SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Oh my god. How many more studies do we need to tell us the whales have enough food. Something else going on guys sorry to say. Stop being sheep.
Oh my god. How many more studies do we need to tell us the whales have enough food. Something else going on guys sorry to say. Stop being sheep.
Agree that anglers are losing the PR battle and those pics covering entire floats with salmon, hali, cod, etc really don't help. Even if there are within their legal limits it's just not a good look given the current political climate so I think it would do us all well by showing less of that.
As for your statement about little chinooks growing into Orca food (big chinooks) that it bit of a leap as not all little chinook do grow into big chinook even if they live a full, healthy life. The reason why the SRWK experts are saying this population could be doomed no matter what we do is because the SRKW rely on large (20lb +) chinook for the vast majority of their diets. Chinook this size used to be commonplace coastwide but as any of us who have been around long enough know, chinook size has decreased substantially over the past several decades. The 2 populations of fraser chinook that are significant for the SRKW are the Harrison and S. Thompson because of their relative size and abundance. There are many other populations of smaller chinook that just don't make the SRKW dinner plate, most likely due to their smaller size (harder to catch via echolocation). The easy solution would be to ask the whales to eat smaller chinook and other species but that just aint gonna happen in all likelihood. The major problem these whales have is that the other big chinook that they rely on throughout the year have essentially disappeared (winter run in sacramento; june run in columbia; etc).
Th size issue is also a reason why throwing up a bunch of new hatcheries isn't necessarily going to solve our SRKW issue. In order to do that, we'd need the hatcheries/enhancement pens that are strategically located so that run timing overlaps with SRKW migration and we'd also need those fish to be large in size. Many hatchery fish return as small adults that wouldn't be primary targets for SRKW. It's the larger chinook populations that would have to be enhanced to have meaningful benefits.
All that to say, go ahead a bonk a few small winter hatchery fish! They are tasty as hell and if it's the difference between eating a fresh 8lb hatchery chinook in February vs. thawing out a chunk of your 35lb harrison white you caught in August you can feel good about the winter spring.
". Putting up enhancement pens along the SRKW habitat in the JDF and Salish Sea is exactly what the Orca Food Security Program is all about. We need to produce a lot more large chinook and fast if we are to reduce the starvation issue for the SRKW'swe'd need the hatcheries/enhancement pens that are strategically located so that run timing overlaps with SRKW migration and we'd also need those fish to be large in size."
I cant believe this is even being brought up!!!!! winter fishing sometimes can be a blast when water is calm and have a good heater in boat . Isnt fishing supposed to be fun and a time for people to get together where they can spend time with loved ones and enjoy our waters????? when did we lose that fact?? this is the only fishery thats NOT been regulated or restricted for one reason most of them are hatchery fish that is the facts.
And to blast others for enjoying going out and having fun shame on you too many armchair fishermen on this site now...used to be a good forum not so much anymore
What are you guys talking about, everyone knows that SRKW are starving. They don't have enough Chinook to eat, and unless we close every fishery they are doomed. I strongly encourage you all to totally ignore the other science that says there are more than enough Chinook in Puget Sound to feed the starving orca...it's fake news. The science doesn't fit the beliefs, therefore its fake. Quick, close those fisheries the whales are starving because of an out of control fishery.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02039/
What are you guys talking about, everyone knows that SRKW are starving. They don't have enough Chinook to eat, and unless we close every fishery they are doomed. I strongly encourage you all to totally ignore the other science that says there are more than enough Chinook in Puget Sound to feed the starving orca...it's fake news. The science doesn't fit the beliefs, therefore its fake. Quick, close those fisheries the whales are starving because of an out of control fishery.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02039/
It would be good to see the research that state that SRKW's are not starving. Do you have any other sources for this other than the WA Govt. publication above?
This would be important information to clear up the confusion regarding if the SRKW's are starving or not. Thanks.