SVIAC 2025 Annual General Meeting

by | Feb 15, 2025 | Uncategorized

Dear SVIAC Members and Supporters,

We are excited to announce that the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition Society (SVIAC) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting will take place at the Esquimalt Anglers Clubhouse, 1101 Munro Street, Esquimalt, BC.

The AGM is an important opportunity for our members to come together, reflect on the past year’s accomplishments, and set the stage for a successful year ahead. Your participation is vital to shaping the future of SVIAC and its mission to advocate for our fishing rights and salmon conservation on South Vancouver Island.

Agenda for the AGM:

  1. Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • A warm welcome from our new President and an overview of the evening’s agenda.
  1. Secretary’s Report
  • Review and Acceptance of 2024 AGM Minutes
  1. Treasurer’s Report
  • Presentation of the 2024 financial summary and discussion of our budget priorities for 2025.
  1. President’s Report
  • Review of 2024 Achievements, highlights of our initiatives, events, and advocacy efforts from the past year.
  1. Election of Officers
  • Nomination and election for the SVIAC Secretary
  1. Open Floor for Member Input
  • Share your ideas, concerns, and suggestions to help guide our future efforts.
  1. Closing Remarks and Adjournment

Call for Nominations:  Do you know someone who has the passion and dedication to help shape and support SVIAC’s mission?  Or perhaps you’re interested in stepping up to make a difference? We are now accepting nominations for the following SVIAC Executive position:

  • Secretary 

Please submit your nominations by email to bill@anglerscoalition.com by March 6, 2025. Note: Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the meeting.

RSVP Today : To help us prepare for the event, please RSVP by emailing info@anglerscoalition.com . Light refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there and working together for another year of impactful advocacy and community conservation.

Tight lines,


Bill Campbell 

President – South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition Society

2025 Halibut TAC (Total Allowable Catch) Announced

2025 Halibut TAC (Total Allowable Catch) Announced

by | Feb 3, 2025 | Conservation, Fish, Fishing Access, Halibut, Saltwater Fishing, Uncategorized

Feb 2, 2025 – Conservation, Fish, Fishing Access, Halibut, Saltwater Fishing

The 101st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) concluded on Friday, January 31st, after a busy week of presentations, Q&A sessions, and critical decisions. Representing the Southern Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC) was newly appointed President Bill Campbell attending his first IPHC AGM.

From the outset, it was clear that the state of halibut stocks remained concerning. Scientific presentations from the IPHC painted a stark picture of declining stocks, necessitating further reductions in Total Allowable Catch (TAC) to support recovery efforts. Both Canadian and American delegations acknowledged the urgency, agreeing that meaningful TAC cuts were essential despite some areas showing less significant declines.

Challenges for Canada’s Recreational Fishery
In 2023, Canada’s Recreational TAC was set at 885,250 lbs. However, by September, recreational anglers had exceeded this limit by 9,631 lbs, triggering an early season closure.

For 2024, Canada’s Recreational TAC was reduced to 826,619 lbs, reflecting the prior year’s overage. Unfortunately, by September 2024, the fishery again exceeded its limit, this time by almost 30,000 lbs, resulting in another early closure. This overage will now be deducted from the 2025 Recreational TAC.

2025: A New TAC Reduction
After significant discussions, the IPHC Commissioners implemented an aggregate 15.8% TAC reduction for both Canada and the U.S. For 2025, Canada’s total share of the Pacific halibut TAC is set at 4,735,000 lbs. Based on the agreed allocations:

15% Recreational Allocation = 680,250 lbs
– 30,000 lbs deducted for the 2024 overage

This leaves Canada’s 2025 Recreational TAC at close to 650,250 lbs, marking a substantial reduction of over 175,000 lbs from 2024.

Next Steps
The Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) Halibut Working Group will now develop a coast-wide fishing plan for 2025. While the specifics remain to be determined, anglers should prepare for potential adjustments to the season, including a later start, an earlier closure, and/or tighter size limits.

Stay tuned for further updates and the official DFO Halibut Fishery Notice.

Bill Campbell
President, SVIAC

—

 

About the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPCH)

 

The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1923 by a treaty between the United States and Canada. Its primary role is to manage and conserve the Pacific halibut stock within the waters of the two nations. The commission aims to ensure the sustainable harvest of Pacific halibut for current and future generations.

