Fishing derbies award prizes for the biggest fish and raise significant money for conservation. But new rules on sport fishing may put an end to the derby as we know it.
New restrictions from Fisheries and Oceans Canada are aimed at preserving chinook stocks – a favored food of the endangered southern resident killer whales – and local organizers of fishing derbies are bracing themselves.
Last year, the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada delivered a bleak assessment of Fraser River chinook: of 12 subpopulations in the river’s watershed, seven were ranked as endangered, four as threatened, and one as being of special concern.
RELATED: Fisheries Department announces conservation measures to protect chinook in B.C.
In response, the federal Fisheries Department announced several new rules last month in an effort to protect and restore dwindling salmon stocks, including:
• Closure of the commercial fishery until Aug. 20. The usual start date is in June.
• Overall recreational fishery limited to 10 chinook per person.
• First Nations chinook fishing restricted until July 15.
Several fisheries along the coast are already cancelled or postponed.
The Oak Bay Marine Group has cancelled its annual fishing tournament. The group cites low ticket sales and the government’s recent implementation of no-fishing zones within Juan de Fuca Strait – where the derby is usually held. The Sidney Anglers Association has postponed its annual derby.
The Sooke Saltwater Series is going ahead as planned, said organizer Ron Neitsch. The series offers three derbies in the spring, summer and fall for halibut and salmon.
“There’s really no need to change the series because none of our derbies target large chinook in the summertime,” he said.
Still, there’s concern about attendance as recreational fishers opt not putting their boats in the water if they can’t fish for salmon.
“We’re expecting it to be a challenge and our numbers (participants) will be low,” Neitsch said.
Neitsch said it’s ironic the steps the Fisheries Department is taking to help the chinook is also hurting the fish and local economies.
The Sooke Saltwater Series donates a portion of proceeds from each derby to either the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society or the Juan de Fuca Salmon Restoration Society. Fishers are also encouraged to donate their catch to the Sooke Food Bank.
Sooke’s economy and tourism also gets a boost when fishers from outside the area visit to take part in the derbies, Neitsch said.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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