Delta-South Richmond
|
John Cummins, M.P. Delta-South Richmond |
News Release |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 1999
By 1995 budget cuts and changing priorities at DFO had dramatically reduced the requirement for fishery officers to actually walk the gravel to get accurate counts of spawners. In 1995, spawning estimates were largely based on the number of fish recorded passing the counters at Mission, minus both the native fisheries above Mission and natural mortalities.
Internal Department of Fisheries enforcement reports from 1995 reveal a breakdown in the Department's ability to protect the fish as they migrated up the Fraser to spawn.
"Enforcement reports show that fishery officers were begging for help. They regularly reported illegal fishing activity and advised that surveillance operations were falling apart because of insufficient staff. Poaching was rampant, illegal sales were rampant and fishery officers were telling their bosses that because of staffing shortfalls they could do nothing more than watch."
"Without enforcement in place to ensure that catch and escapement numbers were accurate, the Department had no real idea of how many fish were able to spawn in 1995. The system floundered without reliable enforcement. The estimates of fish caught in native fisheries were, at best, wild speculation: thus departmental spawning estimates masked the coming disaster."
"Enforcement and monitoring of catches and spawners was sporadic at best in 1995 and fishermen are living with the results in 1999," said Cummins.
Backgrounder # 1 How did it go so
wrong?
Rampant Poaching
"Closed-time patrols indicate that there is activity taking place...Signs of other illegal activity was evident during patrols."
Fraser Valley East, week ending June 4, 1995
"The pre-sockeye target chinook catch has been met and in fact exceeded. Closed time patrols indicate that there is still a lot of illegal activity taking place. This statement is based on observation and information gained during patrols...Ten closed time patrols were conducted resulting in six nets seized, and five persons charged. Signs of other illegal activity was evident during these patrols. Two sunk nets were known to be fishing but were no found."
Fraser Valley East, week ending June 25, 1995
"Four nets seized...Signs of other illegal activity was evident during these patrols. Other sunk nets were know to be fishing but were not found."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending July 16, 1995
"Intelligence received re: considerable fishing taking place during close time at Lytton and Bridge River sites on Fraser. Numerous sales taking place."
GIS Unit, Fraser River, week ending July 16, 1995
"Reports of unlicensed native and non-native fishers above Old Alexander Bridge have been received...Four nets seized...Signs of other illegal activity was evident during these patrols. these patrols. Several incident reports were received regarding sunk nets as well as reports from recreational Bar fishers reporting gillnet drift fishing is occurring at Chilliwack landing and up stream of the Harrison River confluence on a fairly regular basis."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending July 23, 1995
"Closed time patrols indicate there is still some illegal activity taking place...Sign of the illegal activity was evident...reports were received regarding sunk nets...gillnet drift fishing is ocurring at Chilliwack Landing and up stream of the Harrison River confluence on a fairly regular basis."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, July 30, 1995
"Followed semi-trailer from Boston Bar to Pacific Truck Crossing. Truck was hauling 36,000 lbs of chum salmon from Captain Hook at Bella Coola to Mid Pac Fisheries in Seattle....Fish were landed at the government dock in Bella Coola, which is not a landing station."
GIS Unit Fraser River, week ending July 30, 1995
"Persons involved were not in legal possession of the fish and had fabricated their story that the fish had come from the open fishery above Sawmill Creek.
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, August 6, 1995
"Lots of incident reports are being received that there were buyers in the Yale area buying fish not being landed....Reports were also received that fishermen above Sawmill Creek were landing fish at the Yale Landing Site through Sto:lo fishermen. This was investigated with 3 violations resulting."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, August 20, 1995
"[Chehalis Reserve] Five individuals were charged for failure to take their fish directly to a fish landing station. One individual checked had hailed his fish to Scowlitz landing station. The Monitor did not count the fish. The Landing Slip was made out for 56 sockeye salmon. An actual count of the salmon...found he had 75 sockeye, 1 pink salmon and 3 coho salmon."
"On Aug. 20 the surveillance team set up on a fishing site near Chapman's Bar....Surveillance team observed the sale of three salmon by one of the females to members of CN Rail maintenance crew. The females were identified as individuals from the Sto:lo agreement area....The two females took the salmon caught above Saw Mill Creek to the Yale Landing Site and sold the salmon under the females' designation card. Two women were charged...64 pieces of sockeye...were seized."
GIS Unit, Fraser River, week ending August 20, 1995
"It would appear by the very high non-compliance rate that there may be a need for the Aboriginal officers to shift their emphasis back to the basics of checking individual nets for valid designation numbers. Continued reports of fish buyers in the area purchasing unlanded fish."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending August 27, 1995
"Surveillance of netting site above Saw Mill Creek. Fisher storing 100 pieces of salmon...followed fish onto Spuzzum reserve and then to Vancouver...Manpower shortage resulted in surveillance being terminated before sale took place."
GIS Unit Fraser River, week ending August 27, 1995
"It would appear by the very high non-compliance rate that there may be a need for the Aboriginal officers to shift their emphasis back to the "basics" of checking individual nets for valid identification."
Fraser River Division, Fraser River East, week ending September 3, 1995
"Conducted surveillance of Squamish Aboriginal fishers. As a result two Musqueam band members are being charged with buying, offering for sale, and sale of fish not caught under a commercial licence. Four other individuals are being charged with buying fish not caught under commercial licence from an Aboriginal fisher. Two Squamish band members will be charged with three counts of selling salmon and two counts of offering salmon for sale not caught under the authority of a commercial licence. One 1995 pick-up truck and 133 salmon were seized."
GIS Unit Fraser River, week ending September 24, 1995
"...continued surveillance operation in the Squamish area re illegal sale of coho and chinook salmon. One load was followed from Squamish Reserve to the Capilano Reserve."
