Good afternoon Mr. Wagner,
I felt it was only fair to inform you of a chain of emails (below) that quite directly points a finger at your decision to open the commercial netting in Area 8… I have sent my plea to every television producer, columnist, radio host, lawyer and conservationist that I know and I am confident that a media frenzy has started to brew.
With my pride in being an honest communicator and as someone who chooses her battles wisely, I feel it is safe to say that this is an issue I do not plan on allowing to be swept under the rug and is one that I intend to tirelessly pursue until some changes are made.
As a full-time guide on the Dean River, I spend the entirety of three months on this river for the sole purpose of my passion for its fishery; this is not the first year that I have been appalled by the openings in this region and this year has finally pushed myself and other Dean river anglers into a corner that inevitably has us fighting back.
In my disgust to your very clever wording and to your seemingly lack of respect to those of us who stand behind this cause, I am writing to let you know that this is not a situation that will easily be silenced by long drawn time spurts or political verbal manipulation…
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the Dean this summer so that we may show you firsthand just how barren our river has become… I honestly extend this invite and will personally do my best to guide you into some steelhead, some salmon, some wilderness exploration and at the very least, some morality to help educate you on what appears to be a complete disregard for what is right.
Good afternoon,
For those of you included in this email who I don’t already know personally, my name is April Vokey and I am a British Columbia resident, steelhead guide, published columnist, occasional television personality and active conservationist. I have included you in this email chain because I consider you an influential person who I feel I can trust to help with this matter…
As a full time fly-fishing guide on the Dean River off the coast of Bella Coola, I spend two and a half months a year on the river seven days a week.
With this being my fourth full-time season on the Dean, I have had the good fortune of being a firsthand witness to the salmon and steelhead returns during the peak months of June, July and August.
This year we have noticed a significant decline in the returns of all species in the Dean and the Dean channel.
On a good year, pink and chum salmon flood our waters, spawning in side channels, rolling at our feet and, of course, taking our flies. This year the Dean stays quiet, nearly devoid of life and seemingly empty of both salmon and steelhead.
Even the bay in which our lodge rests has few spawning chum salmon in it and there is no mistaking the astronomical difference compared to years past.
This season, the Dean Channel has seen 21 commercial netting openings since June and has all four lodges, lodge guests and all camping anglers concerned about the confusing and non sustainable openings in Area 8, specifically region 8.8.
There comes a time where the bullied must fight back and here we are putting our gloves on… we ask that you step into our corner with us.
An opening in this already barren waterway was approved today and it is with the utmost importance that we seek aid in drawing the attention of our government to the delicate balance of this fishery. I have included an accurate response to this problem below and I hope it will enlighten you on just how badly this situation needs your aid.
Worries for our very near September returns of coho salmon soar high and with our backbone and hands-on field observations, we are asking for your help where you may lend it. The direct email to the government official in this matter is [email protected] though we are looking for larger media awareness at this time.
Dear Mr. Wagner,
Your decision today to open the fishery on the 19th in Area 8 and efforts to downplay the number of boats on the coast is really disappointing- -particularly in light of the serious conservation concerns surrounding chum, Dean River steelhead and other smaller salmon stocks of conservation concern. The effort and impact is double last year and far, far more than normal so please don’t insult us by greenwashing it. In 2012, during 15 openings the average number of boats was slightly over 50. In 2013, during 15 openings the average number of boats was 96.4. Impact to steelhead: more than double. Same to other species. Etc. Etc.
It appears to me you could care less about the other valley businesses that depend on tourism or those care about salmon. It is also a slap in the face to hard working local fishermen in Bella Coola. You clearly understand there will be enough boats to seriously affect their commercial fishing businesses for years to come. That is not to speak to the damage done to wildlife, First Nations food and ceremonial salmon fisheries, recreational ocean sport fisheries, bear tourism etc etc. These are all businesses that sustain your community.
Solid fisheries management begins by getting enough spawners to their spawning grounds to perpetuate the run of fish. The only reason I mention this is it appears you may have overlooked this important piece of biology. I’m thinking it’s probably a MSC condition to certification as well. I’ve attached a video of the sort of compliance and enforcement we can expect when it comes to the fisheries being prosecuted by DFO this year. The video in case you can’t access it, can be summed up like this: Dead chum. Kick. Dead steelhead. Fling. Dead sockeye…Squish. Wasn’t it roughly 96% survival of non target species reported on the last DFO update?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSLAELBaakg#action=share
While I’m sure you’re not too concerned about the decision to open the fishery on the 19th, my hope is that through activism and social media we are able to drum up change and a return to better management of the Central Coast. Given the current crisis it’s clear too me that you are not managing either to sound conservation practices, the health of the fishery or the economics of coastal communities. Finally and publicly, I’d like to ask for any aerial chum survey results you might have that support further openings. On that front, please note we’ll be glad to follow with a Freedom of Information request if that public information is not provided.
