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Hey Rodney. You should start a podcast. People would love to listen in longer form (myself included). There is a local podcast called the salmon people which so far has highlighted the salmon farming industry in BC and the corruption from DFO to protect the industry at the expense of our wild salmon. The more knowledge that is out there, the more people will get involved to protect our natural resources.
Unfortunately, greed is universal. All user groups have a small subset of people like this. Really 20 dumped fish are just the tip of the iceberg. Totes of hundreds of fish are transported across the border to U.S. canneries and many are sold locally as well. I think that there is nothing wrong with first nations profiting from a resource that they have used for millennia, as long as conservation goals are not infringed on.
Are you for real? Conservation goals? Their gillnets decimate everything in the river from steelhead to sturgeon along with everything else. While sportfishing for Chinook is shutdown because early fun Fraser Chinook runs are at risk, which based off dna facts the rec sector intercepts less than 1% of, natives continually gill net these stocks. Get educated.
I agree, no issues if people are making some money out of it but dumping these salmon really says about the character of that person, they could've just given it to someone in their community or for free to anyone but throwing it out is just sickening
@@josephphronesis9554 It is disgusting to see. Native 1st People do not waste a fish such seen here. Ever. Native 1st People eat each fish as food if not sold as food. Native 1st People never throw away the best of all food, Salmon. Native 1st People's Culture includes never wasting food; any food.
@@josephphronesis9554 In Native 1st People's underlying initial ever-present psyche, and behavior, wild creature food is the body of God. Sacred. Sacred to hunt. Sacred to eat. Sacred to remember.
Rod, thank you for having the courage to post this video. This has been going on for as long as I can remember and quite often in even greater numbers. For to long these actions have been ignored by both the authorities and the media. It is long past time for the truth to come out.
In various areas here in the Northwest US, hatcheries have been dumping fish in the forests near rivers and the rivers themselves to return the nutrients to the land that were lost with reduced runs and increased fishing, and so there are decaying bodies for the smolt to eat. Those dumping spots don't appear to be fore that purpose though since they left a plastic bag too.
Thanks for bringing this up Rod. The mainstream media won’t touch this issue because it may step on some sensitive toes, so on behalf of those of us who fight for the the future of this fishery, I commend you.
How frustrating to see people abusing the system like that. But thank you for the calm rational analysis. This is what is needed if we hope to preserve our fisheries. From the many people I have talked to, I think there is a feeling that recreational fishers are under-represented in the decision making process. I am not sure if that is the case but it would be great to know more about the decision making process so we can have a better understanding. This is an excellent start Rod! Well done.
Every year I see news about this, it is so heartbreaking! I am completely speechless… I really hope this issue is taken seriously and the DFO will catch people responsible! I will share this as many people as I can to keep this conversation going. ( I can’t believe there are so few officers out there) I will also research more on this and write to my local government.
Thank you Rod, for bringing this to the forefront. I have witnessed this my self and have been very concerned about our fisheries. You have my support and will be writing to my MP regarding this issue. I love all your content. Keep on fishing. Your awsome Cheers . Ziggy
This is why i watch Rod and Kitty , i learn so much from them . Being a sports fisherman , im sicken by this waste . I fish because i find it relaxing . Don't need to retain to enjoy the sport . I understand that our world is changing and that the environment has some impact with the numbers of fish returns . But everyone has to play a part in it and do the things the right way to help keep the salmon coming back for generations . I live in Chilliwack and cant wait for the up coming salmon season at the Chilliwack river . Thanx Rod
Thanks Rod, great vid! I appreciate all the hard work you do for our local fisheries. I think way too many people take the easy argument of "oh it's all because of that one group" without considering the multitude of factors contributing to our declining fish populations. The videos you produce really help educate people on how to think about our fisheries, instead of just viewing them as a resource to be exploited to depletion.
I’m glad that you are bringing an attention to this subject, I see that here in California with the local fishery, sturgeon on a stringer dumped by some rocks, undersized stripers dumped, and trout just like those salmon behind bushes. So many wasted fish.
Been on going for years. Not likely to stop to. I remember when the local DFO officer was talking about fish dumps on the Capilano River . What ticked him off more was that because where the fish were dumped his hands were tied. Thanks Rod need to get this talked about more. No more hiding this on going issue.
