Surrey – From Randy Nelson at runlots56@hotmail.com and BCWF Executive Director Jesse Zeman at jesse.zeman@bcwf.bc.ca :
As the Fraser River sockeye run plunges to near-historic lows, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has drastically reduced Conservation and Protection patrols through much of the river.
In some regions patrol hours have been reduced by 90 per cent compared to just two years ago, leaving sockeye returning to spawn at the mercy of poachers. Day, night, boat, and helicopter patrols on the mid-Fraser have dropped from thousands of hours to virtually zero this season. The usual $120,000 helicopter patrol budget dropped to near zero last year.
“If you look back even further, the level of surveillance is just a tiny fraction of historical levels,” said former fisheries officer and poaching expert, Randy Nelson, author of The Wildest Hunt. “We used to do many thousands of hours of patrols on the river and in the air to control poaching. Today, enforcement is effectively non-existent.”
The Special Investigations Unit has also been disbanded leaving DFO with no capacity for covert operations, he added.
The price of neglect is high.
In late September, DFO revised its run size estimate for the Fraser River sockeye down by more than 100,000 fish to just 456,000, the second lowest figure ever recorded for this cohort. Sockeye return to spawn every four years, meaning this year’s spawners are the offspring of the 2020 run. This cohort has been in decline since peaking in 1992.
The data indicate that 6,148 sockeye salmon have been caught legally, which includes test fisheries and First Nations Food, Social and Ceremonial fisheries. More than 15,000 fish are estimated to have been harvested illegally.
“Those numbers are likely a vast underestimate, because people routinely underreport their catch unless they are directly observed,” said Nelson. “With so few patrols, surveillance is at an all-time low.”
As recently as 2012, the mid and upper Fraser was patrolled by 15 fisheries officers. Today there are just six, including three trainees. Recruitment of managers and officers is proving to be a challenge as staff grow discouraged and quit so quickly.
“The government of Canada has wiped out morale within DFO, abandoned the public interest and the conservation of salmon and steelhead on the Fraser, said B.C. Wildlife Federation Executive Director Jesse Zeman. “We are seeing an exodus of passionate professionals dedicated to the conservation of salmon and steelhead from the federal and provincial governments. If there ever was a signal that the DFO no longer cares about conservation, this is it.”
At least seven managers have been transferred from the Canadian Border and Customs Agency, but they lack fisheries knowledge and experience. Patrol officer recruits are paid just $100 a week for 19 weeks during their training, which limits recruits to only those who can afford to live without a salary.
DFO’s Pacific Region is understaffed compared to Eastern regions. B.C. has more fisheries, more First Nations, the biggest recreational fishery, and more Species at risk than other regions, but the lowest number of officers per capita.
“DFO’s issues with funding and surveillance run right up to the Minister’s office and B.C.’s fisheries are uniquely at risk,” said Nelson. “There is a total lack of support from Minister Diane Lebouthillier.”
The attention given to enforcement following the Cohen Commission has slowly dropped to levels below what we saw in the 1990s, Nelson said.
“In the long term, an independent multi-stakeholder group is needed to hold DFO accountable,” he said. “Lack of oversight has been a disaster.”
