Vedder/Chilliwack native fisherie

[sbd]

Ok as a lot of us are hunters and lot of us do fish to,so this what is going to happen to the Chilliwack and Vedder rivers this salmon season,there is a proposed native sockeye fisherie for these waters during the summer and that this fisherie would take place from the Sumas river to Chilliwack Lk and DFO has no idea when this is going to take place and how many fish are to be taken and is there going to be any monitoring by DFO and conservation officials,remember that we as recreational anglers would released these fish for years to not to endanger this run of fish,so voice your concern with DFO,remember how well DFO keeps numbers of sockey stocks

[jml11]

Would this include the federally endangered Cultus Lake stock?

[Sleep Robber]

They were planning on giving the Natives a dip net/ beach seine fishery within the last 2 weeks of July but with the high water they may resort to gillnets. They say there is an abundance of Chilliwack Lake sockeye. Isn't that a good thing ?? !!!!! Let the left overs die and give back to the river itself for a change.

Hopefully we see no nets on the Chilliwack/Vedder River, this year or any other year, I think they do enough damage on the others as it is, but that's just my opinion. My understanding is that the First Nations have plenty of other waters to harvest their fish, they don't need this river too.

[rides bike to work]

They already do net these waters usually at night on the soowalhee reserve I've whatched. It a small group of guys that are fishing there traditional grounds.They do it during steelhead season to and try to weigh in the big ones at feeds for the derby I know Fred has talked to cos about this but really this is their land we are just visitors and I don't think we are going to see that change in our life time.I would like to see a short opening for sports though as the river is boiling with sockey right now.

[BUCKJR]

gill net at Lickman Rd. Yesterday. Painful to say the least!

[Sleep Robber]

Dip net and beach seine fishery starting tomorrow, the info below is from a fishing website.

"If you plan to fish the Chilliwack/Vedder River system in the next week or so, please be aware that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has provided a First Nations fishery opening for Chilliwack Lake sockeye salmon. A dip net fishery will take place from Vedder Crossing Bridge to the outlet of the Chilliwack Lake. This fishery will start tomorrow and will go for 6 days during daylight hours only. A beach seine will take place below the train crossing bridge at Yarrow to the confluence into the Fraser River Mainstem. This fishery will be for two days starting tomorrow where most of the action should take place in the Vedder Canal. The current target is 15,000 fish."

"This information comes from direct communication from DFO resource managers and the local SFAC group."

[genockous]

Drop a few bales of hay above the nets,that will help the fishing

[Dirty]

We should not discourage the harvest of fish that will undoubtedly be sold by First Nations. We should encourage and embrace the economic rewards exploited by First Nations in BC. By doing so, we will allow them to use the money to buy alcohol and drugs, which will cause the eventual destruction of their people. That is if we are lucky.

[Beard]

maybe they will just net and kill them all then they will all be out of jobs.

[PKernohan]

Are they not trying to protect and rebuild the protected Cultus lake sockeye? Have they not done studies to determin causes of low returns to this fragile system?? How are the FN going to tell a Chilliwack lake sockeye from a Cultus lake sockeye??? The only way they could have done this so that there would be NO chance of catching any of these PROTECTED fish is to allow them to net ABOVE Sweltzer creek. To allow a FN fishery below this is absolute BS, and a complete waste of time, energy, and I'm sure a few tax dollars.

Pissed...

-PK

[Sleep Robber]

Cultus Lake sockeye are marked and all of the bands that fish {out of the 11 bands that applied for the fishery} will be releasing them {we hope}.

Hytorically, the Cultus Lake sockeye do not enter the river until the late part of August and into the fall, lets just hope that there aren't too many early fish that get retained by the "ones" that don't care.

[Dirty]

Cultus Lake sockeye are marked and all of the bands that fish {out of the 11 bands that applied for the fishery} will be releasing them {we hope}.

Hytorically, the Cultus Lake sockeye do not enter the river until the late part of August and into the fall, lets just hope that there aren't too many early fish that get retained by the "ones" that don't care.

You are completely wrong. They are not all marked. Only the hatchery fish are marked, all wild fish are unmarked.

The Cultus Lake Sockeye do enter the river before the later part of August. I am almost positive they have had fish up the creek in July before. They also hold above Sweltzer Creek before entering the creek itself. This removes the possibility of just netting above the creek.