Key Roles of the IPHC in Fisheries Management:

  1. Stock Assessment and Research:
  • Conducts scientific research and monitoring to assess the health and abundance of Pacific halibut stocks.
  • Develops biological and ecological data to inform management decisions.
  1. Catch Limit Recommendations:
  • Sets annual total allowable catch (TAC) limits for Pacific halibut fisheries in U.S. and Canadian waters, ensuring sustainability.
  1. Regulation Development:
  • Establishes regulations for halibut fishing, including gear restrictions, size limits, fishing seasons, and area closures.
  1. International Collaboration:
  • Facilitates cooperation between the United States and Canada in managing a shared resource.
  • Coordinates with stakeholders, such as commercial and recreational fishers, Indigenous groups, and other regulatory bodies.
  1. Enforcement and Compliance:
  • Works with national agencies, such as NOAA (U.S.) and DFO (Canada), to ensure compliance with established rules and regulations.

The IPHC plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological and economic viability of Pacific halibut fisheries, which are significant to the livelihoods of coastal communities in both countries.

Cancellation of the 2025 Chinook Enhancement Initiative

by | Jan 12, 2025 | Uncategorized

Open Letter to South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC) Members, Sponsors, Volunteers and Friends

In late November last year, we received notification from DFO – Nitinat Hatchery that they would not be able to provide smolts for our Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative in 2025. Apparently, due to a lower than expected Chinook egg take at the Nitinat Hatchery last fall, they will be unable to produce enough smolts to supply our project in 2025. This information, coupled with some other DFO data related to lower than desirable returns to the Sooke River, has resulted in the cancellation of our project this year.

While we are very concerned about the cancellation of our project in 2025 and future interruption to returning Chinook salmon to the Sooke River in 4 years, we remain optimistic that we will be able to restart the project again in spring 2026 with the support from DFO and the Nitinat Hatchery, that we have depended on since 2017.

Since 2021 when the first Chinook returns from our 2017 Net Pen project started showing up, local anglers and fishing charter operators in the Sooke area have benefited from almost 5 million smolts released into the Sooke Basin, and the increased number of Chinook salmon returning to the Sooke area. And the increase in returning Chinook salmon has been also benefited the Southern Resident Killer Whales in the Sooke area, as DFO has identified a key salmon foraging area off Otter Point as part of it’s 2024 / 2025 SRKW Recovery Plan.

We are currently in the early stages of planning to engage with DFO and the Sooke community to commence discussions related to continuance of our project in 2026. We will provide you with updates on our progress as meetings are held and decisions are made.

In the meantime, we are continuing our fundraising efforts through local fishing derbies in 2026, on the assumption that we will have a net pen project in 2026 … and will continue to plan for upgrades to our Sea Pen infrastructure, including nets, the framework and floats, new pipes, pumps and other infrastructure components to support our project in 2026.

We are also planning to engage with DFO, and the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Society to remove the current escapement net from the upper estuary on the river and provide a proper salmon counting fence and cameras to be able to get a more accurate count of the returning Chinook salmon and avoid a lot of the predation from seals and sea lions that is significantly impacting the returning Chinook numbers to the Sooke River.

We will also be continuing our advocacy efforts to push back on further DFO restrictions on Chinook retention in the South Vancouver Island region.

Further information and updates will be published in newsletters, with the next one planned for February this year.

Thanks in advance for your continuing support!

Bill Campbell
Director – SVIAC
TME Seacan Relocation –  New Location Required!

TME Seacan Relocation –  New Location Required!

by | Dec 3, 2024 | Chinook, Conservation, Fish, Fishing Access, Saltwater Fishing, SRKW, Uncategorized

As most of the volunteers that helped out with the Sooke Chinook Salmon Enhancement project are aware, most of our supplies and materials for the Temporary Marine Enclosure (TME) project (nets, weights,  pipes, pump, feed, testing equipment, etc) are stored in a Seacan across from the Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina. 

Thanks to the generosity of Sue and Chris Rumsby, the Seacan has resided on their property for the past 8 years.   Now, with a pending sale of the Rumsby property, we have been advised that the Seacan will need to be relocated to a new home. 

We are currently looking for a new location for the Seacan – preferably close to the Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina – for the next few years.  If you have an accessible space on your property for a 8 ft x 20 ft Seacan, and would be willing to host it, please let us know.  Activity around the Seacan is truly minimal!

Thanks in advance for your consideration. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Bill Campbell (bill@anglerscoalition.com)

SVIAC President and Founder Stepping Down

by | Dec 2, 2024 | Uncategorized

It all started over a decade ago. In 2012, Chris Bos, Christopher Miller and Terry Anderson sat down in a local coffee shop and jointly conceived a plan to challenge DFO on their worsening Chinook salmon fishing restrictions around the South Island.

They developed a plan to create a nonprofit society, comprised mostly of local anglers impacted by the increased fishing restrictions, that would advocate for recreational anglers to minimize impacts on our salmon fishery.

