Illegal fishing threatens endangered rockfish in Metro Vancouver's protected waters, say DFO officers.
Federal fishery officers in Metro Vancouver are warning the public after a rise in “rampant illegal fishing” have threatened areas set aside for endangered fish species and led to tens of thousands of dollars in fines.
“People... drive through there and they see all of them, all the salmon jumping, and I guess they're like a firefly to a bright light… they can't resist throwing their rods in and trying to catch the salmon there.” With the pink come more boats and more fishers — many without licences, others who regularly take double their legal allowance of salmon, and still more who are fishing in the prohibited RCAs.
In the last week, he says they have handed out upwards of three dozen $575 fines for illegal fishing, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. But his bigger concern is the impact it could be having on the rockfish. One problem the fishery officers have come across are fishers using barbed hooks to catch the salmon. Barbed hooks are prohibited so young salmon can be let go if they’re accidentally caught. And while jjigging a hook near the sea floor is often the most popular style for fishing pink salmon, it can also easily hook a rockfish.
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