This fishery was in the works before the fish even arrived this year. They already planned it last year with anticipation of a large run this year with the dominant cycle. To my knowledge, it is a run that has never been targeted in a legal terminal fishery. The indians on the Soowhalie reserve have been illegally netting them for years.

The people representing sports anglers crapped the bed big time on this one. With knowledge that the FN would receive an opening, the sportsfishing advocates should have lobbied for a share of the fish too.

What is going to happen to all the chinook that are caught?

[PKernohan]

The people representing sports anglers crapped the bed big time on this one. With knowledge that the FN would receive an opening, the sportsfishing advocates should have lobbied for a share of the fish too.

What is going to happen to all the chinook that are caught?


Your right about the sport fishermen crapping the bed, but not because we didn't lobby to get our "fair share" of the fish but because we didn't fight to keep this fishery closed to everyone. I for one don't take pride in raping a fishery that isn't strong enough to support itself just so I can stock my freezer with fish. To me sport fishing is just that...sport, not a just a meat harvest. Could you imaging the gongshow on the vedder if they opened sockeye to everyone!?! Guys would be out there with their 1oz bettys and 6ft leaders just ripping their lines through schools of fish. It's sad but many people think this is the only way to catch a fish.

[f350ps]

Ten foot leaders work way better! Get a job Dirty! :) K

[pnbrock]

dirty is a wise man!!!

[lip_ripper00]

Guys would be out there with their 1oz bettys and 6ft leaders just ripping their lines through schools of fish. It's sad but many people think this is the only way to catch a fish.

You have not been fishing the river lately, it's already happening:-x:-x

[PKernohan]

Actually no I havnt been, trying to finish up some renovations. And to be honest I don't fish that much during this time of year because of the antics out there. If I do go out I'll hike in somewhere so I'm alone or with only 1 or 2 other guys.

[Salty]

We should not discourage the harvest of fish that will undoubtedly be sold by First Nations. We should encourage and embrace the economic rewards exploited by First Nations in BC. By doing so, we will allow them to use the money to buy alcohol and drugs, which will cause the eventual destruction of their people. That is if we are lucky.

Wow. Just wow.

[scoutlt1]

Wow. Just wow.

ya...had to read that a couple of times just to make sure I read it right....wow is right....sad

[Sleep Robber]

Sorry, not all Cultus Lake sockeye are marked, as Dirty says, "only the Hatchery fish are marked", which BTW, is the vast majority of the run.

The last FN fishery on this system was in 1959 {not including the illegals}.

[The Dude]

One of these days I'll find that video of BSPs (Bering Straight Pedestrians [Tm]) with gill nets on the Fraser taking all the dead sockeye out of the nets, and dumping ALL bycatch, including hundreds of edible salmon, over the side to rot. I have 30 minutes of it, non-stop. My friends and I were in absolute shock. They kept MAYBE one is 5-6 salmon. And then we go for a pint after a 12-14 hour day, and a BSP comes in with a trunkload of Sockeye for sale. He was not warmly received.
Sorry, I have little to no sympathy as far as BSP "Fisheries" go.
They cherry pick with absolutely no concern for the future.

[The Dude]

And I'll add to that: Even IF they use modern methods (Motorboats, depthsounders, VHF's and gillnets) and kept ALL fish, smoked the pinks and chum, and fed the Elders and the poor in their Band I don't think I would have any problem with that. Just use what you kill, and lay off endangered stocks.
Pretty simple, respect for all.

[hunter1947]

I would think the fisheries know what they are doing by having this opening but I don't like it when the natives sell there catch to anyone on the street there should be a law implemented that what they catch they keep to eat not sell..

[browningboy]

Wow. Just wow.

I must say he has the balls to say it in which others want to say but don't.....

[Sleep Robber]

I must say he has the balls to say it in which others want to say but don't.....

How much balls does a racist need sitting behind a keyboard ?? Disagreeing on a FN fishery is one thing but statements like his are just ignorant. There's much better ways to voice your opinion than like this.

[bandit]

I would think the fisheries know what they are doing by having this opening but I don't like it when the natives sell there catch to anyone on the street there should be a law implemented that what they catch they keep to eat not sell..

There are laws against selling fish caught under the food and ceremonial license. The problem lies with the enforcement - politically very unwise for DFO to charge / prosecute anyone.

[digger dogger]

I would think the fisheries know what they are doing by having this opening but I don't like it when the natives sell there catch to anyone on the street there should be a law implemented that what they catch they keep to eat not sell..

