rare ribbon fish washed ashore in sooke

[kingblazer84]

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/31...ore-leads-salmon-to-spawn-according-to-legend

 

[Whole in the Water]

Very cool fish!

 

[CBsqrd]

We were fishing out of Port Renfrew in the around 1990 when we came across one on the surface. It looked like a chrome bumper floating in the water it was so shiny. Pretty much dead at that point, so we scooped it up on the net. It was about the same size as the one in the article, about 6' if I remember correctly. They are so thin that it was probably only about 6 lbs.

We were staying at Gallagher's and one of the old timers from the camp next door new what it was. Ended up calling the DFO and they had us place it in the freezer on a piece of plywood and they sent someone out from Nanaimo to pick it up. The draggers had been through earlier that week and the consensus was that it had been pulled up on one of their nets.

Got our picture in Island Fisherman magazine which was pretty cool as kids!

Thanks for posting, brings back great memories!

 

[Birdsnest]

We were fishing out of Port Renfrew in the around 1990 when we came across one on the surface. It looked like a chrome bumper floating in the water it was so shiny. Pretty much dead at that point, so we scooped it up on the net. It was about the same size as the one in the article, about 6' if I remember correctly. They are so thin that it was probably only about 6 lbs.

We were staying at Gallagher's and one of the old timers from the camp next door new what it was. Ended up calling the DFO and they had us place it in the freezer on a piece of plywood and they sent someone out from Nanaimo to pick it up. The draggers had been through earlier that week and the consensus was that it had been pulled up on one of their nets.

Got our picture in Island Fisherman magazine which was pretty cool as kids!

Thanks for posting, brings back great memories!

What time of year did this happen?

 

[CBsqrd]

What time of year did this happen?

oh, now your testing my memory! I’d say it was early to mid August. Definitely not later than that.

 

[Birdsnest]

Just wondering because it is very interesting that indigenous stories call this fish "king of the salmon" that lead the salmon to spawning. Your experience fits that narrative. Interesting indeed. Do you have a photo you can post?

 

[CBsqrd]

Just wondering because it is very interesting that indigenous stories call this fish "king of the salmon" that lead the salmon to spawning. Your experience fits that narrative. Interesting indeed. Do you have a photo you can post?

Unfortunately I don't have a picture on hand. My folks have one though boxed away in their collection, next time I'm over there I'll try and dig it out - maybe there is a copy of that Island Fisherman Magazine too!

The gentleman who knew right away that it was a King of the Salmon also mentioned that the first nations believed that they led the salmon back to their natal rivers. I always thought that came from the fact that they are so bright that the salmon would follow them back, but I'm not sure if that was part of what the guy said, or my own assumption. Maybe they have a tendency to wash up on shore at this time of year, which is where the belief came from? As mentioned before, we were pretty sure that the one we caught had been dragged up from the deep in one of the trawler nets as we could see them working offshore from Renfrew for a few days before we found it.