Beware of groups seeking money in the name of salmon conservation

There are some groups seeking your money under the guise of

Salmon conservation. People often give to charities without researching their real mission.

History is full of examples of practices that people adopted at the time, that they thought were good, but realized years later, that it was wrong or unethical. For example, blood letting to cure patients.

People donate to groups like the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) thinking they are supporting conservation, but realize later they are supporting a well-oiled lobby group that promotes never killing a wild Atlantic salmon again, and torturing Atlantic salmon with catch and release.

Catch-and-release is a cash cow for ASF’S fundraising efforts.

In Newfoundland there are over 40 businesses that contribute to ASF — including large banks, investment firms, fishing lodges, restaurants, hotels, airlines, building supply stores, grocery stores, outfitters, utility companies, cinemas, and a large communications company.

What do these businesses expect in return from ASF for donations?

Is it the promise of a better salmon fishing for all to enjoy, or the benefit of the wealthy few to fish on privatized rivers using catch and release?

A 2015 analysis by Charity Intelligence Canada gave ASF a B grade as a charity organization. They reported that ASF only spends 65 cents of every dollar collected for its stated purpose.

Ninety per cent of their staff listed in their 2016 Annual Report was administrative.

The recent announcement by ASF shows that we now have to depend on a charity organization and a lobby group with biased views to do salmon science for us.

It is now clear that ASF supported by big business is dictating our 2018 recreation salmon regulations. They want all retention fishermen off the rivers while they continue to kill salmon through an unregulated, enforceable catch-and-release regulation.

The angling pressure by retention fishermen has not changed significantly since 1985 — 28,730 salmon caught with zero released; and in 2016 — 31,192 salmon caught with 37,302 released.

The catch and release of salmon has doubled the pressure on salmon stocks since 1984 and is spiraling out of control.

The extra pressure by the retention angler has been only 9% over the same 31-year period; that’s only 0.3 per cent per year.

With 2018 regulations the retention fisherman is limited to one salmon. The catch and release fisherman can kill at least one salmon for every three days fished all season long.

That is not a fair and balanced approach to regulation.

ASF often quotes Lee Wullf as a hero in their literature. He believed in catch and release only.

He did not want his Newfoundland guides ever to own rods to fish for salmon. He “implored our sports not to give guides fishing tackle as it would mean that they, or their relatives, would soon compete with paying customers for fishing spots on the river.” (Bush Pilot Angler-lee Wullf, 2014).

He owned private fishing camps at Portland Creek, River of Ponds, Main River and the Castor River; and was planning one for Western Brook Pond.

He made a pitch to Joey Smallwood in 1949 and 1954 to privatize all rivers in Newfoundland. There was another attempt to privatize our rivers in 1994. All attempts failed.

Lee Wullf became chairman of ASF Canada in 1983-one year before catch and release was introduced in Newfoundland.

The catch-and-release philosophy inevitably leads to privatization.

Beware of the salmon conservation groups you support or you might get your wish-no salmon fishing ever in Newfoundland — only for the rich.

Robert Sheppard Logy Bay