Huge drop in Chinook salmon worries Island fishermen

[agentaqua]

Posted By: Skye Ryanon: August 28, 2016In: News
A mystery is developing on the West Coast as the huge Chinook salmon returns expected to flood inlets and rivers this summer are failing to show up.
http://www.cheknews.ca/huge-drop-chinook-salmon-worries-island-fishermen-212579/

 

[SpringVelocity]

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/...are-third-highest-to-date-going-back-to-1938/

 

[SpringVelocity]

You tell me why our US neighbors stocks are doing better? I mean they swim in same ocean. So if ocean survival is horrible why is this one not experiencing the same?

 

[scott craven]

Americans have way more hatchery funding than Canadians.
If our gov't was willing to spend some $$ we could have similar programs
and way more fish !

 

[Chuck]

Posted By: Skye Ryanon: August 28, 2016In: News
A mystery is developing on the West Coast as the huge Chinook salmon returns expected to flood inlets and rivers this summer are failing to show up.
http://www.cheknews.ca/huge-drop-chinook-salmon-worries-island-fishermen-212579/

Can't be bothered to read more BS from people that are probably the ones that predicted the good returns in the first place... It is beginning to sound to me that I need to start to follow the opposite of the predictions. Huge returns expected, actually means going to be not that good at all. Poor returns, actually means probably not going to be that bad.. It happens over and over again...

They don't have a clue!! So sad!!

 

[tincan]

You tell me why our US neighbors stocks are doing better? I mean they swim in same ocean. So if ocean survival is horrible why is this one not experiencing the same?

There are many 'stocks' of salmon on Pacific Coast. This year, some of them are doing better than expected but the majority are not. In BC alone there are a couple hundred genetically distinct stocks (Conservation Units) and while some are returning in higher than expected number most are coming in lower than expected. A big reason for poor returning fish is often ocean conditions. If fish don't have adequate food supply they are going to die. Simple as that. The Pacific Ocean is massive so while all Pacific salmon share this water there are certainly some stocks that will find patches of it where they have relatively better ocean conditions which lead to relatively better returns, and that may well explain the case of some of the decent US returns you refer to. There are also some surprisingly good returns in BC to point to as examples that not all stocks had poor ocean conditions... unfortunately they are in the minority.

 

[ericl]

Looks like nobody fully read the articles. While the Columbia river fall Chinook numbers look good, the Columbia river Steelhead numbers are the second worst in history. Also, the fall Chinook numbers are for the period Aug 1-20 & only represent a very small percentage of the run, which peaks around labor day. We will not know the full story until later in Sept.
BC stops it's commercial troll fishery early to protect the WCVI Chinook. SEAK (South East Alaska) opens it's ocean troll fishery July 1 & their quota is slightly larger than the northern BC quota. I heard SEAK caught over 100,000 chinook in 3 days. Maybe the WCVI Chinook got hammered really bad this year. When you commercial fish open ocean stocks based on the numbers of the strongest runs (Columbia river) disaster for the weaker stocks can happen. The Wild Fish Conservatory thinks these open ocean fisheries need to stop.
http://wildfishconservancy.org/abou...d-fishery-chinook-catch-composition-1999-2010

I think that in general, there were lot's of Chinook to be caught this year, it's just that they were in ocean area's out of range (too deep, too far offshore) for the sportie's to access.

FYI Robertson creek used to be the largest Chinook hatchery in the world, releasing 10 million Chinook per year - what happened?

 

[agentaqua]

There are many 'stocks' of salmon on Pacific Coast. This year, some of them are doing better than expected but the majority are not...

Outlooks generated using last year's escapement data by area/species can be found at: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/...n/outlook-perspective/2016-summ-somm-eng.html

The PSC houses many results from US and Canadian fisheries onto their web site - and on there - are results from various "test" fisheries that can be used (somewhat) as a surrogate for early escapement data for your area: http://www.psc.org/info_testfishing_summaries.htm#2016

The "official" public response at to why DFO does what wrt stock assessment methodologies can be found at: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/species-especes/salmon-saumon/research-recherche/index-eng.html

 

[OldBlackDog]

Hatchery stocks in B.C. Have been dramatically reduced over the years.
It is all about money. No one cares enough to do anything about it, so DFO just kept slashing the hatchery budgets .
When I say no one cared,,that means sports fishermen and commercial fishermen.
So, now no hatchery fish like it used to be.
NO MARKED COHO as the hatcheries stopped marking all of them as in the past.

Looks like nobody fully read the articles. While the Columbia river fall Chinook numbers look good, the Columbia river Steelhead numbers are the second worst in history. Also, the fall Chinook numbers are for the period Aug 1-20 & only represent a very small percentage of the run, which peaks around labor day. We will not know the full story until later in Sept.
BC stops it's commercial troll fishery early to protect the WCVI Chinook. SEAK (South East Alaska) opens it's ocean troll fishery July 1 & their quota is slightly larger than the northern BC quota. I heard SEAK caught over 100,000 chinook in 3 days. Maybe the WCVI Chinook got hammered really bad this year. When you commercial fish open ocean stocks based on the numbers of the strongest runs (Columbia river) disaster for the weaker stocks can happen. The Wild Fish Conservatory thinks these open ocean fisheries need to stop.
http://wildfishconservancy.org/abou...d-fishery-chinook-catch-composition-1999-2010

I think that in general, there were lot's of Chinook to be caught this year, it's just that they were in ocean area's out of range (too deep, too far offshore) for the sportie's to access.

FYI Robertson creek used to be the largest Chinook hatchery in the world, releasing 10 million Chinook per year - what happened?