Tidal Chum Fishery Closes - Non Retention

[searun]

Category(s):
RECREATIONAL - Salmon


Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Subject: FN1129-RECREATIONAL - Salmon: Chum - Areas 11, 111, 12 to 20, 28, 121, 123 to 127 and Subareas 29-1 to 29-5, 29-8 - Non-retention - Effective October 27, 2021

The Chum Salmon return to Southern BC has been poor to date this season. Test fishing catches in Johnstone Strait are indicating the return has a low likelihood of meeting the 1.0 million critical threshold and test fishing catches in the Fraser River are estimating a terminal return of 481,000 Chum. Returns to many Strait of Georgia systems have also been low and suggest that many systems will likely see returns below target. In an effort to conserve Chum stocks returning to Southern BC waters, a decision has been made to take a precautionary in-season approach to recreational fisheries.

Effective 00:01 hours October 27, until 23:59 hours December 31, the daily limit of Chum salmon is zero (0) in the following waters:

Areas 11/111, 12 to 20, 28, 121, 123 to 127 and Subareas 29-1 to 29-5, 29-8.

Variation Order: 2021-RFQ-588

Test fishing catches and abundance estimates will continue to be monitored, with updates provided at the next Chum Working Group meeting scheduled for October 28, 2021.

Notes:

Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal waters of British Columbia.

Anglers are further reminded that intentionally (willfully) foul-hooking fish or attempting to foul hook fish is illegal and that non-compliance may result in closure. Foul hook is defined as: hooking a fish in any part of its body other than the mouth.

Information about finfish closed areas and salmon non-retention areas, and other recreational fishing information, can be found on the Internet at:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish

The term “hatchery marked”, “marked”, or “adipose fin clipped” means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin.

Sport anglers are encouraged to participate in the Salmon Sport Head Recovery program by labeling and submitting heads from adipose fin-clipped Chinook and Coho Salmon. Recovery of coded-wire tags provides critical information for coast-wide stock assessment. Contact the Salmon Sport Head Recovery Program toll free at 1-866-483-9994 for further information.

Did you witness suspicious fishing activity or a violation? If so, please call the Fisheries and Ocean Canada 24-hour toll free Observe, Record, Report line at 1-800-465-4336 or by email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at 1-866-431-FISH (3474).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Brad Beaith, WCVI Recreational Fisheries Manager, Brad.Beaith@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Barbara Mueller, Fraser River and Interior Resource Manager, Barbara.Mueller@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Erika Watkins, ECVI Recreational Fisheries Manager, Erika.Watkins@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Or contact your local DFO office http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/contact/regions/pacific-pacifique-eng.html


Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN1129
Sent October 26, 2021 at 14:55
Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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[spring time]

And yet when I was coming back from hunting there were gillnets in the Fraser under the Alex Fraser bridge

 

[RalphH]

Recreational retention of chum in the Fraser watershed was closed on Oct 15th and since has been expanded to "closed to angling for chum". FN chum FSC fishery only opened in the last week. I'm surprised the sport fishery in the chuck remained open as long as it did.

 

[Aces]

It's all about re allocation

 

[wildmanyeah]

And yet when I was coming back from hunting there were gillnets in the Fraser under the Alex Fraser bridge

They were out fishing today there in there commercial boats, just drove past

 

[searun]

There will be other in-river closures for Chum announced this week as more data on escapement comes available. From a conservation stand-point everyone needs to set aside various agendas at play and simply do the right thing for conservation IMO. Finger pointing isn't going to help on that front. Working collaboratively might.

 

[wildmanyeah]

Recreational retention of chum in the Fraser watershed was closed on Oct 15th and since has been expanded to "closed to angling for chum". FN chum FSC fishery only opened in the last week. I'm surprised the sport fishery in the chuck remained open as long as it did.

shutting down the ocean recreational fishery while agree yes great thing to do and should of been done earlier. The amount of chum harvested in the SOG is such a tiny token amount its pretty inconsequential. IMO this is all just to put pressure on the fraser FSC chum fishery. As we know the First Nation response is if your gonna shut us down in the fraser then the whole coast needs to be shut down as well.

 

[Dale66]

Agree with searun as long as the other group works collaborative too & does theyre part

 

[Whitebuck]

Netting all week in Maple Ridge as well past Mission.

Worst chum return the Fraser Valley has seen in a very long time.

Guess Roe sales are more important than conservation and the well beings of our rivers.

 

[RalphH]

shutting down the ocean recreational fishery while agree yes great thing to do and should of been done earlier. The amount of chum harvested in the SOG is such a tiny token amount its pretty inconsequential. IMO this is all just to put pressure on the fraser FSC chum fishery. As we know the First Nation response is if your gonna shut us down in the fraser then the whole coast needs to be shut down as well.

I can see the point that the #s harvested in the ocean sport fishery is of little significance yet many people who fish for salmon in the Fraser valley get perplexed that the tidal water fisheries continue while non-tidal never open or receive a very narrow window or get shut for conservation well before it happens in the SOG. It makes little difference to me as I seldom fish for chum these days. Many FW anglers puruse it as a roe fishery. Some of the FW fisheries are almost S_shows at the best of times with spawning females being harvested. At the least the SOG fishery has more quality aspect than the FW fishery does.