GIS Unit Fraser River, week ending October 1, 1995
"Within the Fraser Valley East's Field Unit the main activity for illegal activity has been on the Chilliwack, Harrison and Chehalis Rivers. Two nets were seized out of these rivers. One in the Chilliwack River and the other one was seized out of the Chehalis River. These nets were targeting on Weaver Creek sockeye and Chehalis coho and Chilliwack coho."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending October 8 and 15, 1995
"Some bands are not being held "fully" accountable for not performing and complying with terms and conditions of Fisheries Agreements (i.e. ...monitors not always in place at landing sites, monitors...not counting fish)...Staggered openings...impedes effective enforcement activities as it is very difficult to determine if salmon were legally harvested."
1995 Fraser River Post-Season Analysis
Backgrounder #2 How Did It Go So
Wrong?
Other Managment Issues
"Aboriginal fishery officers were observed dealing with the individuals and issuing paper to them. One boat was observed to fish eight nets...fish were being off-loaded at the camp site and that other fish remained onboard the fishing vessel which then headed in the direction of the Mission boat launch ramp."
GIS Unit, Fraser River, week ending August 5, 1995
"On August 9th officers ran into an illegal fishery at the old Alexander Bridge...The event was a staged event with the Nlaka'pamux Nation Monitors and consultant recording, video taping pictures. They were also monitoring DFO officers with DFO issued radios and as soon as they knew DFO officers were at the areas of the illegal activity more participants and...observers arrived and set another net....DFO should seek the return of the DFO radios issued to the Nlaka'pumux nation issued in 1993 and never returned. Officers in the Mission and Chilliwack Officers have been instructed to seize the radios if found being used in the future by the ...Monitors.
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending August 13, 1995
"Fishery officers...observed...gillnet fishing at the Old Alexander bridge...Ten individuals were involved in illegal activity...Fishery Officers from Fraser Valley East field unit...dealt with the ten violators. The two Aboriginal monitors were joined by other First Nation individuals who observed and recorded the actions of the DFO fishery officers using a video camera."
"A closed time helicopter and vehicle patrol from Duncan Bar to Como. One pole net observed at Hope. The net contained many salmon as the pole was partially submerged...As an AFO's boat patrol was in the location the fishery officers in the helicopter believed Aboriginal officers had overheard radio communication describing the exact location of the net and that the AFO's would seize the net. AFO's did not make the seizure...The site was checked by the helicopter on its return to the Hope area and the net was gone...the nets had to have been pulled from the water by boat."
GIS Unit Fraser River, week ending August 13, 1995
Backgrounder #3 How Did It Go So Wrong?
Staffing Shortage Undermined Ability to Protect Stocks
"The current number of fishery officers is not sufficient to adequately address the enforcement demands that exist to meet the established priority programs."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley West, April 16, 1995
"The current number of fishery officers is not sufficient to adequately address the enforcement demands that exist or to meet established priority programs. This staffing shortage needs to be addressed immediately in order to have fishery officers in place prior to the start of the 1995 salmon season."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley West, April 23, 1995
"Fishery officers have not had time to put any effort into monitoring this fishery to date...No flights or patrols conducted this week. Lillooet boat is still not finished..."
Fraser River Division, Southern Interior, week ending May 7, 1995
"...no boat patrol. Waiting for boat to be built."
Fraser River Division, Southern Interior, week ending May 14, 1995
"Due to staff on leave and current vacancies no work was done on the aboriginal fisheries."
GIS Unit, Fraser River, June 11, 1995
"Highlights for the Minister: The fishing season is already here and once again the Lillooet area is fire fighting. It is very hard for the Field Supervisor to be working out of Kamloops and run the Lillooet, Salmon Arm and Clearwater area's. The Lillooet area is a very difficult S/D to run as the area of the Fraser River is approx. 200 miles long and the Thompson is another 100 miles...No agreements have been signed by the bands in this area and also the lack of trained staff and vehicles cause a tremendous amount of problems."
Lillooet, week ending June 28, 1995
"In recent conversations with the respective Field Supervisors, it is becoming quite evident that the illegal sales of salmon in the North Coast is reaching epidemic proportions...The difficulty with trying to address these files is the current lack of overtime funds to conduct a proper operation."
Illegal Sales, North Coast Division, July 4, 1995
"This Field Unit...does not have the staff nor resources to address each of the Aboriginal, Recreational, Commercial and Habitat issues at the same time...This Unit has 4 staff members with less than 2 months (3 with less than 2 weeks) tenure in the area, as a result these people must spend as much time as possible learning the river..."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley West, week ending July 16, 1995
"Limited effort was directed toward the [landing sites] due to the...lack of bodies to conduct a proper MLP surveillance operation."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending July 23, 1995
"Closed time patrols were reduced due to limited resources..."
Fraser River Division, Fraser Valley East, week ending August 6, 1995
"Surveillance team did not have adequate numbers of officers to conduct moving surveillance of the vehicle that received fish at the camp site and to monitor the fish that went to the Mission boat launch and to follow to it's final destination, ie residence, sale...and not counted as part of the catch for the day's fishing."
"If another surveillance team had been assigned to the Fraser River Division as requested in the 1995/96 Workplan and Operational Plan this aspect of the...operation could have been resolved."
GIS Unit, Fraser River, August 6, 1995
"Surveillance followed fish onto Spuzzum Reserve and then to Vancouver. Manpower shortage resulted in surveillance being terminated before sale took place."
GIS Unit, Fraser River, week ending August 27, 1995
Copies of any of the above documents are available on request.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
John Cummins, M.P.
(604) 940-8040 or 970-0937 (cell)