A4 Hope Standard Thursday, August 29, 2013
News DFO steps up patrols against sockeye poachers
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Cameras, aircraft among tools helping bust illegal fishermen
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Fisheries officers have doubled their patrols on the lower Fraser River to battle poachers who are illegally catching threatened sockeye salmon to sell into the black market. All fishing for sockeye has been shut down in response to a low run size and dangerously high river temperatures to ensure as many of the salmon get upriver to spawn as possible. But Department of Fisheries and Oceans area director Herb Redekopp said the “fullout conservation closure” hasn’t deterred illegal fishing on the river. “Last night we ran into another group of poachers,” he said Friday, adding officers made arrests and seized illegally caught salmon, gear and a boat. “That’s happened nightly in numerous
Dentist Office Opening Sept. 3, 2013
groups and in different areas of the river.” He said eight vessels had been seized as of Friday, along with 50 nets and 27 investigations are in progress that have or are expected to result in charges under the Fisheries Act. The most intense illegal fishing is happening between Surrey and Spuzzum, in various hot spots around Agassiz, Chilliwack and the
Fraser Canyon. He said poaching can be particularly lethal at the canyon, where salmon heading upriver use backeddies to rest and an illegal net dropped in can quickly pull up a full set. Redekopp said DFO is using night vision imaging, remote cameras, helicopters and other aircraft to detect probable poachers for interception on the ground.
“We’re using every bit of technology available to us as well as intelligence that we’re gathering from the public.” No commercial or recreational fishing for sockeye has been allowed this year. Pent-up demand for sockeye has driven prices up and prompted much more illegal fishing than in past years, he said. “There’s a huge illegal
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All sockeye salmon fishing has been cut off to ensure enough fish make it upstream to spawn. But DFO is intercepting high numbers of poachers taking fish illegally.
marketplace for black market salmon.” Fishermen are getting about $20 a fish, Redekopp said, and some buyers are paying up to $50 each. Some of the fish being sold now may have been caught in aboriginal food fisheries that were legally conducted earlier in the summer but are not authorized for sale. Redekopp said many poachers busted on the river appear to have long criminal histories and may be fishing as a source of easy money to feed drug addictions. The maximum penalty for illegal fishing is a $100,000 fine, along with forfeiture of gear, vessel or vehicle, and up to two years in jail. Repeat offenders do sometimes get jail time, Redekopp said. He said officers are also targeting people who buy illegally caught sockeye. Fish sold out of the back of a truck or doorto-door are almost certainly poached, he said, adding people should buy from a recognized commercial outlet.
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An exceptionally sunny, dry summer helped push BC Parks to an all-time record number of reservations at provincial campgrounds. More than 115,000 camping reservations were made through the province’s Discover Camping service, up 12 per cent from last year. Campers were allowed to make reservations at more campsites and
School Start-Up & Dismissal Times Tuesday, September 3, 2013
campgrounds, including Kleanza Creek, Martha Creek, Chilliwack Lake, Mable Lake and Bowron Lake, increasing the number of reservable sites to more than 5,000 at 95 parks. While Labour Day is the traditional end to the regular camping season, BC Parks officials are trying to pump up shoulder season camping.
They say campsites are quieter in the fall, with attractions like spawning salmon in some areas. It’s also the time of year when “long-stay camping” is permitted, allowing campers to stay four to six weeks at reduced rates in select parks. Seniors over 65 also get camping discounts from Sept. 3 to June 14 next year.
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The first day of school, Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 will be an adjusted instructional day for all school children. The start and dismissal times for the first day of school are listed below:
School
Start
Dismissal
Phone
Agassiz Elementary-Secondary Agassiz Centre for Education Boston Bar Elementary-Secondary C.E. Barry Intermediate Coquihalla Elementary Two Rivers Education Centre (TREC) Harrison Hot Springs Elementary Hope Secondary Kent Elementary Silver Creek Elementary
8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 8:38 a.m. 8:40 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 8:20 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 8:45 a.m.
10:15 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:05 a.m. 10:18 a.m.
604-796-2238 604-796-9496 604-867-9222 604-869-2451 604-869-9904 604-869-9953 604-796-2838 604-869-9971 604-796-2161 604-869-5212 8_13T_FCSD27
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Make an appointment between Aug 15 and 29 to discuss your options for Fall 2013. Call Hope Centre Coordinator Michelle Vandepol at 604-869-9991 or email michelle.vandepol@ufv.ca Funding available for qualified students. ǻ