Disappearing Chinook Salmon...State Sponsored Theft or???

[searun]

An independent investigation led by a Canadian law professor has confirmed evidence of widespread, state-sponsored Salmon Theft in high seas Russian trawl fishery, further fuelling calls for a full ban on the country from the Rio Olympics and the Sun Salmon Derby.

Richard Moberly of Western University in London, Ont., released his findings today at news conference in Toronto, saying labs in Moscow with held DNA samples from Russian Trawl catch in a deliberate state sponsored attempt to cover up disappearing salmon on Canada's west coast.

In short, Russia's deputy minister of fisheries, who was also part of Russia's Olympic Committee, would direct workers at Moscow's anti-doping & fisheries DNA laboratory of which positive samples to send through and which to hold back. Assisting the plan was Russia's national security service — the FSB, the current version of the Soviet Union's KGB.

Canada has engaged the law firm of Do We Gouge Them & How to represent Canada in the international courts to advance Canada's interest in teaching the Russian's a lesson.

On a serious note, after a little humour to stir it up...Theories on where the WCVI Chinook have gone??

Mine is the warm water off the WCVI has pushed the abundant Columbia River fish off shore 40 miles to avoid a warm blob of water in the near coastal area along the coastline of Vancouver Island. It seems the fish that are coming down the coast come in mini waves, and disappear about as fast as they appear. We have had so many good days followed by spotty days, its enough to drive you crazy.

I also checked the 10 year average Columbia River return through the Bonneville Dam which shows the return is right on the 10 year average, but the Springers came in about a week later than normal. It seems that there is no state sponsored theft, but rather a little shift in ocean conditions that have pushed fish outside beyond the reach of the sport fleet.

http://www.fpc.org/web/apps/adultsalmon/R_dailyadultcountsgraph_resultsV2.php

 

[TheBigGuy]

Too funny.

 

[Bows Up]

You sir, are a warped individual, a glass of Buffalo Trace awaits if you are ever in my neighborhood.

 

[tubber]

There was a 17C =62.6F at La Perouse yesterday. Mostly 15s today. I'll be in Ukee Thursday looking for a mini wave of 4 Chinook over 5 days.

 

[ericl]

That temperature is INSANE.

DFO just released the July 15 Area F Chinook troll fishery update. I compared it with last year's. Abundance for 2016 was predicted to be twice that of 2015, & thusly per treaty the SE Alaska & area F quota's were doubled.
Catch is about the same as last year. Catch started out at 150 pieces a day per boat & has declined to 15 per day per boat. Average over the last 14 years seems 50 fish per day. Last year catches were over 100 per day.

So I guess we need to change the old joke about the best day to go fishing - either the year before or year after you did.

 

[SpringVelocity]

In late May/June off Sooke a lot of fish I caught were 150-170 ft in about 300-350 feet of water. I started picking up they sometimes we in the tide lines a little especially on the current changes. Basically the transitions/seams from fast to slow water. You could still get fish in usual locations. On Sunday it slowere inshore, so I went out a ways. The Chinook I hit was 160 feet on down rigger out for again in 300 feet of water. Now I have hit fish like this before, but it seems to be happening more in my logbooks this year. Sometimes I wonder is it possible that the Chinook are not following the coast like they usually do.

If they are going deeper +100 ft. Guys down here fish very shallow, and would totally miss them.

We right now have so much feed around the area, so you think they would be near shoreline. Now I am not saying there isn't Chinook here we are getting them, but there in little pockets. Some nice ones have showed up last few days.

It does make me wonder though if its possible that these fish could be in pockets offshore a bit and we are simply missing them. I will experiment a little again when I am out this week again. Anyone else simply gone offshore a bit from usual spots? Renfrew woudl be an interesting place to try this theory. Instead of hugging beach go out a way and drop the lines really deep.

 

[ericl]

Here is a link to the Se Alaska (SEAK) troll fishery - down to 45 Chinook per week:

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareasoutheast.salmon_trollsummer

 

[finaddict]

I was in Kyuquot 2 weeks ago the only place there were any fish was the 50 fathom line and they were anywhere from 170 to 270 feet deep. All the fish were between 15 and 23 lbs. Last weekend I was in in Ucluelet, and the only fish we could catch were 26 miles out on Big Bank and they were mostly hatchery springs between 8 and 12 lbs. and between 150 and 200 feet (right on bottom). Water temp in Kyuquot at the 50 fathom mark was 55.5 F. On big Bank out of Ucluelet, it was 57.4F. That was without a doubt the worst fishing I have ever had out there.

No theories on my part, but I'll say for sure it was damn frustrating.

 

[searun]

Ya that's been my experience, all in the mud. Probably because the water is a little colder down there. I did see some satellite imagery showing a warm body of water all along WCVI. If you look on ocean bouy reports temps are up there (typically 58 - 59 degrees F).

