The recent sport anglers meeting at the Sheraton Four Points hotel in Langford witnessed the birth of a new lobby for saltwater salmon fishing: the South Vancouver Island Angler Coalition. In the past, our concerns were developed and forwarded through the Sport Fish Advisory Board to inform Department of Fisheries and Oceans Minister Keith Ashfield in Ottawa.
The SFAB process also proceeds, but there is a problem: the agreement was that it would not lobby in media because our concerns would be acted upon. Two decade's worth of frustration later, including a constant dwindling of Chinook and the DFO's inability to enhance stocks and do habitat work for our iconic fish, has led to a recognition that it just isn't going to do it. Speakers also noted that it ignores SFAB advice and won't meet with anglers in this area anymore.
One of the problems is that, other than David Anderson, virtually all DFO ministers are from the East Coast where there is no saltwater sport fishery - Who wants to hand-line a cod for sport? - and thus they have no appreciation of how big an industry that sport fishing is in sa国际传媒 Typically valued at $1 billion, give or take $100 million, the sport industry employs about 7,500, making it the largest of the fishing sectors - sport, commercial, farmed and aboriginal.
Salmon are part of west coast identity and Ottawa does not get this. After 40 years of the Salmon Enhancement Program, that was implemented, sort of, and the reality is that stocks are nearing extinction in many areas - the Clayoquot Sound Chinook numbers are staggeringly low: Bedwell - 93; Moyeha - 0; Tranquil - 11; Megin - 35; Cypre - 362. Not even aboriginal food and ceremonial numbers.
Here are some East Coast Vancouver Island Chinook numbers: Cowichan River: 2,889; Nanaimo River, 2009, 2,230; Puntledge, summer Chinook, 1,100; and Campbell River, 4,000. See the trend going in the wrong direction in historical Chinook figures for the Campbell/Quinsam: 2005: 9,100; 2006: 8,300; 2007: 5,800; 2008: 5,400; 2009: 5,000; 2010: 3,391.
The SVIAC aims to change this. "Through proactive, well-funded methodical lobbying we will hold government to account. We will press hard to protect Canadians' fishing rights and fair access to fish. We will pressure government relentlessly to ensure there are abundant healthy fish populations.
We will educate the government at all levels as well as the general public about the historic, social and economic value angling brings to South Vancouver Island." That means a full-time lobbyist.
The newly-created society is asking all anglers to join. An annual membership is $40 for an adult, free for kids, $500 per company, and by donation for Society and Association members.
Phone: 778-426-4141; Email: [email protected]; See: www.anglerscoalition.com.
There are 30,000 saltwater licences in the Victoria area. We have to put up some money and get on with it.
I would add that Chinook netpens are needed right now, as an interim measure. DFO is the stumbling block and has refused to even do a net-pen for pinks in the harbour. While genetic interference is often suggested as the reason, there are no appreciable Chinook stocks from the Nitinat all the way to the Campbell, which is shocking. Alternatively, we pay the hatchery in the San Juans to put out even more Chinook in the U.S. because they like to come to Victoria. Time to join the SVIAC.
