October 20, 2014
The Honorable Gail Shea
Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Room 556, Confederation Building
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Mr. Matthew King
Canadian Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Centennial Towers
200 Kent St., 15th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0E6
The Honorable Randy Kamp
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
The Honorable Robert Chisholm
Canadian Opposition Critic to the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans
774 Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
By email: Regional Director General of DFO Pacific Susan Farlinger:
[email protected], Regional Director DFO Pacific Rebecca Reid:
[email protected], Director of Resource Management Program Delivery DFO Pacific Paul Ryall:
[email protected], Area Director South Coast DFO Pacific Andrew Thomson:
[email protected], Area Director Lower Fraser DFO Pacific Jennifer Nener:
[email protected], Area Director Interior DFO Pacific Stu Cartwright:
[email protected] , Barbara Mueller, Resource Manager Lower Fraser Area DFO Pacific:
[email protected]
The gill net opening scheduled by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for October 23, 2014 in area 29 targeting Chum Salmon should be cancelled. This fishery needs to be delayed until the peak of passage of Interior Fraser River Steelhead has concluded. This opening is outlined in fisheries notice; FN 1138 dated October 17, 2014, allowing for an eight hour fishery during the of peak migration of a Steelhead that are currently mandated a Conservation Concern Level stock. Every one of the rare Interior Fraser River Steelhead are of great socio economic importance and an indiscriminate gill net fishery in order to harvest a commercially invaluable species is not prudent. This is especially true in this year of 2014, when there have been numerous commercial fisheries undertaken by the south coast commercial fleet directed towards the abundant and commercially valuable Sockeye Salmon. In the interest of protecting vulnerable co migrating stocks of Pacific Salmon, all Fraser River Commercial Chum Salmon Fisheries need to be delayed until November to allow safe passage of Interior Fraser River Steelhead through the lower Fraser River.
FN 1138 issued by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans allows for the by catch of very weak co-migrating Interior Fraser River Steelhead. Although the opening stipulates that there is to be no retention of Steelhead, Coho Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Chinook Salmon, and Sturgeon in this fishery, scientific evidence suggests that the release of fish from gill net fisheries results in only a 40% survival rate of said fish (DFO Southern Salmon IFMP 2013). The presently returning Interior Fraser River Steelhead are classified by the province of British Columbia as a, “Conservation Concern”, and have been in decline for the past decade. Therefore, as many returning fish as possible should be allowed to pass safely through the mouth of and the Lower Fraser River itself without being subjected to the high probability of fatal encounters associated with gill netting. The Steelhead are a species of high socio economic value, a cultural icon wherever they return in their natal rivers, and a key driver for the economic engine of several dependent Interior of British Columbia communities. The commercial harvest of Chum Salmon is not of comparable value to the economy of British Columbia and this fishery can and should be delayed until November to allow the safe passage of the majority of returning Interior Fraser River Steelhead.
Due to the lack of economic value of Chum Salmon, the commercial fishery scheduled for October 23, 2014, (FN 1138) needs to be cancelled and rescheduled for a later date. This will allow for the co-migrating and extremely valuable Interior Fraser River Steelhead safe passage through the mouth of and Lower Fraser River itself. With Fraser River Chum Salmon numbers building as stated in the above fisheries notice, there is little reason why this fishery could not be delayed and executed at a later date when the peak of the Steelhead migration has concluded. In the interest of sound management of all Fraser River Salmon, good judgment must be exercised by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to ensure the health of all returning Salmon stocks. A gill net opening on Thursday of this week, October 23, 2014, does not qualify as a sound decision insofar as the harvest of this precious Canadian public resource. Please alter the plans for this fishery (FN 1138) and delay the harvest of Lower Fraser River Chum Salmon to a later date in 2014.
Sincerely,
L. B.
