Mr. Speaker, on December 2, I asked the minister of fisheries why he authorized a fishery for his friend and campaign contributor which resulted in a kill of 30,000 coho in a no-kill zone, a number the government questioned in error. I was outraged by the kill and DFO bureaucrats were alarmed.
Ottawa warned north coast managers in Prince Rupert that the more that becomes known of the coho kill the bigger the issue would become. I could not agree more.
On May 21 last the minister announced that coho stocks were in crisis, some bordering on extinction. There were to be no fisheries directed at coho anywhere on the coast by any fishermen and a zero retention of coho caught in other fisheries.
On June 19 the coast was divided into red and yellow zones. In red zones there was to be zero mortality of coho. Nevertheless, in red zones there were to be a number of small, highly restricted, experimental recreational fisheries. Such a fishery was authorized in the Dixon Entrance on the north coast of the Queen Charlottes. Problems became apparent immediately.
In a weekly coho report dated June 24 officials issued a warning to the minister:
Concern for Dundas Island red zone sport fishery growing. Encounter rates of coho climbing.
Nevertheless, a promised observer program to monitor the fishery was not put in place until halfway through the season and when they were hired there were only four of them for six fishing areas. The July 29 report indicated for area one that coho abundance was high throughout Dixon Entrance and that it did not matter where one went or what they did, coho were being caught.
The coho encounter rate was estimated to be 11 to 1 at Langara Island, although they acknowledged that many believed it to be much higher. The August 5 report indicated that in area three at Dundas Island East monitors were reporting an encounter rate of 20 coho caught for every chinook taken.
The August 12 report indicated that area one lodges continued to be fully operational with about 320 anglers per day. It reported coho encounters were a continual occurrence, noting that unguided vessels were remaining in areas where coho abundance was high. It also noted that there continued to be reports that some fishermen were not treating the coho well when releasing which could be increasing mortality. Area one coho encounters were then estimated at 80,000. The report goes on to estimate that area three coho encounters were 142 coho for every chinook caught.
The minister had promised that the fishery would be closed if there were coho mortality. There was a continuous coho kill that reached alarming proportions, yet he took no action.
On the north coast of the Charlottes the minister was not interested in conservation. He was only interested in providing a special opening for the lodge based fishery operated by his friends.
Last summer DFO scientists undertook a special mortality study on recreational catch and release for coho. Scientists found a mortality rate of slightly more than 25% for coho caught in recreational fisheries.
In estimating a 30,000 coho kill in the waters of the north coast and the Queen Charlottes, I used a coho-chinook encounter rate of 10 to 1, not the 142 to 1 documented in area three or even the 11 to 1 documented at Langara Island. I also used a mortality rate of 10%, not the 25% rate DFO scientists found in their study. A minimum of 30,000 coho were killed in this no-kill zone.
The question remains. What does no kill mean to the minister? Does it mean that only his friends and campaign contributors can go fishing?