File photo (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

LOW SALMON RETURNS

‘It’s disgusting, it’s inexcusable’; former fisheries officer sounds alarm over lack of DFO enforcement

Nov 4, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — A former fisheries officer from Kamloops is sounding the alarm on what he believes is neglect from the federal department of fisheries and oceans.

Randy Nelson, along with the BC Wildlife Federation, issued a news release highlighting a drastic decrease in DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) patrols of the Fraser River, leading to thousands of salmon being poached from river systems around the province.

The salmon return for the Fraser River in 2024 is the lowest on records that go back more than 100 years. And, while climate change and landslides along the river may have played a role, so to has poaching, Nelson said.

“This is the second-lowest run in history of only 450,000 salmon that came into the Fraser River,” Nelson told CFJC News. “It’s really disheartening. It’s a combination of a whole lot of things but we have to do a better job.”

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For Nelson it comes down to enforcement, something he says has been drastically cut since his multiple decades as a fisheries officer.

“What’s happened this past summer, particularly in the middle Fraser River, upstream from Boston Bar, enforcement patrols where virtually done away with. And it’s disgusting, it’s inexcusable and DFO is totally responsible for this,” said Nelson, who spent 35 years with the organization.

While the point of emphasis is in the middle Fraser, the spawning salmon travel the entire 800-mile system, entering waterways throughout the Interior, including Kamloops and the Thompson.

“Estimates over 15,000 fish were taken illegal, that number will very much be higher than that because they are only basing it on physical observations they made, not enforcement observations these are other staff,” added Nelson. “So, historically the number of fish taken will be much much higher than that illegally. night time patrols when the really bad stuff happens and they virtually cut it out.”

Nelson hopes to see local enforcement increase following what he described as a 90 per cent cut, but noted he believes the process needs to start from the top.

“I’d invite the minister to give me a call, I have a lot of information and people are scared to speak out sometimes, particularly when you are in the organization, and that’s sad when you have that happening. But there are some things that can be done quite quickly that would really help address this so it doesn’t happen next year,” said Nelson.

CFJC News did reach out to the department of fisheries and oceans on Monday (Nov 4).

They did not provide a comment or interview ahead of our deadline, but did state they are working to provide a full response later this week.