Anybody who didn't come to the big Cowichan pow wow yesterday in Cowichan Bay missed an interesting discussion about the state of our salmon in the Strait but particular in the Cowichan River. DFO staff held several good presentations that laid out what the latest science knowledge is. The Cowichan Tribe was present as well and indicated their full support to whatever measures are deemed to improve the situation. The room was full of concerned anglers, residents, salmon society members, and business owners. The meeting was hosted by the SFAB Cowichan/Renfrew.
Of course, all were wishing for THE all-problems solving solution that would bring our salmon stock into the shape of the past. But of course, everybody with common sense knew that such solution does not exist. But it was very educational and encouraging to see that DFO is up to speed on the facts and willing to take action if it proves to be promising and realistic. DFO was keen to hear all opinions and wants to address all questions and concerns that were raised. They welcomed the manifold input and I believe understood how important the state of this river in particular is to our region and beyond.
In regard to technical facts, here is what I gathered and concluded: The salmon returns in most west coast systems are at a historical low in 2007. Especially the southern coast was hit hard but also watersheds like the Skeena had terrible returns. This big dip in the returns is even far out of line with the already steady downward trend over the last decades. Everything leads to the major reason for this disaster being the highest ever recorded juvenile salmon mortality at a stage when the fish arrive in the esturaries. The juveniles that entered the saltwater in 2005 disappeared (died) before July 2005. And not only one species or in one area - all and everywhere. Same observations all the way down to California. The juveniles being only a few inches long before July, excludes any kind of salmon harvest as the reason for the disappearance. Something happened to those little fish as they reached the esturaries. Here is where the assumtions start. 2005 was recorded as a year with weird ocean current patterns that changed the timing of the foodchain critical plankton boom. Kryll biomass was lower than ever recorded in places along the west coast. Did the juvenile fish all starve to death? Observations from several hatcheries support this theory as they noted that many of the few returning fished showed signs of malnutrition and starvation (smaller sizes, crippled). Of course they couldn't tell at which lifestage these fish had been suffering... But there may be other factors too that have affected those little salmon entering the chuck. Are the esturaries, as important nursing grounds, in really bad shape? No eelgras? Toxic sediments? Somehow I can't totally think passed salmon farms as at least being a possible factor contributing to juvenile mortality near rivermouths. Was there any particular change in operation of salmon farms that year that could explain this mortality peak in 2005? Interestingly, that the percentage of hatchery fish within the returning runs has dropped way down. That means clearly that somehow hatchery salmon are by far more susceptible to whatever happened to those little guys. This leads to the conclusion that increasing the output from our hatcheries may not be the best answer since most of them may die anyway shortly after they get to the ocean.
It seems that this is the biggest riddle to be solved. But during the meeting it was acknowledged that of course actions still need to be taken on other fronts as well, be it stream restoration, logging management, quota management, improvements to the hatchery, seal population management. DFO mentioned that they will look for community efforts to push those topics and they promised DFO support and contributions.
So, that is my summary and my view on those things. It was good to see that many concerned people and stakeholders and I think thanks to the SFAB group we will see more of those gatherings. That is the way to create a community with one common interest and that is saving our salmon - if possible. At least we tried...
Of course, all were wishing for THE all-problems solving solution that would bring our salmon stock into the shape of the past. But of course, everybody with common sense knew that such solution does not exist. But it was very educational and encouraging to see that DFO is up to speed on the facts and willing to take action if it proves to be promising and realistic. DFO was keen to hear all opinions and wants to address all questions and concerns that were raised. They welcomed the manifold input and I believe understood how important the state of this river in particular is to our region and beyond.
In regard to technical facts, here is what I gathered and concluded: The salmon returns in most west coast systems are at a historical low in 2007. Especially the southern coast was hit hard but also watersheds like the Skeena had terrible returns. This big dip in the returns is even far out of line with the already steady downward trend over the last decades. Everything leads to the major reason for this disaster being the highest ever recorded juvenile salmon mortality at a stage when the fish arrive in the esturaries. The juveniles that entered the saltwater in 2005 disappeared (died) before July 2005. And not only one species or in one area - all and everywhere. Same observations all the way down to California. The juveniles being only a few inches long before July, excludes any kind of salmon harvest as the reason for the disappearance. Something happened to those little fish as they reached the esturaries. Here is where the assumtions start. 2005 was recorded as a year with weird ocean current patterns that changed the timing of the foodchain critical plankton boom. Kryll biomass was lower than ever recorded in places along the west coast. Did the juvenile fish all starve to death? Observations from several hatcheries support this theory as they noted that many of the few returning fished showed signs of malnutrition and starvation (smaller sizes, crippled). Of course they couldn't tell at which lifestage these fish had been suffering... But there may be other factors too that have affected those little salmon entering the chuck. Are the esturaries, as important nursing grounds, in really bad shape? No eelgras? Toxic sediments? Somehow I can't totally think passed salmon farms as at least being a possible factor contributing to juvenile mortality near rivermouths. Was there any particular change in operation of salmon farms that year that could explain this mortality peak in 2005? Interestingly, that the percentage of hatchery fish within the returning runs has dropped way down. That means clearly that somehow hatchery salmon are by far more susceptible to whatever happened to those little guys. This leads to the conclusion that increasing the output from our hatcheries may not be the best answer since most of them may die anyway shortly after they get to the ocean.
It seems that this is the biggest riddle to be solved. But during the meeting it was acknowledged that of course actions still need to be taken on other fronts as well, be it stream restoration, logging management, quota management, improvements to the hatchery, seal population management. DFO mentioned that they will look for community efforts to push those topics and they promised DFO support and contributions.
So, that is my summary and my view on those things. It was good to see that many concerned people and stakeholders and I think thanks to the SFAB group we will see more of those gatherings. That is the way to create a community with one common interest and that is saving our salmon - if possible. At least we tried...
