SOMASS SOCKEYE BULLETIN # 3 – 2015 Date: June 11, 2015
Somass Sockeye Stock Assessment Update
Pre-season forecast:
Somass (Great Central and Sproat) – “Abundant Range” 700,000 -– 1 million
Henderson Lake sockeye outlook ~ 25,000 – 45,000
Escapement to June 9: ~ 15,000
Test Fishery: Seine vessel Nita Maria June 8th-9th (not restricted by seine free zone) Estimated 35,000 outside Ten Mile Point and inside – 40,000 Total 75,000 in the Inlet.
First in-season re-forecast: June 25th
Catch Estimate: ~ 47,700 adults
Somass First Nations – 32,500
Maanulth First Nations Domestic harvest – 200
Area D Gillnet – ~ 12,000
Area B Seine - 0
Recreational – 3,000
NEXT WEEK’S FISHING PLANS:
First Nations
Tsu-ma-uss (Hupacasath & Tseshaht) Gillnets Sunday June 14th 12 pm to Wednesday June 17th 12 pm from Hohm Island to Hook Bay. Hook and Line – 7 days a week from Papermill Dam to Hook Bay except for Papermill Dam Pool.
Tseshaht Communal Drag Seine – Friday June 12th to Sunday June 14th daily from 5 am to 12 am at Papermill Dam Pool.
Hupacasath Communal Gillnet –Friday June 12th to Sunday June 14th daily 8 pm to 6 am, from Hohm Island to Hook Bay. (Limited to designated boats only) Seine Vessel Nita Maria may also be designated for harvest depending on success of gillnet fishery.
Maanulth – 7 days a week. Gillnet and Hook and Line - the harvest plan may include the contracting of designated Area D Gillnet vessels to harvest sockeye. These vessels will be displaying Maa-nulth identification flags.
Commercial
Area D Gillnet – Tuesday June 16th 14 hour opening from 6 am to 8 pm from the Bamfield line to the Pocahontas line.
Area B Seine - First possible fishery in the week of June 22nd depending on escapement levels and catches rates. Will fish to a weekly target or 3 to 4 days of fishing each week, which ever occurs first. Boundaries are from Pocahontas to Polly Point. (Will include a closed area “seine free zone”)
Recreational
May 1 until further notice 4 sockeye per day in Area 23 except for the tidal portions of the Somass River which remain at 2 sockeye per day.
Experimental non tidal river fishery at Somass Park opened May 18th 2 sockeye per day.
For more information please refer to Fisheries Notices or contact the DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440