Sea to Sky anglers are hoping to catch government officials' attention as they push to have regulations lifted that prevent the harvesting of chinook salmon in British Columbia's Howe Sound.
Since April 2019, people have been banned from catching chinook in the south coast fishery.
Jason Assonitis has been a fishing guide in local waters for more than 30 years and angler Dave Brown, vice-chair of the Squamish-Lillooet Sport Fish Advisory Committee, has been advocating for change since 2019.
Together, they want Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to immediately accept a proposal put forward by the Sports Fishing Advisory Board to allow for the retention of hatchery chinook in portions of Howe Sound in 2026, from April 1 to June 15.
“We are asking for one hatchery marked salmon per day,” said Assonitis. “These hatchery fish are put in the ocean, put in the rivers, for harvest, for First Nations, recreational and commercial anglers.”
Brown noted the fish would also have to be between 62 and 80 centimetres to be harvested.
"There's been additional research and data collection. But we just feel like no matter what gets put forward, we seem to get blocked politically or stonewalled,” said Brown.
A proposal has been submitted by the Sport Fishing Advisory Board every year since 2020, and each year it’s been rejected. Despite advocating for change and adjusting their proposal, the anglers say they are being met with pushback from both Fisheries and Oceans Canada and local First Nations. year after year.
“Each year, it’s been turned down,” said Assonitis. “If we could just get a reason why the proposals are not being approved, that’d be helpful.”
In an email to Glacier Media, DFO responded by stating it has consulted broadly on the use of Mark Selective Fisheries (MSF) as a fishery management tool.
"The department is considering advice from First Nations and stakeholders on how best to use MSF regulations in the future,” stated a DFO spokesperson.
According to DFO, several MSF pilots for recreational chinook fishing opened on April 1, 2024.
"These fisheries are designed to be low risk to wild chinook stocks, particularly Fraser River chinook stocks of concern while providing economic and recreational benefit to fishers,” said the spokesperson.
Assonitis said a study was done by DFO, with volunteers, including guides like himself. During April and May, they sampled fish for three days a week.
“In 2024, in Howe Sound, the local boats sampled 335 legal chinook salmon and there were zero stocks of concern,” he said.
For Brown, he feels the closure is being done without data to support it.
“It’s more of a political decision that was made at the time by fisheries minister Jonathan Wilkinson and carried on from there,” said Brown.
Anglers in the area don’t want to catch stocks of concern (Upper Fraser chinook stocks), the pair say, and according to them, the samples show there is an “abundant” number of hatchery salmon in the area.
First Nation responds
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) does not support the recreational retention of hatchery chinook in Átl'ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound).
Squamish Nation council member Wilson Williams said the Átl'ḵa7tsem and Squamish River population of chinook salmon is listed as data deficient by DFO and Squamish Nation does not have enough information to support a change from the current recreational regulations.
"Conservation of a fisheries resource and access to FSC (food, social, and ceremonial) fishing rights come before commercial and recreational rights,” said Williams.
Adding: "If there is an abundance in hatchery fish, it’s beholden on DFO to increase Squamish Nation FSC allocations before any increases to recreational access are made.”
Williams said the Squamish Nation’s current allocation does not meet the community’s FSC needs.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw said allowing the retention of hatchery salmon that have been marked can result in the mortality of wild chinook and hatchery chinook below the mentioned size limit.
Williams said this is due to handling stress, injuries, environmental conditions and fishing practices.
"Hatchery-raised chinook salmon over 80 cm total length would not be the only fish caught; the health of wild chinook would likely be negatively affected by opening this recreational fishery,” added Williams.
Meanwhile, southern resident killer whales are endangered and are facing critical threats, said Williams. Only 73 resident killer whales remain.
The whales, yéw̓yews in the Squamish language, rely primarily on chinook salmon for survival, she said.
Collecting fish DNA
Assonitis and Brown believe they have data to support opening fishing in the area.
“When we're looking for sustainable opportunities, we can feel confident that the fish that we're catching are not the ones that we want to protect,” said Assonitis. "As recreational anglers, we want to make sure that we strike a balance between conservation and harvest, and we want to make sure that we're not impacting stocks of concern.”
Assonitis, owner of Bon Chovy Fishing Charters, said he was fascinated by salmon from a young age.
“It’s always been a passion and it’s knowing where your food comes from.”
He’s been volunteering his time to sample and collect DNA from the fish in the area.
“We are the last people that want to do any damage to these stocks of concern. So there is a way to balance harvest with conservation and avoid the stocks of concern,” he said. “We know the data and the science is there.”
Hatchery fish have a clipped adipose fin so they’re easily identifiable. To collect the data for DFO, Assonitis has a scientific fishing licence to catch fish in the area so he can take a hole-punch size of DNA from a fish’s fin and put a tracking tag inside the fish before quickly releasing it.
“(DFO) can read all these tags and they’re trying to get an idea of survival challenges,” he said.
Assonitis said anglers are conservationists who want to see the stocks thrive.
“We are the last people that want to do any damage to these stocks of concern.”
Brown said a new proposal was presented with data from DFO showing there was “virtually no impact to the stocks of concern” but they have not been able to get approval.
The decision around fisheries is managed federally. Glacier Media reached out to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Joanne Thompson but did not hear a response after a week.
‘People who are losing their livelihood’
The most sought-after sport fish is the chinook salmon, according to Brown.
“They’re the largest, they’re the hardest fighting,” he said. “It’s the real pinnacle of sport fishing, and what always has been the top one we want to go catch.”
In their most recent proposal, it states that chinook are the most important salmon species to the public fishery in southern B.C. and the angling community desperately needs modest chinook retention opportunities to survive.
"The sport fishing industry in British Columbia is close to a billion-dollar industry, so there's definitely economic benefit,” said Brown.
Anglers can still fish for coho salmon and pink salmon after June 1 in the area.
“From a chinook salmon perspective, it’s been closed and it’s been decimating from an economic perspective,” said Assonitis.
He believes that Howe Sound is an exceptional candidate for this new proposed fishing area.
“It’s close to Vancouver, and it would mean a lot to the local communities, to marinas, tackle shops, families, there is a really good opportunity to harvest abundant chinook stocks,” he said.
In recent years, many anglers have sold their boats and are not fishing anymore.
"There are people who are losing their livelihood. There's a lost culture too; most tourists are coming to British Columbia in that summertime period,” said Brown.
They believe the ocean conditions in the Howe Sound are thriving with herring anchovies, whales and sea lions.
“It’s a very healthy environment, much more healthy than we had 10 years ago,” he says.
Brown suggested that if people want to get involved or are passionate about fishing they can join the Public Fishery Alliance.
“We're all trying to do our best, but we also want to be able to enjoy the sport we love,” said Brown.
