Enforcement and Compliance #2

Now that weve explored what compliance and non-compliance is, let's look at the number of actual charges and warnings to the commercial fleet during the same timeframe of 2000-2007


Number of charges for keeping a prohibited species ( steelhead or coho for example during a sockeye opening)
Year..........Charges...........Warnings.
2000............ 21......................37
2001............ 23...................... 3
2002.............. 5...................... 0
2003............... 1......................1
2004................3..................... 1
2005.............. 0...................... 0
2006 .............0 .......................0
2007...............0 ......................0
You can see as the patrol hours tapered off (in the first enforcement post), so did the charges and warnings listed above.

The next category is: Non-operational revival tank (this is the so-called 'blue box' to place distressed non-target or non-retention fish species in while they recover prior to release)
Year............Charges......Warnings
2000................. 17................ 12
2001.................. 7................... 1
2002................. 1 ...................5
2003................. 2 ...................0
2004................. 2 ...................0
2005................. 0................... 1
2006................. 0.................. 0
2007................. 0................... 1
Again, the trend of less charges from 2000 onwards is obvious.
The next category is for ramping fish: this is for seiners. Seiners are supposed to 'brail' their catch, which is bringing the net to the side of the boat and dipnetting and sorting the catch. Ramping is old style, pull the whole net full of fish over the back ramp and onto the deck...obviously very stressful for non-target fish.
Year...........Charges........Warnings
2000............... 0..................... 0
2001............... 0..................... 0
2002............... 1..................... 0
2003............... 0.................... 0
2004............... 2 .....................0
2005................ 1 ....................0
2006................ 0 ...................0
2007 ................6.................... 0
Anyone seeing a trend here....?? This category is even more telling, as there are hardly any charges whatsoever. Note, the charges in 2007, after our very public outcry at the lack of enforcement in 2006....some charges magically appear.
As you can see from reviewing all the categories; there is a reduction in charges from 2000 onwards. And, there is a pausity of charges/warnings period. Can you really believe in some years hundreds of gillnetters or seiners fishing a normal season with absolutely zero infractions??
That's enough for this post, but we'll continue in Compliance #3.