Hey Rod, thanks for putting this out there . Too many times over the years while fishing and guiding that I’ve seen similar. I really appreciate your views and ability to convey the information to fellow anglers in a manner which is both educational and entertaining . I Know a guy or two over here on the Island that you fish and work with. Maybe cross paths with you one day on the River. Cheers sir 🍻🙂
I do not for 1 minute believe this was done by your average angler//// I would of Loved to of had the opportunity to fish sockeye this year to Eat/Smoke / and share with family and friends….Most of all to teach and to enjoy time fishing with my grandchildren!! What a shame this all is and really needs to be dealt with…Enough talk let’s see some action.. Also Thankyou Rod
Been fishing on the vedder, fraser, and on the many stocked lakes around the lower mainland and from whistler to okanagan and NEVER have I ever see a DFO officer or any other park ranger or officer on site. No inspections done, no enforcement done. It can be the wild west just an hour or two drive east of metro vancouver. Sad. and what a waste. Thanks for bringing this to light. Please bring this to mainstream media attention!
I used to find large fish dumps of Walleye on the unmaintained road allowances north of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario during and after spawn season. FN would be in the local rivers spearing fish by the 50 gallon barrel full. Keepers of the land my ass.
I have photo’s of 6 or 7 totes on the Fraser that were half full of sockeye at different stages of rot. Fisheries finally got back to me only after a friend called out the head of fisheries during a meeting. They ended up being native caught fish. I dumped the totes so at least the sturgeon could feed on them.
I’m just over the border to the south, so I’m more familiar with wdfw than the dfo. We have similar issues in the upper rivers and I’ve thought about this a fair amount, and ultimately came to my conclusion which is that this will continue to happen as long as it’s easy to do without getting caught. As you mentioned, there are vast stretches of wilderness out there and wardens are understaffed; they simply can’t keep an eye on every stretch of river. Most places close down sections of river for non-tribe members as the vulnerable populations of fish move through them. A situation like this means that any non-tribe anglers seen fishing in a given area at that time probably aren’t supposed to be there. So here’s a bit of an “out-there” idea: funding for dfo drones. Not like military drones or anything, I’m not crazy, I just mean like standard DJI video drones. They’re cheap (relative to a warden’s salary + pension funding) and can be deployed by game wardens to survey wide sections of river for activity. Against my better judgement, I’ve been scaring poachers with drones for the past 2 fall seasons and let me tell you, it’s effective, but ultimately it’s not my place to do it and I can’t bring my antics to any reasonable conclusion like a game warden could.
Hi Rod Thanks for posting the video. The more info that is shared with the public will bring more awareness. You should go video the beach nets when the chums are running, and the thousands of dead bi catch on the Fraser. The same reason we no longer have a fall run steelhead return to the Thompson. Too many politics involved with salmon these days, it's sickening.
You are providing a valuable service with this video. The key to solving this issue is impressing upon each and every user of this resource, the need of education of responsibility. Fraser sockeye have enough natural stressors affecting their viability that added man made ones should not be left unaddressed. There are people in all communities who use this resource that need reminding that it is not endless. If you use this resource, you have a tacit obligation to do so responsibly and that includes educating yourself and others in your community on how to take care of the fish so there is no more waste such as you have documented. If we do not follow through on this, we could add this cycle run of sockeye to the other three cycles of sockeye that are not fished because of insufficient spawner abundance.
Pretty sad to see this, and I have seen it myself, several times unfortunately. Very glad Rod is covering it, he has a good, balanced and fair take on things
I am not sure which thumb button to click on this one.I decided to click thuumbs up for efforts of Rod in bringing us this vid,but I am thinking thumbs down for fish in the ditch or on the roadsides. Thanks P.S. I fished socks in 1991 and there abouts when we had 90 million sockeye.They are way down.
Great informative, educational video Rod 👍. As I have seen people ( people fishing) , getting frustrated. With not catching the fish, they are hoping to catch. And then just kill the fish ( thow it in the bush) 🤬. Maybe We should bring back closed fishing seasons , every other year 🤔. And for those who disagree, $ 5,000 fine + take all of there equipment away.
I practice C&R for the most part. Once in awhile I will keep a fish for smoking. Never understood why you would take a fish if you didn't plan on keeping it for eating. This is horrible.
Interesting. Keep trying to make a difference Rod. There are all sorts of problems around the world. We have them also here in Australia……much has changed for the better though. For example, catch & release was never done in my father’s generation. Two steps forward, one step backwards perhaps? All the best, Carol, from Sydney, Australia
Thanks Carol. Someone else suggested earlier today that my glass is too rosy at times. I think that you have to optimistic and believe changes would happen, otherwise there's no point to keep trying. :)
game cams!! up here in Alaska troopers patrol vast areas. Game cams can be a valuable tool to catch people. I've talked to troopers checking cams to catch suspected violators. I would not be surprised to find out its probably the same people year after year
I’ve seen this in Washington. I was told that that the local tribe catches the fish, removes the eggs and ships the eggs to China. Seems that maybe this was the case with these fish as they were cut open. It’s super frustrating to see in person, but the way the rules are now, it’s their fish to do what they want.
