Wednesday April 17, 2024 | NATIONAL (posted from Vancouver Island, BC) [Updated 4:45 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Fishing is a popular activity in the Port Renfrew area. It’s also important for the local tourism economy.
Local MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) has recently sponsored a petition in support of recreational fishing in Port Renfrew.
He says that closures by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), without notices, threaten over 100 small businesses and the livelihoods of the owners and employees who run them.
Closures are unjustified:
“DFO has failed to provide credible data to justify the closures, leaving the local economies of many communities severely impacted,” said MacGregor this week.
According to some sources, the Chinook salmon return is strong at 650,000 whereas federal models show a return of about 100,000 fish.
Chinook salmon is an important food source for orca whales which is a species under threat.
“Critical threats to SRKW (Southern Resident Killer Whales, or orcas), such as pollution and large shipping vessel traffic, remain under addressed compared to the focus on recreational fishing,” it is stated in the petition.
Local petition online to May 10, 2024:
The e-petition was initiated by Chris Tucker, President of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, and it was launched through the House of Commons on April 10.
The e-petition can be signed online up to May 10, 2024.
Shifting away from arbitrary regulations:
“E-petition e-4919 advocates for a shift away from arbitrary and punitive regulations imposed by DFO, moving instead to evidence-based policies that protect the economic stability of small coastal communities like Port Renfrew,” says MacGregor.
Supporting recreational fishing:
“I have been a supporting the recreational fishing community and bringing their concerns to Ottawa for many years,” says MacGregor.
- In 2021, along with a cross-party representation of BC MPs, MacGregor wrote a letter to previous DFO Minister Jordan in support of marked selective Chinook fishery opportunities that DFO is considering for the Pacific region.
- In 2023 and 2024 NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron and Alistair MacGregor wrote to Ministers Murray and Lebouthillier regarding the closing of Tidal Area 20 in efforts to protect the Southern Resident Killer Whale and wild pacific salmon.
