What's with the clipped coho?

[Grace underfire]

Surely something has changed. Coho seem to have gone from about 90% unclipped to a fairly even split in the Strait of Georgia in one year. Did our hatcheries actually start clipping the fish?

 

[Ringo]

That's an interesting observation. Maybe the ocean survival conditions have improved??

 

[Birdman]

I think it is very time and place dependent, last weekend we could only get wilds off Nanaimo. I haven't heard about any major changes in hatchery clipping practices but it sure would be nice if true!

 

[eroyd]

Being that they were released during the Covid crackdowns I would be surprised if more got clipped.

 

[Rain City]

I think it's just luck of the draw. When I tried two weeks ago we couldn't find a single clipped.

 

[Reel Time]

There were a couple people years ago who got fired from the qualicum hatchery for not clipping coho, thinking they were saving the species.... maybe this has had an effect. Does anyone else know this story?

 

[SpringVelocity]

I don't think these are local myself.

 

[SpringVelocity]

I think it's just luck of the draw. When I tried two weeks ago we couldn't find a single clipped.

Yeah opposite for me last weekend off Nanaimo

 

[Aces]

Hatchery raised fish tend to travel in schools. When i fished offshore of Tofino we would get waves of them where every coho would be clipped for 20-30 mins them they were gone or more unclipped would be in the mix

 

[getbent]

The hatchery that I volunteered at, we clipped every coho we could. Between 25,000-50,000 if we could get the help.

 

[MikePA]

Tonight off Nanaimo, 12 coho to the boat, 1 clipped.

 

[RiverBoy]

how deep are you finding them?

 

[TipUp]

Over the last couple weeks off Nanaimo I'd probably say the ratio clipped to unclipped is close to 50/50. The wild fish are definitely bigger though around 6 pounds compared to the 3 pound hatchery.

 

[Hot-Streak]

I noticed more clipped last fall in sooke. Could it be the USA hatcheries? They use a machine that clips all the fish (as I saw on the news).

 

[MikePA]

how deep are you finding them?

45-70' today

 

[Crali2014]

Washington state Coho…. They use an automated machine that gets 90%
Some of the fish are missing on part of their fin which is consistent with an automated clipper not getting the “whole” fin

 

[getbent]

Washington state Coho…. They use an automated machine that gets 90%
Some of the fish are missing on part of their fin which is consistent with an automated clipper not getting the “whole” fin

Even using scissors by hand you end up with half removed or incomplete removal…

 

[JohnS]

Such a ridiculous policy.. the amount of fish that get injured or killed trying to find an elusive clipped fish is pathetic

 

[Klob]

An unclipped fish is not always wild. It could very well be unclipped hatchery.

 

[JohnS]

An unclipped fish is not always wild. It could very well be unclipped hatchery.

Exactly, further enhancing the BS