DFO Management Neglect West Coast Interior Fraser Steelhead
http://bcwf.net/images/stories/news_...steelhead7.pdf
The BC Wildlife Federation is sounding the alarm about the current management of threatened Thompson and Chilcotin steelhead stocks.
Despite record low returns for these steelhead populations in 2017, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada(DFO) has allowed gillnet and seine net fishing of chum salmon, the only controllable source of mortality of Interior Fraser steelhead.
The current spawning population forecast for the Thompson watershed steelhead is 145 and the current spawning population for the Chilcotin is 45.
An equal number of these fish is estimated to be removed as by-catch in the chum fisheries.
DFO has two policies for managing salmon—one for the East Coast and a different one for the West Coast.
For Atlantic wild salmon, the DFO has set goals to ensure their genetic diversity and their habitats are the highest priority in resource management decision making, which includes closing commercial fisheries that impact their conservation.
BCWF president Harvey Andrusak slammed the DFO for applying uneven and conflicting policies when it comes to managing salmon.
Andrusak said, ““The Fraser River chum salmon fisheries are well documented as the primary reason why Fraser River steelhead bound for the Thompson and Chilcotin rivers are now in a state of Extreme Conservation Concern as identified by provincial biologists”.
Andrusak is angry about the DFO’s neglect of recreational fisheries on the West Coast. He said, “DFO has an inherently strong bias towards commercial fisheries.
In 2017 recreational anglers lost opportunities to catch salmon, halibut, prawns and other species because management decisions were consistently made in favour of commercial fisheries”
Despite BCWF and other sport fishing groups’ efforts to convince DFO to move to more selective fisheries for Fraser River chum salmon there has been no substantial change by DFO. DFO’s intransigence to change has led to the near extinction of Fraser steelhead because these fish are caught indiscriminately by DFO approved net fisheries for chum salmon.
DFO has several conflicting policies stated Andrusak. “On the one hand DFO are advocates for the commercial fishing industry while on the other hand they are the preeminent advocates for conservation. What is worse, and totally irreconcilable, is that the East Coast DFO closed all commercial fisheries to ensure conservation levels for Atlantic salmon, the East Coast equivalent of Pacific coast steelhead. How is this possible on the East Coast but not on the West Coast?” he asked.
These contradictions will form the basis of questions asked of all candidates running inthe December 11, 2017 Federal by-election in South Surrey-White Rock, B.C.
For Further Information
Contact:
BCWF President Harvey Andrusak
Email: handrusak@shaw.ca
Phone:250-551-3674
BCWF Director of strategic initiatives Alan Martin
Email: alan.martin1710@gmail.com
Phone: 250-480-9694
BCWF CommunicationsPhone: (604) 882-9988 ext. 231 Cell: (604) 886-2614
Email: communications@bcwf.bc.ca
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Originally Posted by Spy
