Fishery Notice

Effective 00:01 hours June 15, 2022 until further notice the daily limit for Sockeye Salmon will be four (4) per day in the following area:

That portion of Subareas 23-1 to 23-11 south of a line drawn from the Lone Tree Point navigational light westerly to a point on the opposite shore located at 49 degrees 11.044 minutes north and 124 degrees 49.552 minutes west, then southward into outer Barkley Sound to the surf line (Cape Beale to Amphitrite Point; Lone Tree Point to the surf line in Area 23), except for the following closed areas: 

That portion of subarea 23-2 south of a line drawn from Bilton Point easterly to Coleman Creek will close to angling for all finfish, effective 00:01 hours June 30, 2022 until 23:59 hours September 30, 2022. Pocahontas Point is the southern boundary of this area; 

That portion of subarea 23-3 north of a line drawn from Chup Point easterly to Hissin Point will close to angling for all finfish, effective 00:01 hours June 30, 2022 until 23:59 hours September 30, 2022. Pocahontas Point is the northern boundary of this area;  

The area known as Uchucklesit Inlet will close to angling for all finfish, effective 00:01 hours October 1, 2022 until 23:59 hours October 31, 2022. This includes that portion of Subarea 23-3 northwest of a line between boundary signs at Brooksby Point and Burrough Point;

Rockfish Conservation Areas; and

Chinook conservation closed areas beginning August 1, 2022.

Variation Order # 2022-RFQ-257

On April 13, 2022 and May 27, 2022 DFO staff met with the Area 23 Harvest Committee to discuss fishery planning for Area 23 Somass Sockeye. The attendees at these meeting included representatives from the Maa-nulth, Tseshaht, and Hupacasath First Nations, and stakeholders from the commercial gillnet and seine fisheries, and the Alberni Valley Sport Fishing Advisory Committee. The Somass Sockeye pre-season run size of 400,000 was confirmed. At this run size fisheries will open for all sectors this season.
 
The Somass Sockeye in-season stock assessment program will be in place in 2022. This program collects escapement, test fishing, catch and environmental information on a weekly basis. This information is collected and a reforecast will be made weekly every Thursday for the duration of the season. This may lead to further recreational sockeye opportunities if conditions warrant.


NOTES AND REMINDERS:
Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal waters of British Columbia.

The term "marked", "hatchery marked", or "adipose fin clipped" means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin.

Fishers are encouraged to participate in the Salmon Sport Head Recovery program by labelling and submitting heads from hatchery marked Chinook and Coho Salmon to head depots. New 2022 condition of license for Chinook and Coho head-off length equivalents support participation. The head-off measurement can be used by enforcement officers to assess compliance on size limits if you remove the head from Chinook or Coho. Recovery of microscopic coded-wire tags found inside hatchery marked Chinook and Coho heads provide critical information for coast-wide stock assessment. Contact the Salmon Sport Head Recovery Program toll free at 1-866-483-9994 for further information

All anglers must have a licence to fish in tidal waters in BC. Apply for your BC tidal waters recreational fishing licence and salmon conservation stamp at https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/licence-permis/index-eng.html.

If you see a sea turtle, please call this toll-free phone number: 1-866-I SAW ONE (1-866-472-9663). Please include information such as the type of sea turtle seen (i.e. leatherback), the location and time of sighting. 

If a marine mammal becomes entangled in fishing gear, fishers should immediately call the  Observe, Record, Report (ORR) line at 1-800-465-4336. Fishers are advised not to attempt to free the animal of the fishing gear as this can pose a serious threat to the safety of the fisher and the animal. If your vessel strikes a whale, or if you observe a sick, injured, distressed, or dead marine mammal in B.C. waters, please contact the hotline immediately: 1-800-465-4336 or VHF Channel 16.

Fishers are encouraged to stop fishing (do not haul gear) within 1,000 metres of killer whales and let them pass. For more information on the best ways to help whales while on the water, when on both sides of the border, please visit: bewhalewise.org.

Consult the online BC Sport Fish Guide at https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html for the latest closures, regulations, and restrictions.

Report suspicious activity or violations by email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or by calling the 24-hour, toll-free Observe, Record, and Report line at 1-800-465-4336 or 604-607-4186 in greater Vancouver.

The 24-hour, toll-free information line for fishery notices regarding openings and closures is 1-866-431-3474 or 604-666-2828 in greater Vancouver. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Christie Morrison by emailing Christie.Morrison@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or calling 250-720-4440.

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0578
Sent June 9, 2022 at 0933

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Printed from the Pacific Region web site on April 19, 2024 at 0324