Area 3 Gillnet Openings #5 and #6

Here is the Fishery Notice for gillnet opening #5 and #6 in Area 3. Targetting Nass sockeye supposedly. Note the chum impacts and new sub-Area 12 chum closure in upper Portland Canal close to the mouth of the Nass Bay.
Interesting, the sub-Area isnt totally closed to fishing...just closed to chum retention. And in the Salmon Updates provided by DFO they publicly acknowledge 70% of chum encountering a gillnet will be dead....I thought the ISRP Report mentioned 'avoidance' as the best possible solution to bycatch issues. If you think about it, they are ostensibly conducting a sockeye fishery, yet all the other species likely to be encountered chum, coho, chinook, steelhead....are either stocks of concern or require special measures. All this just to allow the gillnetters to fish.
Large chum release by 'request'....fish are wholesaled by the pound so guess what size fish they want to keep? Large, exactly....so what are the odds of this 'request' being complied with?
Poor chum, a stock of conservation concern on the north coast, taking a huge hit in Area 3 again just to let the gillnetters keep sockeye fishing. There is supposed to be no directed fisheries on chum on the north coast, so labelling this fishery a 'Nass sockeye fishery' must be to get around the no chum fisheries measure. It will be interesting to review the catch numbers and see the impacts on chum for these 5 Area 3 openings.


Area 3
Gill nets open 16 hours, 06:00 hours to 22:00 hours Monday July 6 and Tuesday July 7 in Subareas 3-2, a portion of 3-3 (closed within one nautical mile of the shore of Wales Island), 3-4, a portion of 3-7 (closed within one nautical mile of the shore of Wales Island and within 0.5 nautical miles of the shore of Pearse Island)& a portion of 3-12 (closed within 0.5 nautical miles of the shore of Pearse Island). Max mesh 137 mm. Max depth 60 meshes, Max hang ratio 3:1, corkline to web distance min 0 cm max 45 cm; or, max depth 90 meshes, max hang ratio 3:1, corkline to web distance min 1.2 m, max 1.5 m. If using 90 mesh net, every fifth cork on corkline must be red or another distinctive colour (not white). VO# 2009-NCSAL-008 & 009.

Area 3-12 is now closed to the retention of Chum Salmon. All Chum Salmon must be released to the water with the least possible harm. A special request is being made for the release of all large chum in the remaining open areas, since it is believed that these large chum have an Area 3 origin, while the chum that are averaging 8 or 9lbs are from outside the area.

The target species in Area 3 is Nass Sockeye. Gill net fisheries are being conducted with non-retention, non-possession of coho & steelhead. There are a number of weak Chinook and chum stocks in Area 3 that are currently in the rebuilding phase. Fishers are requested to release all live Chinook and chum to the water with the least possible harm. Operating revival boxes are mandatory and may be used to revive fish prior to release.