this, like most projects of this type, is a complex one. I hope the group success in making it happen and I know they have been working hard to do so.
Hatchery / wild interaction is a MAJOR concern that is currently being looked at by fisheries experts across BC and it will be interesting to see what sort of recommendations and policy changes unfold in the coming years. Best practices are continually evolving and the ecosystem is a complex one so it should be no surprise that as we learn more about it our best practices will evolve (think large woody debris issue from past decades).
The Fraser is by far the biggest and most important system we have for salmon and if we want to make serious positive impacts on salmon fisheries coastwide the Fraser will be key. As most fishermen know, fish move. The fish you are catching in Sooke vs Campbell River vs Vancouver vs Central and North Coast are not necessarily fish that spawn in your nearest river or stream. In fact, chances are the vast majority of the fish you catch come from river systems far, far away from your 'home' river. If you look at 'head recovery' and other DNA programs you can learn some great info about where 'your' fish originate from and chances are a lot of those fish come from the Fraser system or river systems south of the border. Since us Canadians can do very little about the US fish we need to focus our efforts on the Fraser and other major systems if we are serious about long-term sustainable salmon populations in BC. Genetic diversity are also very important and the great work being done in 100's of other rivers in BC should not be discounted at all.... just saying the Fraser is by far the most important for pacific salmon as a whole so we can't ignore it and say it's too late for it or else we will be in a world of hurt.
The resident orca population of appx 83 whales or so eat close to 1 million chinook salmon each year by many estimates. That is 12,000 chinook per whale per year or 33 chinook per whale per day! that is a lot of chinook and that needs to be put in perspective when looking at killer whale recovery plans. Not only do they eat almost entirely chinook in summer months, they prefer large chinook and have been shown to ignore not only other salmon species but also smaller chinook populations when feeding, according to Dr. Ford at DFO and other recent studies. It's not as simple as saying "throw a few more fish in the water and the whales will be ok". They are a lot of very competent people that have spent decades looking at these whales to understand what it is they need to survive and thrive. It's really fascinating stuff and hope that all groups can work together to make the positive changes needed for killer whales and salmon alike.
