Jump to content

      



























Photo

Fishing


  • Please log in to reply
456 replies to this topic

#241 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 11 November 2020 - 11:21 PM

Great day on the Cowichan River today, which is a sentimental favorite for most island anglers, inasmuch as it is a designated Canadian Heritage River. The system appears to be in very good shape, possibly the best I've seen in several years, plenty of big Chinook are returning to spawn, which is naturally a great sign. "K" broke the rod tip on his brand new $500 rod fighting a big slabbie - good thing for him its under warranty.

 

Both "D" and I lost a few lures tussling with these big hogs but all is fair out on the river. I'll happily lose a $10 lure for a feisty man-to-fish tug of war. We hoped to see more Coho - I did hook but did not land one today - but it was 99% Chinook as far as we could tell.

 

We got to Sandy Pool early, by about 7:15 but the small parking lot was already overflowing and the river at that time was very high and fast flowing, so we moved on about 5 kms up the river until we found a great access point. Parked and walked about 10 minutes down a trail paralleling the river and then perhaps another 200 meters upstream along the river proper, where we found some nice flat water sections of the river and a couple of really nice deeper pools. "Access" along the Cowichan is becoming more challenging year over year due to the encroachment of private property/lands along the river proper.

 

Had an interesting convo with a local guide contracted out to DFO to drive the entire length of the system specifically to canvass and record the observations of anglers up and down the river about how many fish we're seeing, what species, how long we fished a particular segment of the river, whether we were fly or spin casting etc. Nice to see some actual planning and thought and 'science' occurring in BC fish management...!

 

We got into an animated discussion with him on one of the sorest topics among those of us who love this river, namely the annual drunken inner tubing nonsense that occurs each year on this special river, and which does great harm to it. Like us he hated the idea of it but did mention that one of the key properties where tubers enter the river is apparently for sale and there is hope among locals that a new buyer will put the kibosh on that highly destructive activity. We can but hope because all that sun tan lotion and screen glopped onto a couple thousand people winds up in the river, massively impacting primary fish food sources by compromising and killing off bug hatches.


  • todd likes this

#242 lanforod

lanforod
  • Member
  • 11,240 posts
  • LocationSaanich

Posted 12 November 2020 - 09:35 AM

Re the tubing, Seems like a fun activity to me. Is the sunscreen the main issue? Is garbage a problem too? Anything else? It really should be okay to allow to me - but with some rules - specific safe or banned sunscreen. No drinking (that's just dangerous). Pack in pack out etc.



#243 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 12 November 2020 - 09:45 AM

Re the tubing, Seems like a fun activity to me. Is the sunscreen the main issue? Is garbage a problem too? Anything else? It really should be okay to allow to me - but with some rules - specific safe or banned sunscreen. No drinking (that's just dangerous). Pack in pack out etc.

 

 

Yes it is, although of course any garbage tossed into or left behind in such a sensitive ecosystem also affects it massively per the links below; and not just fish but other wildlife as well. Drinking while on the water is just stupid and I really am indifferent to what happens to someone dumb enough to do it to be frank. Its really no different than drinking and driving. Trout in particular are impacted by the chemicals in the sun screen since they really depend on the bug hatches for food.

 

https://www.focusonv...a/reporting/16/

 

https://www.cheknews...on-ends-700692/



#244 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,328 posts

Posted 12 November 2020 - 10:22 AM

Although the influx of visitors to Lake Cowichan was good for local businesses this summer, some residents who live near the river described the summer as nothing short of a nightmare.

 

Joe Saysell said living on the river’s edge was “complete hell” explaining that hundreds of tubers, sometimes thousands of tubers would clog the water, despite it being a pandemic.

 

“Oh it’s just been complete hell,” said Saysell, who has lived along the river for 70 years. “This has been the worst year yet. This is by far the worst year.”

 

 

https://www.cheknews...on-ends-700692/

 

 

 

 

 

old man yells at clouds.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 November 2020 - 10:22 AM.


#245 UDeMan

UDeMan
  • Member
  • 744 posts

Posted 12 November 2020 - 02:54 PM

https://www.timescol...lmon-1.24237787

 

Seagulls watch what the sea lions are up to. Mercer recently watched the birds flock to a sea lion which was catching salmon in the water and slapping the bodies on the dock — sending a spray of orange-coloured fish roe into the air. Both the birds and sea lions love the roe, he said

 

 

 

those are some fat sea lions.  But when they look at declining salmon stocks they blame the fish farming industry.  I don't think those sea lions are eating veggie burgers.  



