This is a discouraging phenomenon. But it is worth being aware of.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/02/24/4872713-cp.html
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/02/24/4872713-cp.html
Trawl bycatch of chinook
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yes this is a big issue that has been going on for many years! i was on a trawler fishing for polluck 16 years ago and its true. the huge net catches everything! they would bring up a full net and dump it in the sorting bins. the fish go by on a conveyor belt and we throw everything over the side thats not a polluck. salmon cod halibut squid. all dead. pretty sad if you ask me. but i was too young to know any better
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170 Posts
I used to go sport fishing with a commercial fisherman and he told me the same thing. They would catch non targeted fishes and throw them back in the water dead. It was better to throw the dead fish back then to get caught by fisheries. It amazes me how much fish is wasted and makes me wonder how good the fishiing would had been if we started practicing conservation earlier.
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fisheries were ride alongs. they stood there and watched the dead fish get tossed back, dead. they have known about it for many years
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Sad thing is that this is all that was reported (and from one boat if i heard correctly) which is 4 times the quota for the whole area G WCVI troll fleet ??? :'(.......OOPS
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one quarter of the Alaskan quota.....I can believe that....... still Thats 4 TIMES the (well almost) the whole west coast Van Isle troll fleet set at 39,000 pieces
Well we could call it just over 3 times being optomistic....
Well we could call it just over 3 times being optomistic....
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193 Posts
Not advocating commercial fishing here but trolling and trawling are two completely different things.
Trolling is done with six stainless lines almost the same as downriggers .Each line is usually fitted with 10 separate leaders with lures(Barbless) and is selective although mortality is oftenup to 25% if the fisherman is not able to retrieve lines steadily.
Trawling is done with big boats which drag a windsock shaped net throught the water and is completely destructive
The west coast troll fleet was actually allocated 55000 Chinook this season based out of ucluelet. The opening is for winter feeder springs primarily destined for the columbia and they were only able to fish this season for 3 days due to extreme weather for a total of 2300 pieces split between 113 boats. Only 38 of the 113 boat fished for more than 5 days and 1 boat fished 12 days. I think the last remnants of a once prolific industry should be cut a bit of slack from the public as many will be forced to relocate and find different work as they are nearing the last few years of their working careers.
:2cents:
Trolling is done with six stainless lines almost the same as downriggers .Each line is usually fitted with 10 separate leaders with lures(Barbless) and is selective although mortality is oftenup to 25% if the fisherman is not able to retrieve lines steadily.
Trawling is done with big boats which drag a windsock shaped net throught the water and is completely destructive
The west coast troll fleet was actually allocated 55000 Chinook this season based out of ucluelet. The opening is for winter feeder springs primarily destined for the columbia and they were only able to fish this season for 3 days due to extreme weather for a total of 2300 pieces split between 113 boats. Only 38 of the 113 boat fished for more than 5 days and 1 boat fished 12 days. I think the last remnants of a once prolific industry should be cut a bit of slack from the public as many will be forced to relocate and find different work as they are nearing the last few years of their working careers.
:2cents:
Yup. I agree with everything you've said Swiftwater. I am a commercial fisherman, and I suspect you have connections to the industry too. I don't think Fishaholic or myself were confusing the troll and trawl fisheries, we were commenting on the disparity between numbers caught in a fishery targeting chinook and numbers of chinook discarded as trawl bycatch. Probably a good point to clear up for others less familiar with the industry though.
For what it's worth, I do advocate commercial fishing. While I see no future for myself in it, I think a that people who make fishing their livelihoods can be some of the most powerful and dedicated advocates of effective conservation. Commercial fishing can be sustainable, and it is part of the tragedy of this waste of salmon that it will tarnish the image of the industry as a whole.
For what it's worth, I do advocate commercial fishing. While I see no future for myself in it, I think a that people who make fishing their livelihoods can be some of the most powerful and dedicated advocates of effective conservation. Commercial fishing can be sustainable, and it is part of the tragedy of this waste of salmon that it will tarnish the image of the industry as a whole.
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193 Posts
Point well made
The bycatch of the trawl fleet is disgraceful and there is no way to stop that side of this type of fishing.
The unfortunate problem is that we are not able to find the right solutions to ensure a selective pollack fishery.
You are correct I have and have had ties to the commercial industry,My father was a troller gilnetter along the coast until the licences were separated to upper ,lower coast ,at which point we chose the lower coast and sold the licence in the buyback program, We now guide clients from around the world.
Its a much better livelyhood for the most part.
It is sad to see the sportfishing go the way of the commercial fishery and if we let it ,this too will be gone.
The bycatch of the trawl fleet is disgraceful and there is no way to stop that side of this type of fishing.
The unfortunate problem is that we are not able to find the right solutions to ensure a selective pollack fishery.
You are correct I have and have had ties to the commercial industry,My father was a troller gilnetter along the coast until the licences were separated to upper ,lower coast ,at which point we chose the lower coast and sold the licence in the buyback program, We now guide clients from around the world.
Its a much better livelyhood for the most part.
It is sad to see the sportfishing go the way of the commercial fishery and if we let it ,this too will be gone.
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