This is terrible! I saw your Instagram story where you said someone left another 20 dead salmon at the same spot. Perhaps you could set up a trail camera to try and catch them? And all this added pressure when the fish clearly don't need it. Thank you for addressing the issue.
I always catch and release but those fish could have fed quite a few people. I worked in the culinary industry for years and could not stand good food being thown away. If you can't sell it, give it away...but unfortunately that doesn't happen here in america.
Definitely. Any fish/food waste needs to be talked about. 20 sockeye salmon are so valuable. So many good meals were lost, and more importantly, so many offsprings could have been produced.
Hey Rod, do you know where I can legally buy these fish? I think supporting the locals who can fish is important but I also don’t want to buy “Alaskan sockeye” from the grocery store. Thanks for your work and insight
Hi Alex, so there are BC sockeye salmon available from commercial sources for sure. Quadra Island Fisheries is one example, they pop up in different towns across the province and the dates are announced in advance on their Facebook page. It's not cheap though, each fish is usually $50. quadraislandfisheries.com
People could literally give me their fish. Lot of times I go out, I don’t even catch any fish. Often, anglers around me would offer to give me their fish and I’m more than happy to take it because I love eating salmon.
I think one thing we need to keep in mind is that during years like this one, the abundance of sockeye salmon is still really high (5 to 6 million fish is still a lot of fish), just not enough for managers to allocate between all groups. We do have some small scale hatchery programs for sockeye salmon in the Fraser River. These are mitigation programs to ensure the runs upstream from the Big Bar landslide can continue in case not enough adult spawners can get up there.
A few weeks ago I was fishing a local slough near agassiz, there was about 15 sockeye heads next to the shore. Not many people fish this spot, but it is not near any reserves. I know that there's people in all groups who poach and mistreat the resource, but these were definitely anglers. They also left a few cutthroat on the beach about 20 yards from the water. I have a general idea who it is but no proof. Sad, really sad.
Thanks Rod for for again reminding public to what is really going on as we sure can't rely on the Fake media to properly cover the topic. Until laws with teeth are enforced things will never change. To think average sporty can't even dip a single barbless hook in the river to put a fish on the table for his family. So disappointing.
People just don't think about our natural resources rod they don't think about protecting them. Those fish could have been donated to a worthy cause. Instead of rotting on the ground. I give fish away every time I catch one you should see all the species of fish that I give to people so that they can enjoy it and eat it. Not a very religious person but if there is a God I kind of like to think that I'm paying him back for him to give me the ability to excel in what I do. Thank you for your videos rod very informative my brother kitty and you are awful special . I have enjoyed all your videos.
Thanks for discussing the sockeye run in detail. I’m interested in how much of the run is artificially induced via man made spawning channels and how that impacts other species?
Andrew, up until the Big Bar landslide a few years ago, there hadn't been much hatchery mitigation on Fraser River sockeye salmon. Since the slide, there currently are some to assist the runs upstream from the slide. That said, overall, we do not have a mass hatchery production for the Fraser River sockeye salmon.
okay, so iam new at westcoast fishing and only so far caught one salmon this year and had to put back it back. what i have learned so far this year is everything about fishing here is confusing. the goverments website is a nightmare the app is no better..the government complicated the crap out of this fishery. commen sense is not so common, how is that the commercial fishery at all scales can take tons of these salmon but us littl;e guys cant have one. Thanks rod your an inspiration.
Martin, both the federal and provincial governments have done a terrible job on how regulations are presented to anglers. It has been that way for a couple decades with no desire to change unfortunately. Feel free to reach out whenever you have a question on regulations.
I agree with your comment. IMHO it is not talked about because of over sensitive race issues. I agree, it is a few bad apples, however, they must police themselves. Well said Rod.
@@robbarber7253 if you don’t understand that the RCMP have little to no jurisdiction in band territory then you should educate yourself. And you know damn well what policing themselves mean. It means the band chiefs need to reign in their members. You can’t tell me the bands don’t know, specifically, who are doing the illegal catching and selling.
@@dalekoop2207 you're telling me to educate myself and you think the RCMP have no jurisdiction on Indian land. Are you stupid? You realize on some Indian reserves they literally have an RCMP officer that lives in a house funded by the government. The company I work for has contracts at service government property I personally know RCMP officers that live on native land as the local police officer. Delete your idiotic comment or suffer the embarrassment
This is sad. As a BC boy that follows the rules when it comes to boating and fishing, this makes me sad. I have been living in Alberta for 20 years now but BC will always be home. Such a waste. Just the other day, I had to pay $65.00 for a whole Salmon from the grocery store. Not BC Salmon, not fresh, but it was Salmon and I still need my fix. Folks, please do not waste, what you have in abundance, what some of us have to pay significantly to just get one of.
