Editor:
The Davis Bay/Wilson Creek/Selma Park Community Association would like to respond to recent letters to the editor. DB/WC/SP Association proposed a moratorium on sport fishing and crabbing on the Davis Bay wharf.
It’s about two things: First to reduce the impact of leaving fish guts, bait debris and personal garbage scattered on the surfaces of the wharf and tables.
Second, the waters around Davis Bay wharf have seen fishing for decades. Large ling cod, several species of salmon, various bottom fish and large, healthy crabs were abundant many years ago, but not now. This can be attested to by many longtime Coast people.
Fishing until everything is gone is simply not a good way to manage a natural resource. It’s a proven path to permanent damage. The area around the wharf is relatively small, and cannot sustain the daily removal of small fish and crabs.
Concerned locals have documented overfishing and the harvesting of undersize crabs, rockfish and bottom fish. They have photographed, video recorded and intervened when required.
Our fisheries and conservation officers are understaffed, underfunded and simply spread too thin to police every rod and trap.
We would choose to preserve the environment above and below the waterline by launching an 18-month moratorium on fishing and crabbing from the Davis Bay wharf.
This would allow a healthy regrowth of the ocean life and a more controlled fishery can be reinstated afterwards.
The Executive of the DB/WC/SP Community Association, Margaret Pearson, VP