In July 2012, the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition Society (SVIAC) was created. In the face of DFO seeking to close the Chinook fishery in the Spring and early Summer, the society fought to maintain their fishery and held government to account for their fisheries management. To broaden the society’s scope and pre-emptively address potential low Chinook stocks locally, Chris Bos sought approval from then DFO Regional Director General Sue Farlinger to launch the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative.

Having successfully navigated through the DFO bureaucracy, SVIAC’s efforts were rewarded, and they finally received their first delivery of 200,000 healthy Chinook smolts from the Nitinat Hatchery in April 2017.

Since then, over the last 8 years, SVIAC has successfully transplanted over 4.8 million healthy Chinook salmon smolts into the Sooke Basin, with a notable increase in Chinook returns to the Sooke River. This would not have been possible without the dedication and persistence of those founding members.

Alas, as proclaimed by Greek Philosopher Heraclitus, “The Only Constant in Life is Change.”

Our President and founding member, Chris Bos, has announced his plan to step down as President on December 31st, 2024.

The SVIAC Board of Directors would like to recognize and thank Chris for his efforts in support of salmon conservation and fishing advocacy over the past 12 years. Without his perseverance and tenacity, our saltwater salmon fishery may have been worse today, and we may not have been able to have such a successful Sooke Chinook Salmon Enhancement project over the past 8 years.

More Uncertainty About the Public Chinook Fishery for 2025

More Uncertainty About the Public Chinook Fishery for 2025

by | Dec 2, 2024 | Uncategorized

More Uncertainty About the Public Chinook Fishery for 2025

With anglers reporting superb catches of Chinook salmon in the spring and summer this year, the second year of significant abundance being reported, one wonders what is going on at the DFO.  Recent signaling from fisheries management is causing concern that our precious Chinook fishery in 2025 may be further restricted.

There are two notable areas of concern:

First, plans for more regular marked selective Chinook fisheries has hit another big bump in the road.  With a DFO mandate described in the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, implementing mass marking of hatchery origin Chinook in Canada and a corresponding  public sport fishery of marked fish seemed to be the new way forward.  It seems, however, that there has been vigorous push back from those who are against it, both within the department and outside too.  Since 2019, the move to fully adopting marked selective Chinook fishing has been progressing at horrendously slow, and glacial speed.  Bureaucracy on top of slow walking appears to have led to this abysmal roll out.  For the past two years, a few minor selective Chinook opportunities have been implemented as “pilot projects”.  But many more viable opportunities have been recommended through approved motions at the SFAB process, but their approval to proceed has been refused.  Yet the wait goes on for real progress.

The latest news from DFO was the response to their consultations on the proposed mass marking and marked selective fishing plans. The haters shouted their displeasure loudly about the plan to DFO and like a deer in the headlights, the department hit the brakes, and hard!  The move to implementing any new mark selective fisheries in 2025 seems most unlikely, according to the sources we have.  Stepping back and re-evaluating seems to be the new plan.  And as if bureaucracy wasn’t already throttling the life out of fishery, we now have the development of a South Coast Marked Selective Fishery Project Action Plan.  One can only wonder how long that will take to “develop” and get approved.  As we were advised at the October 22nd Victoria SFAB meeting, those looking for new or greater selective Chinook fisheries in 2025 shouldn’t get their hopes up.

The second issue, and it is worrisome by itself, is the signal from the department that they intend to discuss the potential of increasing restrictions in 2025 related to Summer 5-2 Fraser Chinook. We have known for two decades that certain stream-type Fraser Chinook stocks have been facing some significant challenges.  Yet recent returns of the stream-type Fraser Chinook stocks of concern have been stable and increasing in many cases.  The public salmon fishery in the marine waters around Sidney, Victoria and Sooke has paid a very heavy price over the years by being restricted and/or shut off from opportunity to retain the abundant marked (fin-clipped) U.S. hatchery fish in our waters.  This hardship anglers have endured all in the name of conservation.  

The new challenge is the Summer 5-2 Fraser Chinook pass by Juan de Fuca and Haro Straits later than other migrating stocks, meaning, if the department acts, they could be seeking further measures that would now eat into our already-restricted August Chinook fishery.  While nothing has been put on the table by DFO yet, they clearly alluded to the fact they are contemplating further restrictions.  For our local waters, implementing more restrictions would be catastrophic!  Our spring and summer fishery has been decimated by ever increasing restrictions from March through August over the past 15 years.  In August, the singularly best time of year for Chinook fishing in the marine waters, we are already down to the retention of one Chinook per day under 80cms.  There is not much room left to take more Chinook retention opportunity away without destroying the fishery altogether. 

There are more salmon planning and advisory meetings with the department coming up over the next few months, which will shed more light on the department’s intentions.  So, our sector’s local representatives, from both inside and outside the SFAB process, need to stay on top of these two issues as described above, as the future of our Chinook fishery is in further jeopardy. 

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