DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS 1993 NET FISHERIES FORECASTS OF PACIFIC SALMON CATCH
size change this scenario, we call upon the DFO, through weekly in-season meetings with fishermen to ensure that the Johnstone Strait gillnet fishery be given an acceptable share of the total Johnstone Strait catch.
3. The Johnstone Strait seine and gillnet fishery must be managed so as to ensure historic fishing opportunities for the fleet in that area. This includes the opportunity to fish in the early season. As well, the historic gillnet share in Area 20 must be maintained. Further, we reject the current 20 percent reduction in fishing time in order to reduce the chinook bi-catch as being both discriminatory and ineffective since the real source of the Lower Gulf of Georgia chinook problem is the over harvest of those stocks by the sport fishery.
4. When gillnets and seines are fishing in confined areas causing crowding and competition between the gears the seine and gillnet shares should be taken in separate openings.
5. Area 29 - gillnet only. However, should it be necessary to balance overall catch allocation numbers, Area 29 may be considered as an emergency catch up area for seines. Outside trollers may use Areas 12, 13 as a catch up area if necessary and in such a fishery there should be separate openings for trollers and net fishermen.
6. Every possible step must be taken to achieve allocation targets if fish are available. It should not be possible for any gear to forego fishing opportunities for future pay-back benefits.
7. Areas 13-27 (Nodales), 13-10 (Okisollo), 13-35 (Sunderland) and 13-40 (Chancellor Channel) are to open along with the rest of Johnstone Straits. However, chinook bi-catch in these areas should be closely monitored.
8. We call upon the DFO to develop a ceiling for the recreational catch of South Coast sockeye to put a halt to the massive increase of the non-historic catch of sockeye by this sector. We recommend a limit of two sockeye per day, up to a catch ceiling of 10,000 pieces.
9. DFO to ensure sufficient resources are available to gather South Coast sockeye catch statistics from all gear types, including freezer trollers, in a timely and accurate fashion.
10. During seine fisheries in Area 29, gillnets shall not be subject to maximum mesh restrictions.
U. We oppose closing the Fraser River/Area 29 in September as the main tool for conserving Harrison River chinook, steel-head and coho which results in loss of adequate fishing opportunities on harvestable stocks of sockeye and pinks.
REGION SPECIES STATISTICAL AREA TARGET ESCAPEMENT EXPECTED CATCH
Queen Charlotte Islands Sockeye 1,2W --- 100,000-300,000
Pink 1 1,150,000 100,000-300,000
2E 740,000 0
2W 485,000 100,000-200,000
Chum 1 72,000 0
2W 170,000 5,000-15,000
2E 440,000 200,000-300,000
Skeena-Nass Sockeye 3 220,000 300,000-400,000
Pink 3 375,000 3,000,000-4,000,000
Chum 3 90,000 100,000-150,000
Sockeye 4 1,000,000 750,000-1,250,000
Pink 4 1,000,000 1,500,000-2,500,000
Chum 4 50,000 20, 000-50,000
Sockeye 5 50,000 50,000-75,000
Pink 5 250,000 300,000-500,000
Chum 5 30,000 10,000-30,000
Central Coast Sockeye 6 10,000-30,000
Pink 6 1,500,000 50,000-200,000
Chum 6 520,000 10,000-30,000
Sockeye 7 --- 5,000-15,000
Pink 7 440,000 50,000-150,000
Chum 7 . 310,000 100,000-200,000
Sockeye 8 140,000 60,000-80,000
Pink 8 1,500,000 4,000,000-6,000,000
Chum 8 330,000 300,000-400,000
Sockeye 9 400,000 300,000-400,000
Pink 9 347,000 5,000-10,000
Chum 9 147,000 5,000-10,000
Sockeye 10 200.000 300.000-400.000
Pink 10 65,000 5,000-10,000
Chum 10 100,000 0
Johnstone Strait/ Georgia Strait Sockeye 12, 13 & 16 250,000 See Fraser River
Pink 12,13, 14,15 16, 17 & 18 3,500,000 200,000-400,000 local stocks. See Fraser River
Johnstone Strait Chum 12& 13 800,000 200,000-270,000
Nimpkish Chum 12 110,000 0
Comox/Qualicum Chum 14 300,000 150,000-300,000
Jervis Inlet Chum 16 90,000 0
Nanaimo Chum 17 60,000 0
Cowichan Chum 18 110,000 0
Juan de Fuca Strait Sockeye 20 --- See Fraser River
Pink 20 ... See Fraser River
Nitinat Chum 21 &22 250,000 600,000-800,000
Barkley Sound Sockeye 23 400,000 400,000-500,000
Chinook 23 102,000 10,000-40,000
Nootka Chum 25 205,000 20,000-30,000
Chinook 25 24,000 20,000-30,000
Kyuquot Chum 26 180,000 0
Fraser River Sockeye 29 4,200,000 (total run size 17.4 million) Canadian domestic allocations subject to Pacific Salmon Treaty and Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy negotiations
Pink Chum 29 29 9,500,000 (total run size 31 million) 700,000 Canadian domestic Salmon Treaty and Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy negotiations 30,000-70,000 (within Area 29)
Stikine River Sockeye 60,000 13,000
Tnku River Sockeye '1,000-80,000 90,000
Yukon River Chinook 18,000 9,000
Ch»m fii.nnn 21,000
THE FISHERMAN / MAY 24,1993 • 11