Stop the politically motivated destruction of the Vancouver area recreational Salmon fishery!

Proposed Management Measures for recovery of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) at the Fraser River entrances threatens the local public fishery and does NOT help the recovery of SRKW or wild salmon. The public recreational salmon fishery is NOT the problem!

DFO uses fisheries closures as an easy, and highly visible yet demonstrably ineffective tool to address wild salmon decline while choosing to ignore best available science and the real issues affecting wild salmon, such as open net fish farms, pinniped overpopulation. This failed policy hurts wild salmon, SRKW, and small coastal communities and businesses which rely on healthy salmon populations.

Of the proposed measures outlined by DFO, only Option 1. the Status Quo, is acceptable.

Tell Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray to adopt Option 1!

Facts:

*UBC Mammal Research Center.”Our finding that densities of Chinook were 4–6 times higher in southern resident habitat than in northern resident habitat is at odds with the few sightings of southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea in 2018 and 2019.

*400m and 1km avoidance and awareness protocols for SRKW are already in place.

* The public recreational fishery has already been severely curtailed by highly restrictive and questionable Chinook fishing closures which have little basis in the best available science and stock assessments.

*From 1973 to 2021, the SRKW population has fluctuated between 66 and 98 individuals. Over the same almost 50 year period, both commercial and recreational fishing has been severely reduced, and populations of virtually all other marine mammals such as other killer whales, seals and sea lions have skyrocketed. The public recreational fishery is clearly NOT the problem.

*ENGO’s have been using a “Save the Whales” slogan to successfully raise money and political support for decades, often playing on emotions with the use of questionable “science”. #DefundDFO