Effective immediately until further notice the daily limit for Sockeye Salmon will be four (4) per day in the following area:
That portion of Subarea 23-1 north of a line drawn from the Lone Tree Point navigational light westerly to a point on the opposite shore located at 49 degrees 11.044 minutes north and 124 degrees 49.552 minutes west, and south of a line in Port Alberni Harbour beginning on the western shore of upper Alberni Harbour at 49 degrees 14.190 minutes north and 124 degrees 50.230 west then through the southernmost point of Hoik Island, then to the flashing green light at the mouth of the Somass River, then due east to a boundary sign on the opposite shore (Lone Tree Point to the mouth of the Somass River).
This change means that the daily limit for Sockeye Salmon is 4 per day in most of Area 23 except for the tidal portions of the SomassRiver which as outlined below remain at 2 per day, Rockfish Conservation Areas, and areas under a finfish closure.
Anglers are reminded that between 05:00 hours to 22:00 hours until July 23, 2022 the daily quota for sockeye salmon remains at two (2)
per day in the following area:
The tidal portion of the Somass River, described as that portion of Subarea 23-1 from the tidal boundary signs at Paper Mill Dam on the Somass River, downstream to a line commencing in upper Alberni Harbour at 49 degrees 14.19 north latitude and 124 degrees 50.23 west longitude, then through the southernmost point of Hoik Island, then to the flashing green light at the mouth of the Somass River, then due east to a boundary sign on the opposite shore.
The area known as Paper Mill Dam Pool remains closed to angling for all finfish. It includes that portion of 23-1 in the Somass River from signs located near the bottom of the rapids immediately north of Paper Mill Dam Pool, then downstream to tidal boundary signs located on both sides of the Somass River, approximately 60 metres downstream from the northern tip of the unnamed island directly below Paper Mill Dam Pool.
Rockfish Conservation Areas; and Finfish closures remain in effect.
Variation Order # 2022-RFQ-275 in effect.
On June 23, 2022 DFO staff met with the Area 23 Harvest Committee to discuss fishery planning for Area 23 Somass Sockeye. The attendees at these meeting included representatives from the Maa-nulth, Tseshaht, and Hupacasath First Nations, and stakeholders from the commercial gillnet and seine fishery, and the Alberni Valley Sport Fishing Advisory Committee. The Somass Sockeye run size has been upgraded to 550,000, and additional fishing opportunities will be available for all sectors.
The Somass Sockeye in-season stock assessment program will be in place in 2022. This program collects escapement, test fishing, catch and environmental information on a weekly basis. This information is collected and a reforecast will be made weekly every Thursday for the duration of the season.
NOTES AND REMINDERS:
Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal waters of British Columbia.
The term "marked", "hatchery marked", or "adipose fin clipped" means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin.
Fishers are encouraged to participate in the Salmon Sport Head Recovery program by labeling and submitting heads from hatchery marked Chinook and Coho Salmon to head depots. New 2022 condition of license for Chinook and Coho head-off length equivalents support participation. The head-off measurement can be used by enforcement officers to assess compliance on size limits if you remove the head from Chinook or Coho. Recovery of microscopic coded-wire tags found inside hatchery marked Chinook and Coho heads provide critical information for coast-wide stock assessment. Contact the Salmon Sport Head Recovery Program toll free at 1-866-483-9994 for further information
If you see a sea turtle, please call this toll-free phone number: 1-866-I SAW ONE (1-866-472-9663). Please include information such as the type of sea turtle seen (i.e. leatherback), the location and time of sighting.
If a marine mammal becomes entangled in fishing gear, fishers should immediately call the Observe, Record, Report (ORR) line at 1-800-465-4336. Fishers are advised not to attempt to free the animal of the fishing gear as this can pose a serious threat to the safety of the fisher and the animal. If your vessel strikes a whale, or if you observe a sick, injured, distressed, or dead marine mammal in B.C. waters, please contact the hotline immediately: 1-800-465-4336 or VHF Channel 16.
Fishers are encouraged to stop fishing (do not haul gear) within 1,000 metres of killer whales and let them pass.
For more information on the best ways to help whales while on the water, when on both sides of the border, please visit:
bewhalewise.org.
Report suspicious activity or violations by email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or by calling the 24-hour, toll-free Observe, Record, and Report line at 1-800-465-4336 or 604-607-4186 in greater Vancouver.
The 24-hour, toll-free information line for fishery notices regarding openings and closures is 1-866-431-3474 or 604-666-2828 in greater Vancouver.
Sockeye - Alberni Inlet - Portions of Subarea 23-1 - Daily Limit Change - Effective
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