The 2012 Alpine Juan de Fuca Salmon Derby is Cancelled

A message from the Executive:
It took a lot of soul searching as the days ticked by and the possibility of running out of time and having to cancel the derby grew closer. We wanted a response by mid April but put it off until the 20th as letters were sent back and forth between sport fishers and the D.F.O. On April 17th we received a letter from the Regional Director General letting us know that it was unlikely that we would hear anything by our given date. More calls were made and the possibility of getting a response to any opening for June 15th would not be given out until the end of April. As time ticked by on the Friday afternoon of the 20th, the president of the derby thought long and hard about disappointing nearly 700 anglers who have come together each year on Father’s Day weekend to not only fish for great prizes, but to also enjoy a time of great friendship with their families and fishing buddies.
An expanded committee that had been put together for the event this year had chosen the new logo for the shirts and picked out the new hats as well as formatting everything that would occur over the next few months. Rick Carswell and his people were building a new data base for sponsors and entrants that would make things a lot easier to contact everyone by email instead of the old letter and phone call methods that had been in place for two decades. Everything looked great, ticket sales were booked, the Curling Rink banquet was booked and collection or prizes was soon to begin. Then a meeting in March put everything on hold, there was a good possibility that the retention of trophy Chinook would not be allowed until late in June or perhaps even the end of July. Derby meetings were put on hold as was the printing of any derby material. By Easter weekend letters had been sent to the D.F.O. and a time frame was established. A few weeks later we were no more in the know than we had been in March.
Skip ahead to the third week in April – no shirts or hats printed, no tickets or derby books printed, no prizes collected and no advertising of dates in place. There is a huge amount of organisation that must take place to have the derby run as smoothly as it has in the past and it takes time; time we no longer have. And so the decision was made, after a lot of “what ifs” and “but if” were kicked around. Could we move the derby to July? We could if we knew that we were going to be able to keep large salmon and we could find a facility that was not booked so we could have our awards banquet. But what if we can’t keep the big springs until the end of July? By that late date it is time for the Methcosin “Bite Me” guys to do their thing so that is not an option. A hundred questions were kicked around but few answers appeared and the call was made. We thank everyone for their great support in the past: participants, sponsors, all of ladies who take care of our salmon enhancement raffles & all the people who do a lot of little things that have helped this derby become one of the best this area has ever seen. Thanks to all!
Other events have taken a year off and managed to get back on track in the following year, we hope to be able to do that for 2013. If anything we have opened the eyes of the D.F.O. and hope you let them know your feelings, we have a right to fish and we have the right to do it on Father’s Day.

One man’s view:

Poor management and cut backs by the Federal Government in relation to salmon enhancement have helped lead to where we are at this time. If they continue to follow the route they have chosen; reduce the catch to protect the runs in question without any restoration or enhancement, they are doomed to fail. If we are going to save the Frazer River stocks, the harvesting of these runs should be closed to everyone, not just the sport fishers. If salmon enhancement is not an option then the only way to ensure the future of these stocks is to close any retention and hope that nature takes its course and they rebound. This may take as little as four years, perhaps longer, but it will work – look to the south to see how their stocks have come back after closing the fishing off for a couple of cycles. I certainly don’t want to see a complete closure but if it is closed to sport fishing for the next three or four years then lock it down for all! I would sure like to see some salmon restoration take place but again there are budget cuts and I don’t think you will see the other people worried about the run volunteering to jump in and help bring back the stocks. The fact that nothing has been done for years to the rivers in question makes the average person ask “why?” The data the D.F.O. is using is over five years old, come on, if everyone in the country ran their business that way the bankruptcy rate would sky rocket.
It seems that the people who fish for sport care more about the future of our recreation than our government does, the people who are in control say they listen but they do not react, using a band aid is not going to repair the damage that has been caused by years of miss-management. A derby is one thing, the economic impact to the business & tourist sector over the coming months and perhaps future years is devastating. If we don’t do something now and there is a closure until sometime in July, it will be like a tax the government adds, once it’s in place it won’t go away. Time for all of us to stand up and be counted, let’s show that the small people can make a difference.

Thanks to all the volunteers and participants in the 2011 Juan de Fuca Salmon Derby!

A Great Time Was Had by All

Brian Orr is the winner of the 2011 JDF Salmon Derby

Congratulations to first place winner Brian Orr with his 40.5 pound Chinook.

2nd place winners: John Olsen, fish weight: 30.5 lb

Greg Walters : 2011 third place winner. Fish: 30.4 lb

4th place winner Brad Fitchett. Fish: 29.7 lb

5th place Andy Dawson. Fish 28.80 lb

5th place to 9th place fish all weighed exactly 28.80 pounds - this is a pretty stellar example of why you should weigh in early:

5th: Andy Dawson 28.80
6th: Ryan Chamberland 28.80
7th: Alan Thom 28.80
8th: Clay Arden 28.80
9th: Brenda Simpson 28.80
10th Quinn Pearson 27.60 lbs