It used to be that way when I was a kid Wayne..
From what I understand, the ban on fish sales to just anyone, was lifted because the natives say they would trade fish to other bands for, furs ,meats, veggies, flour, ect.
I'm not sure if the other bands had cash to trade or not

[betteroffishing]

at least i know whos side dirtys on when a war breaks out. what would your " better ways of dealing with it " be exactly? write your politicians ? yeah , thatll work. report a poacher? oh thats right there not poaching they are just recognised as superrior canadians who get special rights decreed by our spineless leaders . i have had no problem releasing sockeye in the vedder over the years because i understood that they were in danger , hearing that now some other tribe gets to kill a bunch of them due to their ancestry is just plain b-llsh-t , and makes me wonder just how endangerred are they . inconsistencies do nothing but lessen the credibility of the rule makers , and therefor lead to less compliance to those rules. was dirty a bit over the top ? maybe so , but i hear him more and more every day. sad but true.

[Sleep Robber]

at least i know whos side dirtys on when a war breaks out. what would your " better ways of dealing with it " be exactly? write your politicians ? yeah , thatll work. report a poacher? oh thats right there not poaching they are just recognised as superrior canadians who get special rights decreed by our spineless leaders . i have had no problem releasing sockeye in the vedder over the years because i understood that they were in danger , hearing that now some other tribe gets to kill a bunch of them due to their ancestry is just plain b-llsh-t , and makes me wonder just how endangerred are they . inconsistencies do nothing but lessen the credibility of the rule makers , and therefor lead to less compliance to those rules. was dirty a bit over the top ? maybe so , but i hear him more and more every day. sad but true.

I completely understand the way he feels on this issue but to say he hopes the FN people will buy booze and dope with fish sales money and kill themselves off is nothing short of being a racist little child, I mean grow the f--k up would ya. The only reason the FN people are allowed to fish this system this year is because of the abundance in surplus Chilliwack Lake sockeye and the predicted low numbers in the Fraser River this year. I don't like it any more than he does but it is what it is.

I would hope you have had no problems in releasing sockeye in the Vedder/Chilliwack River, since there hasn't been any retention of sockeye for the recreational sector.:roll:

Like I said, I personally don't like the fishery myself, but I'm not about to lower myself and act like an ignoramus when it comes to speaking my mind and as I've mentioned before, one can voice his/her opinion without being a racist, obviously Dirty doesn't see it that way. You see, I have many FN friends and if I don't like the politics that surrounds the FN fisheries I don't call them names or put them down in ways of humiliation etc etc. THAT would make me a racist. I can NOT like the LAWS but I can STILL like the PEOPLE. Get it ??

[huntcoop]

Sometimes one must call a spade a spade.

[Walking Buffalo]

It used to be that way when I was a kid Wayne..
From what I understand, the ban on fish sales to just anyone, was lifted because the natives say they would trade fish to other bands for, furs ,meats, veggies, flour, ect.
I'm not sure if the other bands had cash to trade or not


Coastal Nations used Dentalium shells as a form of currency. A monetary system using various small, difficult to obtain items as Cash was used throughout North America.

[Old Crow]

Dirty,,,show em your metis card.

[ElectricDyck]

It's a greed thing, they rape the fishery because it's easy money, like $20 bills floating down the river and people buy the fish, greed feeding greed. No market for the fish, it's back to the other easy money, sitting back and collecting a cheque. It's human nature really, not too many people wouldn't do the same given the opportunity. I do my part in my mind by not buying the fish.

Don't get upset with Dirty, he's just voicing his frustration at the system. There are laws that are not being enforced, how are people supposed to respect the law when the people that are supposed to enforce it don't?

[Old Crow]

Since the other thread was locked. Here are my thoughts.While I do not agree with this fishery which he speaks of,we need to look at the bigger picture..There around 200,000 First Nations people in the province.That leaves over 4 million others.Who rapes the resource more?Is it the Stolo band with a few thousand people or is it big business and politicians that allow our forests to be clear cut,rivers damned,resources extracted or herring for example to be commercial fished to extinction??I'd be willing to bet just about anything these people are the descendants of the same europeans that arrived on this wonderful place Some many years ago.Hyprocricy....don't ya think

[Salty]

Agreed on the fisheries issues Crow and add that I totally disagree with any FN commercial fishing in fresh water.