South Island salmon anglers are carrying a huge conservation load and cannot bear any more restrictions, a Capital Regional District director told Terry Beech, parliamentary secretary to Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc, last week.

A special CRD committee of the whole meeting was a rare chance for local officials to meet face-to-face with a federal politician on marine and fisheries issues.

Juan de Fuca Electoral Area director Mike Hicks told Beech, Liberal MP for Burnaby North Seymour, that more needs to done to ease the fisheries regulation burden on the area.

B次元官网网址淭he current restriction of the non-retention of a mature wild stock Chinook until July 15 has decimated the local sport fishing industry and perhaps more importantly ruined the recreational angling opportunity of our residents that has been enjoyed for generations,B次元官网网址� Hicks said.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada puts restrictions in place in a number of fisheries along the chinookB次元官网网址檚 migration route to try to conserve those returning to the river in the spring and summer. They vary by area.

DFO closed the area from Cadboro Point to Sheringham Point B次元官网网址� 130 kilometres from the Fraser River B次元官网网址� last summer, a change which Hicks said local anglers werenB次元官网网址檛 consulted.

B次元官网网址淎lthough this closure was questionable as a conservation measure it allowed the residents and guides to maintain an opportunity to fish for large chinook,B次元官网网址� Hicks said, adding DFO extended the closure an addition 30 kilometres to Sombrio Point which resulted in a closure for chinook fishing until July 15.

Hicks would like to see the boundary for fishing regulations be re-established at Sheringham Point, west of Sooke.

B次元官网网址淭his relatively small boundary alteration would continue to achieve the conservation goals of DFO but would give local anglers and industry the opportunity to survive during these times of low abundance,B次元官网网址� Hicks said.

Hicks asked Beech for a meeting with DFOB次元官网网址檚 Pacific Regional Director Andrew Thomson.

Beech told directors his objective for the meeting was to listen.

He said DFO is looking at ways to improve the process.

B次元官网网址淲e do our best to make hard decisions with available science with the full understanding of the difficulties these decisions put on coastal communities,B次元官网网址� Beech said.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not against making difficult decisions but donB次元官网网址檛 want to cause unnecessary hardship when itB次元官网网址檚 not warranted.B次元官网网址�

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