To Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries
Subject: Area 4 Commercial Sockeye harvest shutdown required to avert critical impacts to steelhead and other stocks of concern
Dear Honourable Ms Thompson,
The BC Federation of Fly Fishers strongly opposes the DFO decision to expand the Area 4 Skeena approach waters gill net Sockeye fishery past July 31, a date widely acknowledged by the scientific and conservation communities as a ‘hard stop’ deadline, after which unselective fisheries like the commercial gill net fishery should be halted, or significantly curtailed.
The decision to open the fishery, announced on a Friday before the long weekend, without properly consulting the Province of British Columbia, or impacted up-river fishing communities who depend on healthy returns of sockeye and steelhead is disingenuous, and egregious.
Further, the rationale used to justify the opening (test fishery error that underestimated the total allowable catch) is also spurious, as the Gill Net Fleet has had significant opportunity to harvest its allocation, and has not.
Now, several depleted stocks of threatened and endangered sockeye, chum, and most notably, co-migrating steelhead which are approaching their return peak, and which provide vital economic opportunities for the many people, businesses, and communities built around steelhead angling, will be compromised.
Once again, DFO is contravening its own obligations under the Fisheries Act for balancing protection and sustainability of all anadromous fish species, and favouring the least sustainable methods of fishing at expense of the best.
The BC Federation of Fly Fishers expects that FN0743 be revoked immediately, and that going forward annually, without exception, Area 4 commercial fisheries are shut down by July 31.
The Fisheries Act promotes a shared responsibility among partners and stakeholders. As a standing SFAB member, we are incredibly disappointed by this conduct.
Respectfully,
Myles Armstead, President – BCFFF
CC
e.c. DFO: Anna Klassen, Neil Davis, Sanda Davies, Brad Koroluk
e.c. BC WLRS: James Mack, David Travia, Mike Ramsay
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