2024 Alpine Juan de Fuca Fishing Tournament a Success

Another successful Alpine Juan de Fuca Fishing Tournament took place September 8, 2024. This event has been a fixture for South Island anglers since 1986. This year 460 tickets were sold at $150 each. The Alpine Group and GFL Environmental were this year’s major supporters, and they were backed by another 20 gold and silver category businesses. The event was originally called the Juan de Fuca Derby, and for decades was organized by George Wetherell. When George retired, it was resurrected by the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC) in 2017.

Pedder Bay Marina (Source: Tom Davis)

Significant changes were made for 2024. These included only running a one-day derby, and at a different time of the year due to extensive Chinook-non-retention restrictions that covered most of the spring and summer angling period.  It was an all cash prize event with the winner collecting $20,000 while 10^th place pocketed $1,000. Pedder Bay Marina functioned as derby headquarters.

Danny Wick took away $20,000 for his winning 22.35 pound Chinook while Mary Roschat’s 22.25 pounder claimed $7,000 for second, and Jeremy Petzing took home the $5,000 third place money for his 22.05 Chinook.

Winners and Derby Chairman Chris Bos (Source: SVIAC)

This derby has a long history of raising funds to assist salmon. This year $59,000 went to the South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC) to continue funding their Chinook temporary sea pen project located at Sooke Harbour Resort. This project is in its 8 years and was started as a way to raise more adult Chinook salmon for Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) while they forage in Juan de Fuca Strait and its approach waters.

The smolts come from the Nitinat hatchery but SVIAC has to cover the costs of rearing, feeding and fin clipping. Over the years SVIAC has released over half a million baby Chinook, after penning and feeding  them for 3-4 weeks in April. Total cost to date exceeds $400,000 which all came from local businesses, organizations and individuals.

SVIAC Chinook Pen Rearing Site To Help Feed SRKW Photo Courtesy Glen Varney

In addition anglers contributed fresh packed salmon from their derby catch and over $1,500 from the fifty-fifty draw to the Sooke Food Bank.

SVIAC Donation to Sooke food bank JDF Derby 2024 (Source: SVIAC)