Fishery Notice

Category(s):
COMMERCIAL - Salmon: Troll
Subject:
FN0976-COMMERCIAL - Salmon: Troll - Chum - Area H - 2017 Johnstone Strait Openings


The Chum Working Group has concluded its pre-fishery meetings and has developed 
a fishing plan and consultation schedule for 2017. 

In 2017, Area H Troll Johnstone Strait chum harvest opportunities will be 
managed as an Individual Transferable Effort demonstration fishery. The fishery 
will be divided into two fishing periods - September 28 to October 12, 2017 and 
October 14 to October 30, 2017. Each licence will be assigned an initial 
allocation of three boat days in fishing period one and two boat days in 
fishing period two. There will be a one day closure between fishing periods on 
Friday, October 13, 2017.  The Area H troll fishery will also be closed during 
the Area B Seine fisheries currently scheduled for October 2 and October 16, 
2017 (except a portion of Subarea 13-3, see below).

Boat days may be fished at any time within each fishing period. Boat days in 
each fishing period can be transferred within each fishing period but not 
between fishing periods.  Boat-days will be transferable only among Area H 
licence holders. Transfers to other gear types or licence holders are not 
permitted. 

Area 12: 

Troll will open from 00:01 hours Thursday, September 28 to 23:59 hours Sunday, 
October 1, 2017, in Subareas 12-1 to 12-5. 

Variation Order # 2017-JS-TR-001


Area 13: 

Subarea 13-3:
Troll will open from 00:01 hours Thursday, September 28 to 23:59 hours 
Thursday, October 12, 2017 in that portion of Subarea 13-3 northerly of a line 
from a boundary sign at Orange Point to a daybeacon on Steep Island and 
westerly of a line from a daybeacon on Steep Island to an unnamed point on 
Quadra Island located at 50 degrees 05.565 minutes north by 125 degrees 15.769 
minutes west. 

Variation Order # 2017-JS-TR-002


Subareas 13-6 and 13-7:
Troll will open from 00:01 hours Thursday, September 28 to 23:59 hours Sunday, 
October 1, 2017 in portions Subareas 13-6 and 13-7 (excluding Deepwater Bay, 
from the boundary sign at 50 degrees 11.434 minutes north by 125 degrees 20.268 
minutes west to the boundary sign at 50 degrees 10.861 minutes north by 125 
degrees 20.885 minutes west). 

Variation Order # 2017-JS-TR-001


Remainder of Area 13:
Troll will open from 00:01 hours Thursday, September 28 to 23:59 hours Sunday, 
October 1, 2017, in Subareas 13-8 to 13-10, a portion of 13-11 lying west of a 
line from Bodega Point on Quadra Island, to a boundary sign on Quadra Island at 
50 degrees 16.390 minutes north by 125 degrees 22.620 minutes west, 13-27 to 13-
29, 13-30 (excluding the Amor de Cosmos Creek mouth boundary, closed in those 
waters surrounding the mouth of the Amor de Cosmos Creek inside the radius of a 
circle 337 m in diameter intersecting the shoreline at 50 degrees 21.862 
minutes north by 125 degrees 41.164 minutes west [east of the creek mouth] and 
50 degrees 21.658 minutes north by 125 degrees 41.630 minutes west [west of the 
creek mouth]), 13-31, 13-32, 13-35, and a portion of 13-40 lying west of a line 
running from the boundary sign on West Thurlow Island (approximately 1.5 miles 
east of Eden Point) to the boundary sign on the opposite shoreline on Hardwicke 
Island.

Variation Order # 2017-JS-TR-001


The next Area H Troll opportunity within the first fishing period is scheduled 
for Tuesday, October 3 to Thursday, October 12, 2017 and is subject to in-
season assessment information. 

The second fishing period is currently scheduled to commence Saturday, October 
14 through Monday, October 30, 2017 and is subject to in-season assessment 
information.


Notes:

As this is the first opening for Area H Troll in 2017, refer to Fishery Notice 
FN0592 for a summary of mandatory harvest log and reporting requirements.

Subareas 13-6 and 13-7 will be closed for the Thanksgiving long weekend 
(October 7 to 9) and for the Brown's Bay Derby weekend (October 14 and 15).