Yeah, unfortunately for anyone who has only lived in BC, it's hard to understand just how abundant our natural resources are and they are often taken for granted. That's why we've done videos on how to use every single part of a salmon, or selective fishing, or putting the spotlight on issues like this. Thanks for checking it out!
I live in WA and as much as I respect the rights of the tribal fisherman, I truly believe nets in all salmon fisheries (commercial included) needs to be eliminated. When we see nets every 50 yards up a river for over 10 miles, that span from one end of the river to the other, it genuinely amazes me that a single fish can get through the ecosystem to breed. Also, if the tribes get caught poaching fish, they go to tribal court, and get a slap on the wrist and within a day they are back out on the water. I personally want to work with them to restore the streams, restore the habitats that were destroyed by farming on rivers, and find a way we can all fish sustainably so we all have an equal shot at every season. But nets need to be eliminated. It’s not just fish they catch, nets are indiscriminate, they take every thing from habit pups, to seaguls, to porpoises. Everyone needs to go to a hook and line fishery.
Rod just watched your video and I am sure you are spot on .I’ve been sport fishing for 30years and feel privileged to do so ,unfortunately l have seen this many times and have come to the conclusion that it’s all political,get the DFO to turn a blind eye and in doing so jeopardizing the most important thing in this ,the fish .When there is no more fish to take the blame game begins .I hope with people like yourself and respect from all of us for the fish we are so privileged to share
Those who work in DFO enforcement are just as frustrated. More often than not their hands are tied, and cannot do much beyond what they are currently doing. They need us to be their vocal advocate so they can do their job better, which is like you said, to preserve the fish populations.
I'm kind of missing something in this video. These people are dumping the fish because they don't have buyers? Doesn't seem to make sense to me because you said that the demand is so high for the fish. If the demand is so high why can't these people sell them? Also, you stated up front that this is a political issue yet I didn't hear a word about politics being talked about in this video. How are politics involved? I do remember you saying that one point that the fish only last so long and that you have to get rid of them. Anyway, I watched the whole video and am still a bit confused. I'm interested to learn more because I just got back from a Alaskan fishing trip of the Kenai River where my wife and I caught a lot of beautiful sockeye salmon.
The complexity and sensitivity of this subject can definitely make it rather confusing. It's a political issue because the fish caught are often likely to be associated to the First Nations' FSC fisheries which are the only fisheries taking place right now in the Fraser River. No politicians will touch the issue because it may then be interpreted as disrespecting indigenous fisheries. Because the selling and buying of the fish are illegal, the supply and demand are not always in sync. There is a good supply of fish right now, because there are a lot of fish to be caught. If fish are not being sold fast enough and more fish are being caught, then storage becomes an issue. You need a lot of ice to store these fresh fish. If storage runs out and more fish are still being brought in, then the older fish are dumped. The welfare of the fish is not the main concern here, monetary gain is what this is all about when fish are being sold and bought illegally.
@@FishingwithRod ok, I think I understand a little bit better. So you are saying that the only fishing allowed is for indigenous fisheries and those fish are only to be used for the consumption of indigenous people? Is there a basic understanding of who might be throwing these fish away? Is it possible that the indigenous people are throwing these away? Or do you think that these are people that shouldn't be fishing in the first place? I presume it would be totally illegal for me to get a Canadian license and fish the Fraser River and then turn around and sell my fish to people that wanted to buy them standing on the side of a riverbank, correct?
Thats how the natives treat nature. Net the whole river so fish cant reproduce, strip the eggs and throw the rest away. Its sad. Not to mention the gross poaching they do.
It's not being talked about because in the current societal climate here in Canada, Political Correctness is valued more than protecting our Salmon and Environment. The Government should be addressing this, and it shouldn't have to fall on your or my shoulders to try and correct this behavior. But I doubt the politicians want to touch a subject that isn't going to help in their re-election campaign.
