The hundreds of anglers and wannabe fishers who come to Squamish for the pink salmon that run every other summer need to behave, say local fishery experts.
Last time around, in 2013, the salmon run didn’t go very well, according to Stephanie Lingard, a local fish biologist.
“[Some fishers] weren’t following the rules, didn’t have licenses, were dragging fish up on the beach, using the wrong gear, people were using the banks as bathrooms, there was litter everywhere, killing fish and then releasing them,” she said. “It is atrocious, the behaviour that occurs during this run.”
Lingard is helping lead a new education initiative aimed at educating those who want to cast a line into Squamish rivers.
It is particularly important for people to respect the salmon and their habitat this year because of the current conditions, according to Lingard.
“The fish are very stressed out,” she said. “The water is low [in rivers] and it is warm, and the warmer it is, the quicker the fish use up their energy resources and the more susceptible they are to parasites… and it eats into the energy they have to spawn.”
Lingard and Cortney Brown of the Trout Country Fishing Guides – in collaboration with representatives from the Squamish River Watershed Society and the Squamish Nation – designed educational signs and maps that will be placed in the dirt lot near the Mamquam River on the way to Mamquam Bar, in Fisherman’s Park and at the entry to the Spit.
The signs, which were installed Monday, identify the different species, and provide some basic rules and regulations people should be aware of before they start to fish.Everyone must have a license to catch fish and single-barbless hooks are required. No bait is allowed in the Squamish watershed and most species are to be caught and released.
“I think the signs are going to be so awesome because a lot of people have a hard time even finding the regulations,” said Brown. Prior to the signs, Brown said she found herself policing the riverbanks herself by going around and telling people that what they are doing is not allowed.
The three signs were funded by a grant from the Squamish Community Foundation.
Linguard said it is great so many people are coming to Squamish to fish and she doesn’t want to discourage them, but there needs to be an understanding of the rules.
“It is not that it is a bad thing to have more people here, it is just really that we want to make sure as this community grows that they are looking after our resource,” she said.
There will be an Angler Awareness Day Sunday held at the Mamquam dike that will include an information booth. Members of the public can learn the rules and regulations around fishing for salmon, proper fish handling practices, including how to land a fish property and how to respect traditional First Nations lands.
There will be a pink salmon fly sale to raise funds for a salmon festival to be held next year.
Angler Awareness Day will run from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., August 16 on the Mamquam dike, near the south side of the Mamquam River by the CNR bridge. To volunteer or for more information on the day’s activities, email cortneybrown38@yahoo.com
