News
July 24: DFO Takes No Action to Protect Record Low Steelhead Return (Media Release)
NEWS RELEASE
Skeena River Steelhead Returns Worst on Record
JULY 24, 2007 (TERRACE, BC) – Northwest BC angling guides and conservationists are demanding Fisheries and Oceans Canada implement conservation measures in the Skeena River salmon fishery after news that early steelhead returns to date are 15 percent of average levels. In past years, an average 4,368 steelhead return to the Skeena River by July 23. By the same date this year, only 642 returned.
While there is no commercial steelhead fishery, the prized sport fish are caught in large numbers by fishermen targeting sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Skeena River.
“DFO has been allowing the commercial fishery to hammer Skeena steelhead for years with little regard for the up-river businesses that bring millions of dollars per year into our economy. It is time for DFO to use a more precautionary approach to managing the commercial fishery,” Said Keith Douglas, spokesperson for the Northern BC Steelhead Guides Association.
The start of this season’s commercial fishery has been delayed which means most of the intensive commercial fishing will coincide with the early steelhead and weak wild salmon migration.
“The delayed commercial season coupled with a weak steelhead run is the perfect storm – a disaster for steelhead and weak salmon populations,” said Brad Zeerip, chair of the Skeena Angling Guides Association.
Documents obtained earlier this summer under Access to Information revealed DFO managers caved to pressure from local politicians in 2006 and allowed over-fishing, despite concerns expressed by their own biologists and the BC Ministry of Environment.
“What we’ve seen so far this year suggests DFO has no plans to correct the mismanagement we saw last year, and indeed seems bent on killing off these weaker runs altogether,” said Greg Knox with the North Coast Steelhead Alliance. “They’re knowingly and irresponsibly jeopardizing genetically unique populations of steelhead and salmon.”
The guides associations and conservationists restated their call for an independent scientific review of the Skeena salmon fishery as soon as possible.
Contact
Keith Douglas, Northern BC Steelhead Guides Association: (250) 847-5016
Brad Zeerip, Skeena Angling Guides Association: (250) 638-7989
Greg Knox, North Coast Steelhead Alliance: (250) 638-0992 cell: (250) 615-1810
www.ncsteelheadalliance.ca