The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced Thursday that all salmon rivers on the island part of the province would be closed to retention angling effective one hour after sunset for the remainder of the season due to low counts following an in-season stock review. The announcement came on the tail of the recommendation being made by DFO science on Wednesday. Catch and release angling will continue to be permitted but once water temperatures exceed 18 C, rivers will close to all angling.
Question: How do you feel about the decision to halt retention angling for the balance of the season?
Randy McCarthy, Corner Brook
It shouldn’t be allowed. If you buys a licence you should be able to keep a salmon. Newfoundlanders have no rights at all. The government has everybody nailed to the wall. I don’t agree with catch-and-release only. They should shut down them to all fishing if it’s that bad.
Nathan Dobbin, Corner Brook
What’s the point in buying a licence if you’re not allowed to keep a salmon. I love salmon fishing myself and when they dropped it from six tags to one I was wondering why and now all of a sudden now it’s only catch-and release. It’s not much point in going if you can’t keep one. It’s pretty bizarre. I can see where they’re coming from overcatching and decrease in population because I work in a fish plant myself, but in a way they’re taking away from the people Most people would rather catch and keep.
Kristian Roberts, Corner Brook
I don’t salmon fish, but that sounds really stupid if you ask me. It don’t make sense. Absolutely, people should be able to keep fish that they catch.
Colin Burridge, Corner Brook
I’m OK with it. While other factors still need to be addressed I think we need to do what we can to protect the resource for our future generations. While this may be upsetting to some I’ll still be out catch and releasing. Salmon, for me, is a leisure activity and not a source for food.
Gary Warren, Massey Drive
I got not issue with that whatsoever. We’ve been practising catch-and-release all year, basically. They give you one tag and if you’re lucky enough to tag one … the first one I got I tagged and I just kept doing catch-and-release the rest of the year. That’s not a big deal and maybe it’s the right decision to make. I have fished the same times this year as last year and seen lots of fish. I think there are more fish this year, but if it’s their decision to go with catch-and-release then I will support it. As long as I can get out to fish that’s all that matters to me.
Tony Snow, Corner Brook
I’m not very pleased with it. According to some of the anglers I’ve been talking to out on the rivers they’re saying there’s lots of salmon on the go at Southwest, Harry’s and the Humber River. Really, I think it’s just pretty much a gimmick for the guides and for the outfitters to keep these guys going as a tourist attraction. Everybody needs an income but I think they had the licences on for $5 and they knew they were going to sell them, and when the 20th come I knew right from the start, and I even told anglers this last week, that they were still going to close down retention of fish.
