No Kildonan; we complain when DFO allows openenings (commercials or sporties) when they should be closed to protect the stocks (west coast seiners, gillnetters, or opening coho in the Cowichan Bay now with reduced size limit...) and we complain when DFO closes when there is no or unjustified reason (such as unfair quota share for halibut, closing winter spings in Sooke (90% US hatchery fish) to protect early Fraser springs, and other idiotic things...). Very few here would complain about a justified closure of endangered stocks. I did not see anybody complaining when river mouths were closed for salmon fishing to protect specific returning stocks. Very few complained about rock fish protection measures that were well overdue... The big complaints are where complaints are due and the complaints should become a lot louder to have any impact.
I propose that we all boycott the creel survey from now on and tell those folks that it is nothing personal but they please pass on the message to DFO that the sporties will not provide free data anymore until DFO finds an acceptable solution to the halibut quota share issue. This is one of the few favours that DFO asks of us and here we could make a statement. Granted, this can only be a little side kick among other efforts we have to do. One of them being showing up at the next SFAB meeting.
