When Will it Stop?

[Haverodwilltravel]

What about eulachons

Exactly!
What about eulachons?
They used to be extremely abundant. I remember catching them by the buckets on the Fraser River every Mothers Day about 60 years ago. We used to use dip nets on the logging booms under the Pattulo Bridge and then have a cookout on the beach.

Where did they go? I think DFO “managed” them to extinction.

So for you folks that have the utmost belief in the DFO narrative that herring populations are sustainable you should ask yourselves why have recreational salmon catch regulations become increasingly restrictive over the years?

When the herring go kaput, the salmon go too.

Have you noticed salmon regs have become increasingly restrictive???
*First catch limits
*Then gear restrictions
*Then size limits
*Then calendar limits.

There are so many salmon that pretty soon it will be catch and release only.


hahaha

 

[onefish]

He's baaaacckkkkk!

 

[Hardy Guy]

He's baaaacckkkkk!

I'm trying to guess what ENGO they are working for ....... RC ? I think you answered your own question re Fraser eulachon .... logging, industry and a huge city on the banks of the Fraser may have something to do with that run.

 

[Derby]

Exactly!
What about eulachons?
They used to be extremely abundant. I remember catching them by the buckets on the Fraser River every Mothers Day about 60 years ago. We used to use dip nets on the logging booms under the Pattulo Bridge and then have a cookout on the beach.

Where did they go? I think DFO “managed” them to extinction.

So for you folks that have the utmost belief in the DFO narrative that herring populations are sustainable you should ask yourselves why have recreational salmon catch regulations become increasingly restrictive over the years?

When the herring go kaput, the salmon go too.

Have you noticed salmon regs have become increasingly restrictive???
*First catch limits
*Then gear restrictions
*Then size limits
*Then calendar limits.

There are so many salmon that pretty soon it will be catch and release only.


hahaha

• Pelagic Update: Herring stock trends and the forecast for the five major areas
• Haida Gwaii didn’t look overly great again this year. Been at low levels around the LRP for a number of years now. Forecast this year was to be slightly above the LRP. Nothing other than FSC and recreational fishing that was planned in that area.
• Prince Rupert stocks in the last three or four years, based on the assessment, have shown an increase. There's been an increase since about the late 2019. Since then it’s been on a general upward swing. Forecast for this coming year was quite good and above the LRP.
• Central Coast saw some recovery. In recent years been bouncing around, not near LRP, but in cautious zone with the 2025 forecast.
• West Coast has been a long and slow building of spawning biomass since mid-2000s. In the last two years saw a pretty significant jump in the spawn index.
• Strait of Georgia there was updated science information and now looks a bit different than the other four areas. Stocks since around 2010 have actually been quite stable. Forecast this year was also in the healthy zone above the upper stock reference point.

• 2024/2025 Herring Fisheries
• FSC and Recreational fisheries open coastwide
• Commercial Fisheries
• Strait of Georgia
• 14% harvest rate, total TAC of 11,600 tonnes
• For Special Use (805 t), Food and Bait (1,905 t) and Roe (8,832 t)
• Prince Rupert
• 5% harvest rate, 2,380 tonnes
• SOK and roe herring
• Central Coast
• Limited Spawn on Kelp in Kitasoo Bay (3 licenses)
• WCVI
• Regular SOK licenses (4 total) and Five Nations SOK harvest
• Haida Gwaii
• Closed to commercial harvest consistent with the rebuilding plan
• 
  
• : 2025 Herring In-season Observations to date
• SOG
• Roe fisheries currently open
• Spawn observations consistent with recent years
• WCVI
• Spawn reported in most areas, additional spawn likely
• Significant spawn around Bajo Reef on Nootka Island and around Friendly Cove
• Spawn assessment underway
• Five Nations SOK fishery is underway
• Other Areas
• Assessment beginning soon

 

[Haverodwilltravel]

I'm trying to guess what ENGO they are working for ....... RC ? I think you answered your own question re Fraser eulachon .... logging, industry and a huge city on the banks of the Fraser may have something to do with that run.

I respectfully suggest that you only supported your own narrative with your answer.

Your explanation does not adequately explain why there is still an eulachon fishery in Alaska and Washington, but the BC Eulachon fishery has been cancelled since 2005.