#246 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 13 November 2020 - 07:27 AM

https://www.timescol...lmon-1.24237787

 

Seagulls watch what the sea lions are up to. Mercer recently watched the birds flock to a sea lion which was catching salmon in the water and slapping the bodies on the dock — sending a spray of orange-coloured fish roe into the air. Both the birds and sea lions love the roe, he said

 

 

 

those are some fat sea lions.  But when they look at declining salmon stocks they blame the fish farming industry.  I don't think those sea lions are eating veggie burgers.  

 

Destructive and stupid human activities far outweigh anything the sea lions are doing in terms of ravaging our fish stocks; everything from ruinous forestry practices to the widespread use of gill nets to open net fish farms all contribute to the massive decline of our salmon stocks. Combine all of them with a historically ineffectual (at best) DFO, and you have the recipe for the horrific declines decade over decade.

 

And "yes" our (BC's) fish farm practices are far from ideal or responsible IMO:

 

https://thetyee.ca/N...t-Salmon-Farms/



#247 Mattjvd

Mattjvd
  • Member
  • 1,046 posts

Posted 19 November 2020 - 09:56 AM

Destructive and stupid human activities far outweigh anything the sea lions are doing in terms of ravaging our fish stocks; everything from ruinous forestry practices to the widespread use of gill nets to open net fish farms all contribute to the massive decline of our salmon stocks. Combine all of them with a historically ineffectual (at best) DFO, and you have the recipe for the horrific declines decade over decade.

 

And "yes" our (BC's) fish farm practices are far from ideal or responsible IMO:

 

https://thetyee.ca/N...t-Salmon-Farms/

Not only that, but Sea Lions primarily eat octopus, squid, herring, and anchovies. They will eat salmon, but it's not their main diet.


  • AllseeingEye and Tom Sawyer like this

#248 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 30 November 2020 - 07:08 PM

This comes as zero surprise and is truly criminal IMO; we all know logging practices for the most part in this province are shite but it really hits home when you get up into the wild remote places and see the massive negative impact logging has on watershed ecosystems everywhere on this island. The scale of the destruction really has to be seen to be believed in many cases.

 

What we witnessed last year north west in the high country past Sayward was enough to make a grown man weep, regardless whether you fish or not. From the Carmanah to the Insular Mountains on the northern end of the island the forest companies and political parties of all stripes in BC are equally to blame:

 

https://thenarwhal.c...elhead-decline/



#249 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 03 December 2020 - 10:03 PM

Lovely yet another example of humans spreading their industrial crapulence all over the globe, with nature as usual taking the full brunt of our indifference and ineptitude right in the mush.

 

BC coho populations throughout the province have been on the decline for years and it seems we have another culprit to add to the list, in addition to climate change/warming oceans, shortsighted forestry and commercial fishing practices and generally historically inadequate DFO oversight:

 

https://www.sciencem...lmon in the lab.



#250 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 07:31 AM

DFO is pretty strict, no? Friends and family in the fishing industry know them to be on the ball and no-nonsense when it comes to regulations, seasons, quotas and oversight.

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#251 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 09:31 AM

DFO is pretty strict, no? Friends and family in the fishing industry know them to be on the ball and no-nonsense when it comes to regulations, seasons, quotas and oversight.

 

 

Sure when you can find them or when they appear on the ground or water which is seldom to never; also in the not so distant past fishermen seriously questioned much of their 'science' which as much as anything appeared to be guesswork as opposed to hard data when it came to estimating fish stocks.

 

In nearly 40 years fishing both salt and freshwater from the Victoria waterfront to BC interior rivers and lakes, I've encountered DFO/enforcement personnel exactly twice, and one those occasions was last spring when two DFO's trucks were parked on the Circle Route road between Duncan and Pt Renfrew to ensure people weren't violating pandemic orders not to be camping in the back country.

 

The only other time was in the early 90's when a DFO guy showed up at Cheanuh Marina asking to see our licenses at the fish cleaning station. Given crashing fish stocks essentially "everywhere" in coastal BC my expectation is that the latter activity would be commonplace - it is not. Two DFO guys parked on the Circle Route (nowhere near a lake or river), having a smoke and slurping their Starbucks does little to inspire confidence....



#252 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 09:50 AM

There was a ban on camping in the back-country? Where did you hear DFO was stationed to ensure people weren't violating pandemic orders? That's the first I've heard of this.

 

DFO is busy dealing with commercial fishing operations, frequently, not a couple of guys fishing a river. They pull up when you're unloading in port, they board your vessel as you're fishing, and they patrol via aircraft to watch your activity. I think the angst about the DFO not doing their job is veering into conspiracy territory, when down on the sea they're active and a big presence. I think they have anticipated license quotas and if they're purchased, they have a rough idea of the volume of people fishing. If the quota falls they can get suspicious that a certain volume of people are not buying licenses, and step up patrols.