Man so dumb we are seeing this I have personally seen 80 plus in one spot this year at the boat launch and many other times this has been happening so disgusting to see people doing it on the regular
Thanks Rod I’m just like you I hate to see salmon wasted like that I see it here in Washington state I take pictures and send it in to the WDFW to investigate but you don’t get responses from them. I now the natives net the river but when it’s closed they illegally net I reported them they came to where I was with a friend they told us to stay there to get a statement from us they took the net that was in the river that had a dozen or so king salmon a lot of them were wild fish that are endangered species that have to be released they kept all the salmon and told us they were going to give them to the tribe for there dinners that was wrong they should’ve released those that were alive they we’re still doing good if that was one of regular fisherman they we’re taken to jail no questions asked I think everyone should follow all the rule or there is not going to be any salmon left
That is just horrible and senseless. People who do that should permanently lose their license if, of course, they could just be caught. Be a tattle tail, no shame there. I am getting ready to visit, I would love to be able to catch a few of those.
@@FishingwithRod I was just there. Went over to Vancouver Island and got 4 Dungeness and 3 red rocks. Also 2 small sculpin. Came back to Vancouver and fished the Capolonu (spelling ???) inlet with no luck. Saw a seal wrapped up in somebody's trolling rig. Didn't catch any but still had fun. Got back last night. I'm from North Carolina. Would've replied sooner but my phone didn't work in Canada. Oh, also tried Lake Poirot on the island. No luck but saw a beautiful black bear and a mink.
@@FishingwithRod We had a blast. Vancouver and Vancouver Island soo beautiful. It's not all about catching. I'll be back next year with a more refined plan. Still want to catch a cutthroat and a salmon.
@@markseffels6182 Sounds like it was a good visit! Next time, feel free to reach out to me and ask for some key areas where you should visit. Happy to assist. 🙂
The lack of enforcement of this illegal activity is appalling. The lack of resources for DFO enforcement is basically enabling this illegal and immoral activity.
Thanks Rick. I believe three things have to happen. DFO enforcement has to get the support it needs first. Secondly, leaders of all sectors need to condemn these activities. Thirdly, there has to be more education and make the purchasing of salmon from non-commercial sources socially unacceptable. We got a long way to get there.
@@FishingwithRod I agree completely. This is, unfortunately, another example of putting politics before salmon. Salmon sustainability must come first. Only then can people, all people, make use of them in the myriad ways we do, all that goes for ALL people.
The reason why it’s not talked about is because “racism” towards Indians. Netting isn’t tradition at all because it’s now money making not feeding the people. We have tons of chum get egged just for eggs to ship off to over sea markets just to make money, nets raking and killing off wild fish that we by regs can’t even remove from the water for a pic!!! Pathetic!!! Besides some rivers state hatchery fish are still netted by tribes, fish we pay for with taxes but they get netted to make money!!!! The reason we don’t have much fish making it up to the hatchery’s is the nets take them out and we’ll see atleast 5 times more fish and bigger healthier fish
That's one mistake I probably made in the video. These are indeed done by poachers. If these fish were caught and dumped by First Nation fishery participants, they would be identified as poachers as rules were not followed.
You can't talk about it Rod . The minute you do someone somewhere screams RACISM . Have you seen the mountains of Pinks piled up in the bushes during the Pink runs ? Grab the roe and chuck em . Glad you did this video .
Dam all that for role only... just like sturgeon... that's how fish get wasted out of sea... fish and game need hunting cam for this guys and area possible or have been a place to do that.... some law say each day you can keep this much and some law say "possession" meaning you only can have this much limits with you and before going back you must finish eatting those fish first before going back and catch more... if they mean possession meaning this guys just trying to get rid of the fish fast and take what is worth and go get more... just one word can change alot on the law
These fish were not harvested for roe. Sockeye salmon roe's market value is very low compared to chum salmon roe. These fish were gutted so they were ready to be sold, and most likely discarded when buyers couldn't be found before they went back.
The government needs to start enforcing the laws against these people. Whether illegal fishing, hunting and of course gun smuggling. Yet people too scared to address these issues as scared to be called a racist...
why doesnt dfo add officers or deputize anglerswho are interested in helping out, m sure it would help catch violators. ive been seeing people snag and keep fish, use barbed hooks and take home fishnthen come back to fish again. its just crazy how some violator dont get caught. i have yet to see an officer who checks
Native 1st People never, ever throw away fishes as rubbish. That was poaching. Not catch and release even. It was thrill-who-cares catch, gloat over, and toss. Bad apples.
I think a better way to phrase this is that fish wastage is not a value in the First Nation community. That said, poachers exist in all communities, including First Nations. When someone does this in the First Nation communities, it does not represent their values, but it is rather due to greed. The reality is that there are individuals out on the Fraser right now, catching a significant amount of fish on a regular basis to meet the demand from those who don't have a problem buying fish illegally. At times supply exceeds demand, then we see fish being dumped like this.
@@robbarber7253 I'm curious. Was it the skeleton? The bones? The meat was removed off? Were they young, or older? By recreational rod and reel? Describe this further; I'm very curious.
