Steelhead put at risk

The heat is definitely on DFO over last year’s fishery as some of the fallout from a Monday press conference begins to attract more and more media attention.

On Monday, we featured a story found in the Vancouver Sun over the findings of The Watershed Watch Salmon Society and North Coast Steelhead Alliance, they both released documents that they suggest show that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans “caved in” to political pressure to force a late season one day opening, an opening that they say put steelhead stocks at risk.

The Tyee is the latest media source to take a look at the issue with this feature piece on their website today.

The Daily News provided its interpretation of the developments stemming from Monday’s press release, with a front page story in Tuesday’s paper.

‘OPENING PUT STEELHEAD AT RISK’ CLAIM DFO’S CRITICS
Groups say one-day Skeena fishery hit stocks because of bycatch fatalities
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Pages one and three

Environmental groups and sports fishermen from upriver are alleging that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) allowed over-fishing during last year’s commercial sockeye opening.

The groups claim that pressure from the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union and City of Prince Rupert encouraged the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to extend the commercial sockeye season to the point were it endangered steelhead runs.

“We think the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ failure to responsibly manage this fishery is endangering the long-term health of Skeena wild salmon and the economy of the entire Skeena watershed,” said Vicky Husband, who is with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

The groups are now calling for an independent investigation to determine what happened in 2006.

During a press conference in Vancouver on Monday, the Watershed Watch and North Coast Steelhead Alliance released documents that show Fisheries and Oceans Canada biologists were concerned about the impact of the sockeye fishery on steelhead and other bycatch.

“The real issue for me is that we said that we would fish selectively to minimize harvest impacts on non-target species and we caved under pressure,” wrote Steve Cox-Rogers, a senior biologist in a memo obtained by the group through the Freedom of Information Act.

The 2006, Skeena commercial sockeye fishery was extended by one-day after the city lead a charge to have bycatch limit for steelhead expanded so the gill-net fleet could get access to a unusually large sockeye run.

The city, MLA and MP got involved last year after it was determined that there was better-than-average steelhead escapement and the pre-season forecast of sockeye had swelled from 1.8 million to more than three million.

Based on the pre-season fisheries plan, the local fleet lost nearly half a million dollars in less than a week when Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the B. C. Ministry of Environment each claimed it was the other agency’s responsibility to decide whether the steelhead by-catch could be increased.

There were more than 130 gillnetters fishing the mouth of the Skeena last year, feeding the shore-based canneries.

However, the conservationist groups allege that the fleet had more than twice the number of days fishing than the 10-year average, up to 29 days.

They added that the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan originally called for commercial openings to end in early August.

They further showed documents that suggest the commercial fleet was not co-operative with DFO guidelines that allow for higher rates of recovery for by-catch like steelhead. This includes using revival boxes and shorter sets as well as weedlines, that sink nets lower and allow those fish that swim along the surface to pass above the nets safely.

“None of the boats we sampled had functioning blue boxes on board… in fact, all of the fishermen I spoke to expressed little desire to participate in reviving steelhead or Coho and were just throwing them back dead or alive as they hit the boat… The proportion of boats using weedlines seems to be very low to non existent this year…“ wrote Steve Cox-Rogers to David Einearson, DFO North Coast Area Chief.

Watershed Watch is an organization aimed at protecting wild salmon while the North Coast Steelhead Alliance, represents sports fishermen in Northwestern B. C.