The target species for this fishery is chum salmon. Pink salmon may also be 
retained.  There is non-retention and non-possession of sockeye, coho, chinook 
and steelhead.

License eligibility holders are strongly encouraged to designate a signing 
authority prior to the start of the fishery.  The designation permits someone 
else to authorize a boat day transfer if you are out fishing and are unable to 
complete the required transfer application.  The designation and reallocation 
forms are available from Rachel Saraga at 250-286-5807 or Rachel.Saraga@dfo-
mpo.gc.ca or they can be downloaded from the DFO Pacific Region website at:
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/licence-permis/licence-commercial-eng.html  

Barbless hooks and operating revival tanks are requirements in this fishery.

Vessel masters must phone AMR at 1-888-387-0007 and provide start and end 
fishing reports. These reports will be used to monitor fishing activity. 
Vessels will be monitored on the grounds to ensure that start fishing reports 
have been filed prior to commencement of fishing. Once a start fishing report 
is made and fishing has commenced, that fishing day is considered to be used.  
At the end of each fishing day prior to 08:00 hours of the next day, the vessel 
master must, as a condition of licence, record their catch information in their 
Salmon Log Book and report their catch by calling AMR at 1-888-387-0007. 
Fishers are encouraged to register their FIN and logbook number by calling 1-
877-280-3474 to facilitate the daily reporting process.  Vessel masters using E-
logs must digitally transmit this information using a properly encoded 
electronic mail message.

Fishing will not be permitted in the areas closed for rockfish conservation.  
These closures are listed on the DFO website at: 
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/maps-cartes/rca-acs/index-eng.html
or can be accessed at DFO district offices.

In Area 12, mooring in Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve will only 
be permitted 24 hours prior to a commercial opening. The west and east 
boundaries are identified by a 4x8 foot white sign with 3x3 foot orange sign in 
the centre. The location of the west boundary is 50 degrees 29.759 minutes 
north by 126 degrees 37.592 minutes west and the location of the east boundary 
is 50 degrees 29.107 minutes north by 126 degrees 30.365 minutes west. In 
addition vessels will not be permitted to moor in Robson Bight proper during 
commercial fishery openings. 

Fishers are reminded it is an offence under Section 7 of the Marine Mammals 
Regulations to disturb marine mammals.  Fishers are advised to follow the Be 
Whale Wise: Marine Wildlife Guidelines for Boaters, Paddlers and Viewers (BWW) 
which are available from local Fisheries Offices or on-line at 
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/species-especes/mammals-mammiferes/view-
observer-eng.htm to avoid disturbing local killer whales and other marine 
mammals.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is interested in reports of sea turtles in BC 
waters. By documenting sightings we are able to learn more about how, when, and 
where these turtles are using our waters. If you see a sea turtle, please call 
this toll-free phone number: 1-866-I SAW ONE (1-866-472-9663) or e-mail 
sightings@vanaqua.org. Please include information such as the type of sea 
turtle seen (i.e. leatherback), the location, and time of sighting.

Fishers are requested to retain all dead birds and to release live birds by 
placing them in the water.  Please check all birds for metal bird bands (rings) 
on the leg.  If a bird is banded please contact Laurie Wilson with the band 
number and capture date and location at 1-866-431-2473 (BIRD) or by the email 
below.  Handle birds with gloves, double bag dead birds and label each bird 
with date, time, and location and store them on ice. Please call your local 
charter patrol to organize pick-up or drop them off at a local DFO office.  
Alternatively, please send photographs of birds with a reference object such as 
a coin, and the date, time and location to 
laurie.wilson@canada.ca.  Your names and vessel names do not need to be 
identified or included.

Fishers should be advised that whales can be encountered in the fishing area. 
Fishers should take precautionary measures to avoid fishing near whales to 
avoid potential contact with fishing gear. If a whale becomes entangled in 
fishing gear, fishers should immediately call the Observe, Record, Report (ORR) 
line at 1-800-465-4336. Fishers are advised not to attempt to free the whale of 
the fishing gear as this can pose a serious threat to the safety of the fisher 
and the animal. 

Fishers are advised to notify local DFO managers or patrol vessels to report 
abandoned, lost, or entangled gear.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Matt Mortimer, Resource Manager, 250-286-5814


Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0976
Sent September 20, 2017 at 1458