Wild Salmon Stocks - Discussion Continued

Hi Brian, a Double Eagle would have been my second guess! That's not surprising though because the fellow who started Double Eagle originally worked with Chuck Hourston way back when Hourston first started out. The hulls on both makes are almost identical, perfect West Coast sport boats! My boat, the Kailua, was built back in 1977. When I bought her she had the original OMC I/O with a GM 305 block, and with exception of the hull itself was pretty well "worn out"! I virtually brought her back to her original glory. I had all of the work done by Hourston back in 1994. They did everything from replacing the power (350EFI Volvo Duoprop) to refitting the cockpit with all glass sides and deck, all fabrics, electronics, plumbing, swim grid, etc. Because the original OMC cut out was larger than the new Volvo, they had to cut/plug and re-cut the transom. I was down at the factory the day that they did this work, when I walked into the yard old Chuck came up to me with a big smile on his face, he was so happy because in his words "the transom wood was as perfect as the day they originally laid it"! The Kailua is now being used for Salmon Chartering out of Sooke, and the fellow who bought her has continued to love her and keep up her grand stature (at least as grand as a 23 footer can be!).

The problem with "one boat anchorages" is just like fishin' holes, as soon as you set your hook some turkey is gonna drop right next to you! They are out there though, you just need to use your charts and be a little adventurous. As to great moorages, there is no shortage between Halfmoon Bay and Port McNeill. Certainly the well known ones are well worth the stay, such as all of Pender Harbour, Blind Bay on Nelson Island, Princess Louisa Inlet is a place that every serious boater should visit at least once in their lives, a nights stay in Lund including libations at the Lund Hotel is a must, Prideaux Haven, Roscoe Bay, Refuge and Squirrel Coves, wow I could go on and on and barely scratch the surface!

Best regards, Brian.

Brian Shillito
West Vancouver.

Hi Brian. With all due respect, the information posted in the links you have provided has been refuted by recent government scientific reports. I urge anyone who really cares about the long term viability of the Pacific Salmon stocks to look past these "Chicken Littles" and consider what the REAL scientists are saying http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/ahc/fish_health/fish_health_management.htm"The same diseases that can affect farmed salmon are also found in wild salmon stocks. In most instances these diseases are managed on farms by private fish health professionals and pose a low risk to wild stocks". Alexandra Morton is not a scientist, she is an environmental activist.

Best regards, Brian.

Brian Shillito
West Vancouver, B.C.

OMW, sorry to get political with your otherwise great thread however the comments made by Brian in Halfmoon Bay struck a nerve with me, and I am compelled to respond. I have written Carl and suggested that we move this part of the thread to a new one, or if Brian agrees we can delete them completely.

Best regards, Brian.

Brian, the reason I suggested moving this thread is simply out of respect for the thread itself, this is a great place to visit and I did not wish to be responsible for casting a dark cloud over it. My suggestion that it be deleted is again based on my perception that this is a pretty non-confrontational forum, therefore if you by chance concurred that this topic need not bring down the upbeat nature, then I say toast it.

As to salmon farms and aquaculture in general, I support it in principal. I believe that the commercial salmon fishing industry should be shut down completely and that any harvest should be done by weirs only after the runs have been allowed to replenish their numbers to the point of sustainability. I do not accept that aquaculture is a threat to the wild stocks. This has been demonstrated by the most recent findings as per my link.

The fact is that these days more and more people want to eat salmon. Without aquaculture guess where these fish are going to come from.

Brian, you have made a few comments which appear to be fishing for confrontation. I will not be baited.

Best regards, Brian.

Hi Brian, the use of land based pens has been around for many years and in theory has some benefits not only for the environment but also the stock as there is no issue with contamination coming in from the wild salmon (talk about ironic eh!). The most inhibiting factor is the cost of pumping millions of litres of sea water either up from the shore or through contained filtration systems. The cost of the energy to do so usually renders the product uncompetitive.

Best regards, Brian.

Hi Codger, no question we are all concerned about the "health" of our marine ecosystems. For the most part I think that this comes down to putting some of these issues into perspective. Dr. Suziki has a reputation for taking a potential and turning it into an apocalypse! The use of antibiotics at salmon farms is being made out to be a regular event. This is just not the fact. http://www.salmonfarmers.org/fish_health.php#health6 The fact is that antibiotics are extremely expensive to administer to a commercial operation, as a result this only occurs when absolutely necessary. Many operations go for years without the need to do so. The anti-fishfarming groups love to throw that "wild salmon don't do drugs" line out there as it strikes fear into the hearts of the masses. I should also note that the research done on Suzuli's site were all done prior to the studies done recently, where it has been proven that within two years of leaving a site the environment shows no remaining residue of any contaminants.

Best Regards, Brian.

Brian Shillito
West Vancouver, B.C.