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CHAPTER 15 



THE SPORT FISHERY 



The present task of Fisheries is to manage the 

 resource and the recreational user so that one 

 is not sacrificed at the expense of the other. 



THE SIDNEY ANGLERS ASSOCIATION' 



The salmon and trout of the Pacific coast provide 

 superb sportfishing opportunities. These highly prized 

 game fish, along with the natural beauty and other fea- 

 tures of this region, attract sportsmen from many parts of 

 the world. In addition, sportfishing is an important recre- 

 ational activity for hundreds of thousands of Canadians, 

 many of whom have made it an important part of their 

 lives. 



An unusually wide variety of sportfishing experiences 

 is available, from trophy fishing for the impressive Chi- 

 nook salmon and the first-rate experience of river fishing 

 for steelhead to the casual dangling of a line as an excuse 

 to be outdoors. A good deal of commercial activity is 

 now based on sportfishing. All of these are part of the 

 sport fishery, and all have been growing rapidly. 



In tidal waters the sport fishery is based mainly on 

 salmon, with chinook and coho being the most sought- 

 after species and pinks being taken when they are avail- 

 able. In addition, anglers catch a range of species of 

 pelagic and bottom fishes (cod, perch, rockfish, flatfish), 

 as well as clams, oysters, crabs, prawns and other 

 shellfish and Crustacea. Sea-run cutthroat trout have a 

 special appeal for a select group of aficionados. 



Freshwater anglers also seek salmon as they enter 

 coastal rivers and streams on their routes to the spawning 

 grounds. In these nontidal waters, sportfishing is permit- 

 ted only for chinook and coho salmon. It is here that the 

 highly prized steelhead trout is taken as well. 



The Pacific region of the Department of Fisheries and 

 Oceans is responsible for managing the Pacific tidal water 

 sport fishery for all species and for sportfishing for chi- 

 nook and coho salmon in nontidal waters. It is also 

 responsible for monitoring and regulating all spxjrt fisher- 

 ies in the Yukon Territory, activities which I review sepa- 

 rately in Chapter 20. Responsibility for managing steel- 



head and other freshwater species has been delegated to 

 the Province of British Columbia. Here I confine my 

 attention to sportfishing in tidal waters where salmon are 

 overwhelmingly important. 



SPORTHSHING ACITVITY 



As I noted in my Preliminary Report, discussions of 

 sportfishing activity have been hampered by a great deal 

 of argument and uncertainty about the basic data regard- 

 ing the scope of this fishery and its implications for man- 

 agement. 1 must emphasize at the outset that statistical 

 information on the tidal water sport fishery is meagre, 

 and the sport catch of salmon in nontidal waters is for 

 most rivers largely unknown. New sportfishing licences 

 and studies of sportfishing effort and catch are providing 

 useful information but, as I explain in this chapter, the 

 data base remains alarmingly weak in light of the present 

 importance of sportfishing, and this is a serious impedi- 

 ment to effective management. 



Numbers of Sport Fishermen 



Both tidal and nontidal water sport fishermen 16 years 

 of age and older are required to purchase a sportfishing 

 licence. While a provincial freshwater sportfishing licence 

 has been in place for many years, tidal water anglers were 

 not licensed until 1981. The fee structure and sales of the 

 tidal water sportfishing licences during the first licence 

 year (April 1, 1981 to December 31, 1981) are set out in 

 Table 15-1. These data indicate that tidal water sport 

 fishermen 16 years and older numbered some 282 thou- 

 sand in 1981. Allowing for those under the age of 16, the 

 total number of anglers was probably about 320 thou- 

 sand. This figure is somewhat less than previous estimates 

 of 467 thousand for 1979,- and 400 thousand for 1980.' 



Table 15-1 Fee schedule and sales, tidal water 

 s|X)rtfishing licence, April 1, 1981 - Decem- 

 ber 31, 1981 



282,247 



$1,730,540 



Source: Department of Fisheries and Oceans. 



Whether the number of licensed anglers in 1981 accu- 

 rately represents the level of angler participation in recent 

 years is difficult to determine. Early in 1981, in addition 

 to introducing the licensing system, the Department 

 announced a number of conservation measures intended 