The Columbia bound fish would certainly swim around the warm water. Barkley fish are coming and I expect to see them running the shoreline any day now.

Hopefully the US commercial fishery in AK didn't over-exploit!! This is typically what Canada is battling in the Salmon Treaty negotiations. AK has no skin in the game and wants free and open access to our fish, destroying our runs in the process.

Anyone found some good water temp data to show the pattern. I found it a few days back but can't remember the free website that gave me that good info on water temps.

 

[ericl]

I'll bet fin addicts Big Bank fish are feeding Puget Sound fish. WCVI is where about 60% get nabbed, another good 20% on ECVI.
FYI according to the wild fish conservatory, only 6% of the Chinook caught in Alaska originate in Alaska (about all the Coho they catch are AK fish though). About 50% of the AK catch is WA/ORE, 45% BC. Here is a link to the data:

http://wildfishconservancy.org/abou...d-fishery-chinook-catch-composition-1999-2010

FYI the SEAK & BC chinook quota's for Chinook are twice what last years was. This is based on what is known as the "Abundance Index" - lot's of jacks counted the previous year at the dam fish ladders, so let's fish hell outta the wild fish too (Columbia Chinook are 20% wild).

The North BC area F troll fishery started out June 21 catching 150 chinook per boat; latest update is down to 15 fish. Dunno at what point they will switch to Coho. Average size & price of Chinook is 12 lb & $5 per lb; $60 per fish times 15 fish = $900 per day.

FYI if you look at the graphs both BC & SEAK catch about the same.

 

[searun]

Yes, and Canada has always been highly suspect of the AI calculations and methodology used by the AK Fisheries staff. The AI is used to trigger the level of exploitation under the Salmon Treaty, which is why we need to get as many WCVI chinook DNA samples to help build a stronger understanding of the fishery and abundance. Low sample size numbers can skew the results and be statistically very misleading.

 

[finaddict]

I don't think I would take that bet Eric, as I am convinced that you are 100% correct. They certainly did not look like Columbia fish as they were a brilliant blue back and not at all the classic "football" shape of the Columbia's. In the end 9 of the 12 fish we put int he boat were hatchery fish and we sent the heads from all of them to the depot. If only the Canadian government were to look at salmon enhancement in the same vein as the US states do. Imagine the abundance on the WCVI if they put even half as much effort into it as the Washington and Oregon F&G do.....

 

[TheBigGuy]

I don't think I would take that bet Eric, as I am convinced that you are 100% correct. They certainly did not look like Columbia fish as they were a brilliant blue back and not at all the classic "football" shape of the Columbia's. In the end 9 of the 12 fish we put int he boat were hatchery fish and we sent the heads from all of them to the depot. If only the Canadian government were to look at salmon enhancement in the same vein as the US states do. Imagine the abundance on the WCVI if they put even half as much effort into it as the Washington and Oregon F&G do.....

That would be all fine and dandy in a perfect world. But, what would really end up happening is that the commercial fisheries would have far more openings and and they would be the big winners. The numbers that we got to take as sport fishers would increase somewhat, but all the extra commercial openings would harm all the threatened runs taken as
Incidental catches. What is left of our steelhead runs would be devastated by more commercial openings. If they only pump up the numbers to give the commercial guys more opportunities then in the long run the smaller threatened naturally reproducing runs would be doomed. The commercial net fleet are not selective, and as long as the current policies continue more hatchery fish for the net fleet would just devastate what's left of small naturally reproducing runs. More hatchery fish would be great if they were selectively harvested. Just bumping up the numbers then giving the net fleets more openings is not going to fix things for sport fishers. The Comercial harvest is what has caused most of the runs to be depleted in the first place. There needs to be a major changes in how the fish are commercially harvested before we will ever get more opportunities as sport fishers.

 

[ericl]

The BigGuy - I agree. The www.wildfishconservatory.org agrees as well. Gee, should we catch the Columbia fish in Alaska then fly them to market or should they be caught off the WA coast & trucked to market?
The Pacific Salmon Commission has a Chinook Technical Committee & they are looking at managing by some sort of level between individual stocks & the "Abundance Index" - as i recall they proposed using more granular "Indicator Stocks". Using the Conuma & Stamp Chinook as indicators for all WCVI Chinook would be an example, as they CAN have a Coded Wire Tag installed (needs funding to implement.

Decades ago the Stamp hatchery released over 10 million smolts & was the world's largest.

 

[ericl]

Update on the SEAK Troll Chinook catch:

I found a more detailed textual report; they caught 106K Chinook July1-5 then they closed the opening. Another opening us scheduled for mid-august for 69K Chinook saying fishing is limited to terminal areas (mouth of Stikine??? etc). Retention of clipped fin only MIGHT be considered. So looks like they didn't have a shortage of Chinook.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareasoutheast.salmon