Five seine vessel skippers in the 2007 North Coast salmon fishery convicted

General Forums Prince Rupert Forum
1

This story may be an integral link to yesterday’s bomb threat:

newswire.ca/en/releases/arch … c6743.html

[quote]Attention News Editors:

Five seine vessel skippers in the 2007 North Coast salmon fishery convicted

    PRINCE RUPERT, BC, April 17 /CNW/ - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
announced today that its enforcement activities have led to the conviction of
five seine vessel skippers for violations under the Fisheries Act. All five
were convicted for failing to brail fish in the 2007 North Coast seine salmon
fishery.

    Mr. Roy Manning of Delta, the skipper of the Pacific Aggressor, was
convicted and fined $750 on January 15, 2008, in Richmond provincial court
after pleading guilty to violating the conditions of his licence on July 23,
2007, for failing to brail fish.

    Mr. Mark Wells of Courtenay, the skipper of the Semidi, was convicted on
November 8, 2007, in Courtenay provincial court after pleading guilty to
violating the conditions of his licence on July 23, 2007, for failing to brail
fish. Mr. Wells was fined $1,000, including a $900 fine that will go towards
"promoting the proper management and control of fisheries or fish habitat or
the conservation and protection of fish or fish habitat."

    Mr. Lawrence A. Atchison of Prince Rupert, the skipper of the Miss Cory,
was convicted on October 22, 2007, in Prince Rupert provincial court after
pleading guilty to violating the conditions of his licence on July 24, 2007,
for failing to brail fish. Mr. Atchison was fined $1,000 including a $900 fine
that will go towards “promoting the proper management and control of fisheries
or fish habitat or the conservation and protection of fish or fish habitat.”

    Mr. Franklin Clifton of Prince Rupert, the skipper of the Western Lady
was convicted on February 12, 2008, in Prince Rupert provincial court after
pleading guilty to violating the conditions of his licence on July 24, 2007,
for failing to brail fish. Mr. Clifton was fined $975, including a $900 fine
that will go towards “promoting the proper management and control of fisheries
or fish habitat or the conservation and protection of fish or fish habitat.”

    Mr. Wayne S.F. Birch of Delta, the skipper of the Nita Dawn, was
convicted on January 28, 2008, in Prince Rupert provincial court after
pleading guilty to violating the conditions of his licence on August 21, 2007,
for failing to brail fish. Mr. Birch was fined $1,075, including a $1,000 fine
that will go towards “promoting the proper management and control of fisheries
or fish habitat or the conservation and protection of fish or fish habitat.”

    The brailing technique, which removes fish from the purse seine net by
means of a large dip net, reduces the stress and crushing effect on fish. It
was implemented into the seine fishery to improve the chances of survival for
weaker salmon stocks, and its use has resulted in increased fishing
opportunities for seines on the coast.

    DFO acts to end illegal fishing activity. As part of this work, the
Department is asking the general public for information on activities of this
nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with
information can call the toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.

For further information: Kirsten Ruecker, Communications Advisor,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region, (604) 666-2872
[/quote]

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If anyone were to go out on a seine trip and see why they dont brail tthem each time you would understand why, I have done it dozens of times, having to brail them out takes ten times more work and it actually stresse them out even more than the slight crushing that may happen by just hauling the bag over the stern, which is the way the boats have been designed to do, to have to dry up all the web by friggin hand and then brail them out a couple at a time is just as stressfull if not more so, they are out the water much longer and thrash all over the place. They give these poor fuckers a 12 hour opening to get a years wages and then expect him to fuck around an extra hour each set brailing them all out, he will lose three or four sets because of it and wont make any money, they have put the fishermen between a rock and a hard place, they are damned either way. I know several of those skippers personally and these are very respectable honest hard working people who usually follow all regulations, but you make a rule that ensures their efforts will fail wtf else can they do? The catches as so small nowadays there isnt any big bags anymore anyways, there is never enough in them to do much crushing. 

3

Hey Chris, thanks for the post.  I haven’t the foggiest clue about any sort of fishing and really do not like the ocean.  Your post explains so much, at least for me, and please trust me when I say that I understand the concern.

4

I find it interesting that the bomb threat came on the same day of this judgement, and also on the same day of a judgement against Lax kw’alaams (Port Simpson)

5

The most recent guilty plea was jan 28th. Not even close to the date of the bomb threat. 

6

Don’t let that inconvenient fact get in the way of a good conspiracy theory.

7

That’s true, but DFO did make a big deal aobut it on Thursday issuing a press release, recapping the convictions and urging others to phone in and report other incidents to a tip line.

They kind of suggest in their press release that they are going to remain vigilant for those infractions.

Not sure that you can draw that line though between the announcements and the threat,  without any actual proof.  Would be interesting to know the exact warnings delivered to DFO on Thursday, that might help all of us would be CSI techs along… 

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[quote=“ThePodunkian”]
That’s true, but DFO did make a big deal aobut it on Thursday issuing a press release, recapping the convictions and urging others to phone in and report other incidents to a tip line.[/quote]

I wonder if that’s the line that received the threats?

9

LOL, ladies and gentlemen, Mig is here all week, please tip your wait staff… :smiley:

10

crush all their little heads. brailing is for pussies and the blind.