[GrandA]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/09/28/illegal-driftnet.html

I'm interested to know what your opinions are on these illegal drift netters in regards to salmon returns. Do you think they are a huge culprit in small returns?? Should we be focusing more concerns on these suckers!?

 

[hotrod]

I believe we all have suspected this going on for a long time.As per the poor returns over the last decade or so. They are not surviving the ocean but not to the degree that has occurred this past 10 years.There's more than natural causes that are to blame for the decli9ning stocks. I say blow all those ships up so they can't come back and rape the sea!



Hotrod

 

[TheNinja]

No , doubt if people should start whining about this stuff rather than flossing its THE REAL PROBLEM the japanese are absolutely raping this coast and the portugal fishing fleet is picking the other coast clean with hi-tech ships

 

[Junebug]

Where's Brian Tobin when he's needed ?

 

[Fairweather fisherman]

A friend of mine is a commercial fisherman and has been since the early eighties. He told me there were so many sockeye last year it was one of the years that makes his job worthwhile. There are good years and bad years for him and he has said that as long as you are prepared for the bad times, the good times still make up for it.

 

[GrandA]

I think the Canadian Forces should get involved to monitor these situations.. Hot Rods idea of blowing up a few ships will definately get the point accross..

 

[Rivahman]

The Canadian forces are monitoring the situation. It was an Aurora a/c that took the pics. The Japanese are NOT involved. The ships are most notably of Chinese origin, both Red China and Taiwan. North Korea might be involved as well.

There is not alot that can be done, at least by our own people. The ships are operating on the high seas outside Canada's 200 mile limit so we have no legal jurisdiction to prosecute. Having said that, most of the countries around the Pacific Rim have signed an agreement to stop high seas drift netting and permit signatories of the agreement to board suspect vessels at sea. All that can be done though by enforcement authorites is to turn the vessel over to the authorities of the vessel's home country and hope that severe action is taken.

The MAIN reason why high seas drift netting was prohibited was because the gear type is indescriminate and kills many non target species such as turtles, birds and even the odd whale. Salmon interceptions were high on the list of reasons to prohibit but it was not the main one. High seas drift netters operating off the west coast of North America have traditionally been targetting flying squid, tuna and sharks. All of these species prefer a temperature range higher than that preferred by salmon. Where those species are found in fishable quantities, you don't find any salmon (or at least just the odd one). Conversely, where you find large concentrations of salmon, the other species disappear because the water is too cold. Its easy to point the finger at these boats and say that all our salmon woes are caused by them..but its not true.

I don't condone drift net fishing at all. I'm glad to see it prohibited but the fact is, drift netters operating off our coast never did intercept any large quantity of salmon (I was there, I know). Now, if you look at that portion of the NE Pacific between Midway Island and the Aleutians, then the answer is a definite yes. In that area, the water temps are much cooler and are a haven for salmonids. In fact, that is where most of our steelhead, sockeye, pinks and chums grow up. It was this area, back in the '80s that started the ball rolling to ban drift netters.

 

[flyguy]

well since they are carrying weapons of mass destruction we should be able to blow the ships up :thumbup: .

 

[timbo]

Sure would be nice if we could track the schools of fish we let go from the hatcherys

 

[Dogbreath]

There's Good News and Bad News here.

Good News is that we know the Canadian Forces patrols are having an effect and that other nations are playing their part.

Bad News for people in BC is that some wil become confused as to what the actual challenges are in terms of conserving marine resources.

It's all too easy to say "Oh other people are stealing the fish" when the fact is that there are fewer and fewer fish to steal and the reasons that fish counts are down have little to do with minor league thievery.

Also there's no proof that those pirates are targeting Salmon at all, they could be in too warm a water altogether.

 

[Rivahman]

Way to go Dogbreath... I can see you not only read the article but understand that the challenges facing our salmon resources are far more complex than a few high seas pirates. Too often we fly off the handle and condemn before we know any facts. None of us I am sure care for drift net fishing. If it wasn't the indescriminate gear type that we all know it is, it wouldn't have been banned internationally back in the '80s. The fact is, it is (within the water temps preferred by each species) deadly for flying squid, tuna, sharks and yes salmon. Unfortunately, it is too deadly for sea birds, seals, turtles and the odd whale. From what I know of sea water temps this time of year, I suspect those vessels were targetting warm water species, not salmon (if that makes any difference).

Climbing on my soap box...I always shake my head at people who advocate violence against other people in order to save a bloody fish. I can only think you are in jest and have nothing much to say but... if you truly believe that a human life is less important than a sockeye's, why don't you do the right thing and join the military? Maybe they will even let you pull the trigger. Then we'll see if the same bravado is there. Sitting safe in our homes, we seem all too willing to accept violence against other humans. I mean, whats the risk to us personally besides nothing? Let those poor bastards in uniform keep us amused. We can sit on the couch and watch the Yanks try to turn Baghdad into Dad's Bag. So much for shock and awe. About the only winner was Orville Reddenback and the only losers just women and children. No great loss...just don't kill any fish or we'll brand you a barbarian.

Japanese killing dolphins is a no no but Canadians clubbing seal pups is ok (since they are a competitor to us for fish). Last I looked, seals are a bit further up the evolutionary ladder than dolphins (assuming we are at the top which I seriously question) but hey!....we all remember Flipper and his cute tail walking antics. Chances are if dolphins sat at the mouth of the Fraser chomping on a few salmonids some of you would have a different view of them but since they don't, we are aghast at the killing of them. Climbing down off the box ....

If you truly want to try and make a difference, there are things you can do. Probably none of them will ultimately work but at least you constructively tried to address your concerns (be nice and you will get a response). Here are a few:

1. Send an 'access to information' request to DFO (google access to information canada) asking them for complete details on what DFO is doing to address high seas drift netting off our coast. At the very least, you will get a few DFO people off their collective arses, muttering under their breath, collecting info for you.

2. Contact the Fisheries Minister in Ottawa by letter and ask what steps will be taken by the Canadian government to address this issue with China and whatever countries are ultimately found to be drift netting off our coast. You will get a nice letter back (guaranteed) written on beautiful stationary.

3. Contact your local member of Parliament. You can send a letter to him/her free of any postage. Send it to the OPPOSITION MP, Ottawa. Sending it to the party in power (i.e. the Conservatives right now) is a total waste of time. If you are articulate, you might just get your letter read in the House of Commons and a debate started on the issue. Opposition MPS are always looking for a 'fight'.

4. As we now know at least one Chinese vessel was involved (Peoples Republic of China). Send a letter to the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver or Ottawa asking for China's position on high seas drift netting fishing off our coast and what steps their government will be taking to address this breach of international agreement.

 

[bigjay]

Rivahman,
trying not to be offensive but China's respons to any letter if it even gives on will be bogus. A country that denines that Tenimen Square never ran with blood in 1989 will have no trouble doing the same for issue like this.
And before anyone goes off on who there economy is do so well and that is what protester in 1989 were fighting for stick your greedy head in the sand that what they want. There are two choices in China for those who in other countries would take up political indevors: jail or greed head. As most smart reasonable people would do when given the choice of saving the world or themselves they take the one the Neo-fashist gov. gave them and become rich - who cares if I'm selling posious food, faulty airliner part or Guuchie hand bags, the gov. still kills more than I could ever.
Sorry, for the China rant but the Olympics are coming and we will watch a propoganda machine go wild and be infulaced without our knowlage cause we wimped out... or the Americans did and gave most favored Nation trading statious to China.
One great stat, China has 30,000 internet cops to watch their poeple... that's half the Canadian Army, just to stop those who say turthful things.
Have fun, Jason