Fisheries committee  Yes, it's definitely a concern. One thing I want to bring attention to is the devastation currently going on at Strawberry Island and Nicomen Slough. It's one more example of the department's failure to protect critical salmon habitat. Chinook and Harrison sockeye rear there. If we want salmon for our future, we need to look out for these areas and fully enforce the existing habitat protection laws on the books.

Fisheries committee  I sort of agree with what Chris said. There's been a little bit of information through the SFAB, but not much has been rolled out at all.

Fisheries committee  What I'd like to say is that the minister's staff at the lower level have been very engaging. They have provided us with a lot of opportunity for input, looking at data and coming up with the Howe Sound sport fishing advisory proposal that there was a 99% plus chance you would not encounter a stock of concern and there would be a great opportunity, but in our area, the Vancouver area is closed right now for chinook salmon, the most important salmon, from April 1 until August 31, essentially.

Fisheries committee  I think they need to create opportunities, specifically for chinook salmon, where there are data-driven proposals. They need to look at the sport fish advisory board's proposals and look at them on a level where they're taken seriously and not dismissed for what appear to be either senior Pacific region staff biases or else political decisions at the ministerial level.

Fisheries committee  I don't feel that DFO does incentivize or create opportunities to collaborate or communicate on these issues. I want to emphasize that the biggest thing I think that all groups would like to see is the removal of gillnets from the Fraser River, which have severe impacts on both salmon and steelhead migrating back to the upper Fraser, especially for steelhead in the Thompson and Chilcotin watersheds.

Fisheries committee  Okay.

Fisheries committee  My name if Dave Brown. I've lived and fished in the marine and freshwater environment of B.C. since 1991. I have served as the chair of the Squamish to Lillooet sport fish advisory committee for over 20 years. In 2017, I received the National Recreational Fisheries Award, one of only five given out that year by the fisheries minister.

Fisheries committee  Okay.

Fisheries committee  We were dismayed to learn that the DFO salmon team openly stated they would not discuss any proposals from the SFAB related to chinook retention in April and May of 2022. It is a responsibility for DFO to work toward providing Canadian anglers sustainable fishing opportunities when they become available.