
You "whiners" are right, my apology ... this is a
"BIG F*CKING JOKE"!
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/240114.pdf
I am sorry... I can't seem to see any type of "dot" around Sook or Victoria?
