The Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce (PRCC) is pushing back against a possible closure of the area being a recreational fishery that has become a cornerstone of the community’s economy.
On February 27th, the President of the PRCC, Chris Tucker, penned a letter to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in order to plead for the area’s recreational fishery to not be closed.
The closure is being considered to protect the area’s Southern Resident Killer Whale population.
Tucker says that in the past, the area relied heavily on logging and many of the people that lived in Port Renfrew were a part of that industry.
However, over the years, logging has seen a decline in the area which brought detrimental economic impacts to Port Renfrew and the people that lived there.
The community had to pivot to focus their efforts on increasing their tourism sector and one key component of that pivot was the development of their recreational fishery which Tucker says has flourished over the last two decades.
“Recognizing the potential of our natural resources, our community has invested significantly in infrastructure to support this burgeoning sector, attracting visitors drawn to the exceptional fishing experience that Port Renfrew offers,” Tucker wrote in his letter to the DFO.
However, Tucker and many others in the community are now concerned to once again lose the backbone of their economy as they say that the DFO has been having discussions about closing the recreational fishery.
He says this move would endanger numerous livelihoods in their community who depend on this industry.
Economic impacts
“Many businesses in the community have already taken deposits for 2024, to facilitate fishing charters, and accommodations bookings for this year’s fishing season,” Tucker wrote.
“The fact that we are even engaging in a discussion that has the potential to close another major area of our fishing grounds is creating great harm to this community.”
Port Renfrew has a permanent population of around 500, which include several members of the Pacheedaht First Nation.
According to the PRCC, these people depend on the economic vitality of the community’s local businesses which all hinge on tourists coming to town—the main draw being recreational fishing trips and charters.
This past year, Tucker says that Port Renfrew saw around 150 anglers per day and the season usually lasts up to 165 days per year.
During that time, Tucker says the local economy benefits from an estimated $60,000 per day on fishing charters, $7,500 per day on fish processing services, $15,000 per day on accommodations, $9,000 per day in local restaurants business, $6,000 per day on gas for their vehicles and $5,500 per day on groceries and sundries, and that is all tied to the recreational fishery.
“Conservatively, the recreational charter fishery injects at least $103,000 per day into Port Renfrew’s economy,” Tucker wrote.
“Notably, this estimation excludes the considerable number of visitors who bring their own equipment and do not utilize the services of our recreational charter operators, as well as the non-fishing family and friends that accompany, who spend their days taking advantage of the visitor amenities and businesses ashore.”
He says that a total of $26,070,000 comes into the local economy over a 165-day season in the Port Renfrew area alone.
Tucker penned this letter because he does not want to see this economy diminished by people losing their jobs or businesses moving from the area because it is no longer sustainable.
“We strongly urge the DFO to adopt a truly balanced approach that safeguards both our environment and our economy,” he said.
“Historically, the DFO have been influenced more by political considerations than by robust scientific principles.”
Southern Resident Killer Whale populations
The DFO is looking at the closure of this fishery in part to safeguard the dwindling population of the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales, but Tucker believes that closing the fishery won’t do much to protect them.
This closure would be done in the name of protecting chinook salmon stocks, which are the Southern Resident’s primary food source.
Tucker says there are reports which negate the data that the DFO is using and that there are several other impacts that are far more profound on the lack of growth in the Southern Residents population.
“The DFO possesses viable and effective regulatory alternatives, specifically expanding the ‘mobile avoidance zones’ around Southern Resident Killer Whales during their occasional presence in the Juan De Fuca Strait,” Tucker wrote.
“This alternative approach has demonstrated efficacy in safeguarding the whales without disproportionately impacting surrounding communities.”
Tucker also says that tankers travelling in the area on their way to Vancouver, spills, and chemical watershed runoff are more impactful on the whales’ population than small communities fishing.
He concluded his letter by calling the proposed regulations “absurd” due to their impact on small communities such as Port Renfrew.
“What we are advocating for are well-informed regulations that not only protect endangered species but also preserve endangered communities,” Tucker wrote.
The DFO’s stance
The DFO say they made sure to consult with stakeholders, Indigenous communities and the public while formulating the measures to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales by closing some fisheries, including Port Renfrew’s.
Canada’s consultation period ended on February 12th.
The DFO say they have received and considered feedback from interested parties, including those who would be involved in Port Renfrew’s recreational fishery.
Their criteria in evaluating whether or not to establish a closure depended on:
- Likelihood to benefit Southern Resident Killer Whales
- Scientific justification and INdigenous or local knowledge
- Indigenous rights
- Socio-economic impacts
- Ease of implementation
- Monitoring and enforcement
“[Southern Resident Killer Whale] foraging success is influenced by the abundance of prey as well as the accessibility of prey that are present, which may be influenced by local conditions such as human disturbances, vessel traffic noise, and exposure to contaminants,” said the DFO in a statement to Victoria Buzz.
Since 2019, the Canadian government says they have put a number of measures in place to protect the Southern Residents and create an ecosystem in which their numbers could potentially grow—the upcoming static closures of fisheries being one of them.
However, the DFO did not mention the looming closure in Port Renfrew specifically in their statement to Victoria Buzz.
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