RESIDENT ANGLERS’ FOOD FISHERY DENIED FOR THE FIRST TIME
For Immediate Release: June 16, 2017
Surrey, B.C. - In an unprecedented move the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has closed recreational salmon fishing in the entire Skeena River Watershed to July 14, 2017. This is a closure that has never happened before.
The June 15 DFO decision is in reaction to predicted low returns of Skeena River Sockeye salmon and is being implemented to facilitate First Nations harvesting of Skeena Chinook salmon. This regressive DFO closure has impacted only resident anglers who fish the Skeena and continues to allow interception of these runs in the Pacific Ocean as they come back to their natal rivers.
Jim Glaicar, president of the BC Wildlife Federation, calls the move unreasonable. Glaicar said, “The Minister must manage the interests of all Canadians, based on open, transparent and science-based decision making. It is not appropriate management to suddenly change the percentage of fish that has been historically available to recreational fishers.”
DFO’s role is to balance conservation goals with Aboriginal, recreational and commercial fishing opportunities. With this decision, the DFO has abandoned its responsibility to recreational fisheries on the Skeena system.
Ken Franzen, co-chair of the BCWF’s tidal water fisheries committee, said the Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) had worked very hard with DFO to develop a fishing plan that would accommodate both First Nations fishers and the recreational fishery. Franzen said, “Through the SFAB process, we agreed to reduce our catch of Chinook salmon on the Skeena River by 50 per cent, and to entirely close recreational Chinook fishing on Skeena Tributaries to ensure conservation. This decision betrays the interests of recreational anglers and must be revisited.”
In 2016 a similar situation played out in the Fraser River but all fishers, both in-stream and in the Pacific, bore the brunt of predicted poor returns. This Skeena decision plays favorites and results in resident anglers being shut out, while everyone else maintains their ability to catch fish.
The BC Wildlife Federation calls on the DFO to manage the fisheries for all Canadians. This decision is an example of a unilateral, inconsistent and regressive approach to fisheries management.
The unilateral approach is a recurring theme; a few weeks ago DFO announced it was terminating Salmonids in the Classroom, the Resource Restoration unit, and steelhead and cutthroat production at federal hatcheries. The announcement came as a total surprise to everyone who cares about anadromous fish, including Province of British Columbia, and DFO staff. While the decision was overturned June 15 after public backlash, it shows DFO is operating in an Ottawa-based bubble and that it is out of touch with people and salmon in Western Canada.
The Federation calls on Minister LeBlanc to reserve this decision and retain fair access to the resource for all Canadians. We will continue to stand up for the rights of resident anglers to fish for food.
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Originally Posted by Asco