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#253 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 11:04 AM

No you're interpreting my comments for your own ends: back in the spring the Chief Medical Officer of the province and the Premier - not to mention local FN's - 'strongly encouraged' no camping or over-nighting in that area. Perhaps not an outright ban but you know very well what I mean: the FN's at one point even put up a blockade to outsiders. And we didn't "hear" DFO was there - we saw and spoke to two them right on the Circle Route as they were leaning on their trucks drinking their coffee casually "monitoring" vehicle traffic and querying selected folks including us about our plans for being on that road at that time.

 

Lets be crystal clear so you don't get "confused" again. No one I know is upset with individual DFO staff, they have a tough job to do and knowing our federal government they are probably terribly underfunded. It seems unless its $ headed for some pet project in Quebec, many other federal and especially Liberals programs have to fight and scratch and claw for every budget dollar they can get, be it DFO, the Coast Guard, the military and others. 

 

As an ORGANIZATION however - IOW the DFO bureaucracy - it is another beast altogether, and not one generally perceived in a positive light.

 

Here is but one small example of the distrust of DFO/Feds in terms of their ability to "manage" our salmon resources. Took me 3 seconds to find this, and this sort of criticism has been ongoing for years. You hear it all the time, and most recently we heard it from a resource contracted to DFO who does work for them along the Cowichan watershed among other places: 

 

https://www.citynews...lmon-fisheries/

 

And here this beauty on fish farms - which should absolutely be banned from BC coastal waters, no if's and's or but's - yet here is DFO - the 'guardian' of our critical fish species, taking the contrary position or at the very least a wishy-washy limp-wristed one:

 

https://www.thestar....s-decision.html

 

DFO's primary mission is to conserve our fish (salmon); overall time and time again it receives generally failing grades from everyone from fishermen on the ground pardon the pun, to the Suzuki Foundation and other industry organizations including the BC Wildlife Federation.



#254 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 11:19 AM

There were travel notices posted asking for no travel to those areas unless you live along the JDF corridor or operate a business there. There were no outright bans, though, and if you live in the area you were not forbidden from traveling through it or camping (neither was anyone else).

But what were you doing there? The advisories were put out to keep non-locals from traveling those areas, and you were out there. Camping or not, the point of the advisories was to keep people away voluntarily.

Suzuki and activist organizations are always at odds with DFO. It’s been that way from Day 1. Narwhal is hardly an unbiased source, and mainstream news referring to activist organizations is also par for the course. Both links above refer to those biased and predictable sources.

I do agree, though, that the fish farms have been mismanaged and it was a bad idea to introduce east coast stock to the west coast. That was a bizarro decision, but mistakes can be made and will be rectified.

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#255 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 11:31 AM

And to add to the fish farms thing, we’ve operated fish farms for generations throughout the province. Those farms stock lakes with fish so we can keep that recreational fishing industry thriving.
  • Matt R. likes this

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#256 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 04 December 2020 - 07:34 PM

And to add to the fish farms thing, we’ve operated fish farms for generations throughout the province. Those farms stock lakes with fish so we can keep that recreational fishing industry thriving.

 

 

And right on cue from the CBC today - I rest my case re fish farming: you can easily stock those lakes BTW with land-based fish farms. Its been done since at least the 1960's so why DFO's continues to waffle on the issue is stupefying:

 

https://www.cbc.ca/r...ation-1.5828721



#257 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 05 December 2020 - 04:45 PM

It was definitely mishandled, the salmon farming issue. Lots of fish farms are on lakes, I think. Like the Nitinaht hatchery which is a pretty large compound. Next time you’re out there you can drive right up to the gate. It’s got houses for the staff, even.
  • Matt R. likes this

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#258 Matt R.

Matt R.

    Randy Diamond

  • Member
  • 7,875 posts

Posted 05 December 2020 - 11:26 PM

The farmed Steelhead from Lois Lake is a great product, year round. Lots of great farmed salmon options out there now.

Matt.

#259 AllseeingEye

AllseeingEye

    AllSeeingEye

  • Member
  • 6,543 posts

Posted 17 December 2020 - 04:00 PM

About damn time - and if the genius who first approved these abominations including the breeding of ATLANTIC freaking salmon on the BC PACIFIC coast is still alive, he or she should be "phased out" too:

 

https://www.cheknews...hs-feds-726728/

 

Now....once this is done keep going and get rid of all of them.......



#260 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,328 posts

Posted 17 December 2020 - 07:20 PM

then after that we should get rid of dairy and poultry and cattle farms too.

and pig farms.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 December 2020 - 07:21 PM.

  • Matt R. likes this

You're not quite at the end of this discussion topic!

Use the page links at the lower-left to go to the next page to read additional posts.
 



0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users