Here’s How On February 27th the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition, the Public Fishery Alliance, the Fraser River Sport fishing Alliance and the BC Recreational Fishing Association sponsored a public meeting that drew 300 participants from across the angling spectrum & the general S. Vancouver Island community. The meeting was called to discuss the future of a world class recreational fishery that spans the waters place from Port Renfrew north to Campbell River. There was particular attention paid to the regions that have been severely damaged by the double impact of fishing measure ..read more

Your Salmon Fisheries Are In Peril! For 2024 DFO are proposing even more restrictions on south coast anglers to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW), even though SRKW’s are rarely in the existing closures for more than a few days each month. These new restrictions are particularly hard on Port Renfrew, where the fishery is already in survival mode under the existing regulations. DFO’s approach to whale recovery looks more like ‘whack a mole’ management which repeatedly occur on an annual basis in a random manner that lacks scientific integrity.  If left unchallenged, the DFO th ..read more

Years of excuses and inaction on Marked Selective Fishery (MSF) proves Fisheries Minister Murray has little regard for British Columbia’s salmon anglers.  In a shocking new revelation, the PFA has learned that Pacific Region DFO approved MSF proposals for Chinook, slated to open on April 1st 2023, have only just reached the minister’s desk.  Two weeks beyond the proposed opening date and still no decision! Yet Murray has time for schmoosing in Norway, Iceland and on the East Coast instead.  Is this caused by a dysfunctional senior DFO or perhaps it’s intentional? Fact:  Wit ..read more

To: The Honourable Joyce Murray Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Minister Murray, The Public Fishery Alliance (PFA) represents marine and freshwater anglers and the businesses that rely on the public fishery in British Columbia. Our primary interest is the maintenance of well–managed, sustainable public salmon fisheries that contribute to the economic well-being of BC, and the preservation, conservation and restoration of salmon and their habitats. We are a BC registered not-for-profit society and totally self-funded. To this e ..read more

VANCOUVER-VICTORIA-SIDNEY-SOOKE-PORT RENFREW Potential Southern Resident Killer Whale Management Actions – 2023 FILL OUT THIS SURVEY – DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 19th/2023 https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/fm-gp/srkw-eprs/2023-srkw-survey-sondage-ers-eng.html The Public Fisheries Alliance does not support increasing area based salmon restrictions and closures. We support adaptive management , like bubble zones, that consistently give Southern Resident Killer Whales the room they need.Please support salmon and SRKWs by pushing this government towards watershed restoration, marked selective f ..read more

The Public Fishery Alliance has serious issues with the comments made by David Mills in a post in Watershed Watch, and a subsequent post on the Public Fishery Alliance Facebook page. Mills cites a Pacific Salmon Commission table that shows 2021 Chinook retained catch, released Chinook and incidental mortalities for Canadian Chinook fisheries across northern BC, the central BC coast, the west coast of Vancouver Island, Johnstone Strait, Georgia and Juan de Fuca Straits. The table includes all fishing sectors but our concern relates only to his interpretation of the recreational fisheries catch ..read more

The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Minister’s Office, 200 Kent Street, Station 15N100 Ottawa, ON K1A 0E6 Re: Rejection of Chinook Retention Proposals Dear Minister Murray, The Public Fishery Alliance (PFA) is a broad–based non-profit society consisting of almost one thousand Canadian anglers, angling organizations, angling dependent businesses and volunteer salmon and habitat restoration groups. Our collective interests are the sustainability of our marine and fresh water fisheries, especially for salmon and steelhead. We advocate for abund ..read more

Attn: The Honourable Joyce Murray, MP Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 and Attn: The Honourable John Horgan Premier of British Columbia P.O. Box 9041, Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9E1 “Public Fishery Alliance Support of Skeena River Angling Access to Steelhead and for a Comprehensive Skeena Steelhead Recovery Plan” Dear Minister Murray and Premier Horgan, The Public Fishery Alliance is a broad-based angling advocacy organization that supports access to properly managed science-based fresh and saltwater angling opportunities, whi ..read more

The November deluge, known to meteorologists as an “Atmospheric River”, caused enormous destruction, and sadly loss of life too.  Southwestern BC, including Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and as far away as Kamloops, all got hammered, suffering damages that may well cost billions to repair. The crippling disruption of the province’s supply chain is also putting many at risk.  Sadly, more powerful storm events are likely on their way. An aerial view shows a damaged road as a flood sweeps through, near Lytton, British Columbia, Canada, November 15, 2021. Photo by B.C. Ministry of ..read more

“UBC study reveals Chinook abundance not an issue for SRKW’s, yet ENGO’s still calling for Chinook harvest closure & no salmon fishing from March 1st to December 31st in Chinook foraging areas” UBC researchers, Mei Sato and Andrew Trites, from UBC’s Marine Mammal Unit, along with Stephane Gauthier from the Institute of Ocean Science recently had the results of a two year study included in Canada’s largest science journal publication, Canadian Science Publishing. Their work set out to assess the availability of prey species, mainly Chinook salmon, for southern and northern resident killer ..read more