 

[Hardy Guy]

There are still several harvests in BC but they are are FN only: Nass, Skeena, klilana Kleene, rivers in Douglas channel and others at times. You can read stock status reports from DFO science. There is no doupt the Fraser returns are not wgat they once were but it's not all on over fishing. FN do not support cimnercial harvests on them. The Skeena and Nass gave seen some very large returns and harvests in recent years.

 

[Derby]

There is a limited bye catch regarding Eulachons in the Shrimp fishery and the Dept. does its best to mitigate that. I believe the biggest factory of the Fraser River stocks decline is the lower river habitat .

 

[Haverodwilltravel]

There is a limited bye catch regarding Eulachons in the Shrimp fishery and the Dept. does its best to mitigate that. I believe the biggest factory of the Fraser River stocks decline is the lower river habitat .

Great!
This explanation still does not explain the collapse of the Bella Coola, Nass, and Skeena eulachon commercial and recreational fishery.

Could it be serious mismanagement?

 

[wildmanyeah]

the increase in anchovies we have been seeing in the SOG and howesound must also be miss management

 

[Haverodwilltravel]

the increase in anchovies we have been seeing in the SOG and howesound must also be miss management

I don’t have any idea about that so I will accede to your wisdom

 

[Derby]

Great!
This explanation still does not explain the collapse of the Bella Coola, Nass, and Skeena eulachon commercial and recreational fishery.

Could it be serious mismanagement?

considering there isn't a directed commercial fishery on them and they hit the river after herring are done and spawn in a freshwater/ tidal area its has to be other factors and at this time don't really have the time to chase however I can make a inquiry.

 

[terrin]

What about eulachons

What about the whiteings? We used to catch them at dundarive pier with all the Italians and Greeks getting their pails fairly full. They don’t catch them there anymore. I might be wrong on the name but from my recollection that is what they were called.

 

[Hardy Guy]

What about the wholly mammoths?

 

[Haverodwilltravel]

What about the wholly mammoths?

I dunno, I never fish for them

 

[terrin]

What about the whiteings? We used to catch them at dundarive pier with all the Italians and Greeks getting their pails fairly full. They don’t catch them there anymore. I might be wrong on the name but from my recollection that is what they were called.

What about the wholly mammoths?

I was actually serious about wondering what happened to them they were plentiful at certain time of year and what their proper name was. They averaged about 12” and had a few whiskers

 

[Haverodwilltravel]

I was actually serious about wondering what happened to them they were plentiful at certain time of year and what their proper name was. They averaged about 12” and had a few whiskers

Whiteing? I never heard of them. I thought you might have been talking about smelts. I have seen
Greeks and Italians catch
Smelts.
Probably another mismanaged type of fish carefully brought to extinction by our great Department of Fisheries.
If you find out what the fish is, please let me know. I am very curious.
Thanks

 

[agentaqua]

The seal population - esp. the Harbour Seals - keep the low Eulachon stocks low, and keep them from rebounding, IMHO...

 

[terrin]

Whiteing? I never heard of them. I thought you might have been talking about smelts. I have seen
Greeks and Italians catch
Smelts.
Probably another mismanaged type of fish carefully brought to extinction by our great Department of Fisheries.
If you find out what the fish is, please let me know. I am very curious.
Thanks

Smelts are caught with a throw net. These were caught hook with a seaworm off the pier.

 

[Sharphooks]

I’m presuming when you say whiteing, you’re referring to Pacific Hake. They seem to be an on again, off again species. In my neighborhood (Salish Sea) they used to be thick as thieves back in the 80’s and 90’s…. They’d show up for the evening chinook bite and once you got one hake on your plug cut herring, it was time to head for the dock because there’d for sure be another 1,000 more behind the first one ….these days you rarely see them.

Their main food source are euphausids which are very sensitive to sea temperatures. Even a slight warming trend is not optimal for either euphausids or Pacic Hake which probably explains the thinning of the herd.

In the 80’s and 90’s there was a huge Russian trawler fleet off the Oregon and Washington coast, all targeting Pacific Hake. Those days are over….the hake were either over-harvested or scattered by climate change….or both.

 

[Haverodwilltravel]

I think Sharphooks is correct.
We used to catch lots of them in Stanley Park, specifically Third Beach to Siwash Rock. That was in the 60’s and 70’s.
I haven't caught one in years.
It was a very tasty fish.