Deans Dino Blog

Do you know how to report illegal fishing activity ??

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Do you know how to report illegal fishing activity ??

First we want to ensure everyone reading this understands these are guidelines only and are not deemed as rules or law. These are recommendations from Great River Fishing Adventures only and we can only hope that you use these whenever the need arises.

First of all we need to understand that illegal poaching is just that. There are many forms of it but in our area it usually comes in the form of:

  • Recreational fishing in a closed area or harvesting the wrong species,
  • Set netting and drift netting during non sanctioned openings via Fisheries & Ocean Canada (DFO)
  • Set lines which are never sanctioned.
  • Organized Criminal Activity (illegal netting)

It is not fair nor tolerable to think that illegal fishing is only certain sectors or race, it is all of the above and VERY much includes Organized Criminal activity especially in the form of illegal netting.

We urge people to not air things on social media before doing your do diligence and be accountable for getting the correct information to the people who can deal with this accordingly.

1. Take down as much information as you can – location, time of the day, other landmarks in the area, what you see, images if possible but keep a safe distance always and do not cause altercations. Are there markings on a vessel or vehicle, licencing numbers, these are all important

2. Don’t assume anything, check website links to see if there is scheduled openings in the area before calling the ORR line (Observe, Record and Report)

**Please see a list of direct links that you can use for quicker access to fishery notices for our local waters by area and fishery

3. There are many locations where FSC (Food Social Ceremonial) Fishing could be taking place, be respectful as possible and again DO NOT ASSUME anything – use good social distancing skills and use the resources available. Keep in mind that these FSC fisheries are protected under section 35 of the Canadian constitution and take priority over recreational angling, conservation concerns are the only measure put in place ahead of FSC fisheries. MAKE SURE that you make way and be courteous to all FSC fishers on the river.

4. If you cannot see any openings then call ORR at 1-800-465-4336 (Yes put this in your phone as a contact) this line either has a controller to answer your call or an answering service – ask for a call back asap if no one answer and leave a short detailed message – speak slow and clear and leave your number. If you speak to an agent, leave all the information with them from point (1.) above and ask that a field C & P Officer call you back for follow up asap

5. Once this is all done, then wait for your call back – C & P cannot get to every call but recording the illegal fishing activity with ORR is the essential step in recording this with Fisheries and Oceans Canada – this now puts the ball in their court to take action and be accountable to us as the general public.

6. DO NOT spread things on social media or slander anyone through racial slurs, this is not responsible and does not show good judgement. If you need to reach out to anyone – find organizations like the Fraser Valley Salmon Society and send them a private message to their Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/Fraser-Valley-Salmon-Society-111769675563789/

Alternatively if you can’t find anyone else, please feel free to contact me directly and I will do all I can to help the situation text me or call me direct at Dean Werk 604-991-3474

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Again, these are only guidelines and in our troubling and challenging  times we need to do all we can to band together for the environment and our Wild Salmon and Sturgeon for the future. All wildlife in that matter….We all need to do our part but finding a responsible accountable way of doing this shows we care and we can make a positive difference for the future generations and show them how we can deal with things fairly and in a nice way

Moving forward in the coming years we have this opportunity and I would suggest everyone who reads this puts it into action for the safety of all the people who share our resources.

Cheers and great fishing, forever, Dean <“)))><
**QUICK LINKS

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