Rock slide in Fraser River, B.C., may hinder salmon passage

Amazing how they can predict a run with a handful of fish caught.

Why are we not using sonar counts to accurately see what is coming back.
Netting and killing stocks of extreme concern is archaic for " run prediction" and a joke.

Time to start some major hatchery programs on the Frasers upriver tributaries while there is still brood to collect or just let it go extinct.

No measures that are being done right now are helping improve the numbers upstream.

The amount of mortality that seals did last two months in certain choke points above Hope adds up. It seems like every year there is more and more going higher up the Fraser. This needs to get addressed asap.




The small hatchery production is dismal and more of feel good story for the news to paint a picture something is being done by DFO.


The economic boost that our province could recieve with mirroring the Columbia's upriver Chinook hatchery programs would be huge. Would also help our interior Fraser FN actually be able to get some fish back.
 
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Even though the Big Bar slide likely prevented most of the sockeye that were not already netted by lower Fraser FN from getting past and even though sport fishers were not allowed to catch any sockeye we are being lumped in with commercial fisheries for the lack of sockeye in the upper Fraser.
Is it just me or are Sport fishers now frequently being singled out as a major cause of all the issues surrounding salmon numbers and an unchallenged gang up by DFO, many NGO’s and many First Nations even though in this case we were not allowed to catch any sockeye.There seems to be no push back and like I’ve stated before I fully support FN FSC fishery expecting that after that is met the rest of us inhabitants could also then go out and catch and eat a fish or two.
I’m starting to feel forces are trying to push us right off the water regardless of our actual impact and overall positive contribution to a sustainable future for Wild Salmon. See below for perspective.
“Frustrations came to a head around 2017. At this point, many of the First Nations whose territories are high upriver for years hadn't been able to catch enough fish for the community's food, social and ceremonial needs, a right protected by section 32 of the Canadian constitution. This was due to DFO management rules that allowed other fisheries to occur downstream before the upstream nations had harvested their catch, and self-imposed restrictions to protect the most vulnerable stocks. The nations and experts attribute the lack of fish to DFO commercial and sport fishing regulations,” Recent National Observer Article
 
terrin said:
Even though the Big Bar slide likely prevented most of the sockeye that were not already netted by lower Fraser FN from getting past and even though sport fishers were not allowed to catch any sockeye we are being lumped in with commercial fisheries for the lack of sockeye in the upper Fraser.
Is it just me or are Sport fishers now frequently being singled out as a major cause of all the issues surrounding salmon numbers and an unchallenged gang up by DFO, many NGO’s and many First Nations even though in this case we were not allowed to catch any sockeye.There seems to be no push back and like I’ve stated before I fully support FN FSC fishery expecting that after that is met the rest of us inhabitants could also then go out and catch and eat a fish or two.
I’m starting to feel forces are trying to push us right off the water regardless of our actual impact and overall positive contribution to a sustainable future for Wild Salmon. See below for perspective.
“Frustrations came to a head around 2017. At this point, many of the First Nations whose territories are high upriver for years hadn't been able to catch enough fish for the community's food, social and ceremonial needs, a right protected by section 32 of the Canadian constitution. This was due to DFO management rules that allowed other fisheries to occur downstream before the upstream nations had harvested their catch, and self-imposed restrictions to protect the most vulnerable stocks. The nations and experts attribute the lack of fish to DFO commercial and sport fishing regulations,” Recent National Observer Article
Click to expand...
We have a huge bullseye on our head. We are the target of all of those groups and the easy ones to give a kick in the butt too! I can tell you it's not going to get better in next couple of years with the agenda that's being put forward by the current federal government. It seems like the majority of the sport fishing community wants to stick their head in the sand rather than push back against it. Particularly the hardcore attacks by NGO's such as Watershed Watch, Raincoast and the Suzuki Foundation! We also need to be more included at the table in discussions with First Nations. Decisions are being made without any consultation with the sport fishing public and we are being told about it after the fact rather than being at the table. All of us appreciate and recognize First Nations rights, but it would be nice to be at the table when these discussions are taking place. That certainly isn't the case in many cases, although there are a few exceptions. Not blaming First Nations. The accountability has to be held with DFO and the federal government.
 
terrin said:
Do I read that correctly that the early stuart run was from july 1-11 and peaked on July 6th at 36,300 exceeding pre-season estimate of 23,000 fish? Thanks
Click to expand...

it says in season run timing at N/A they have not yet adopted one. July first is just when they turned on the mission hydro acoustic, they start returning as early as may. The july 7th is the preseason adopted area 20 run timing. usually area 20 to mission is another 10-14 days.

I also got word the the counting at big bar is up and going and passage is going well.

I think the return is already better then expected but i have not heard what the breakdown is in year class. Should get PST updates next week.
 
wildmanyeah said:
it says in season run timing at N/A they have not yet adopted one. July first is just when they turned on the mission hydro acoustic, they start returning as early as may. The july 7th is the preseason adopted area 20 run timing. usually area 20 to mission is another 10-14 days.

I also got word the the counting at big bar is up and going and passage is going well.

I think the return is already better then expected but i have not heard what the breakdown is in year class. Should get PST updates next week.
Click to expand...
Then how is any new additional regs justified?
 
Migration passage at Big BarBig Bar Update

• There have been no upstream migration problems reported at Big Bar.
• A total of 13,182 salmon have been observed 40 km upstream of Big Bar (Churn Creek).• Using a length cut off of 68 cm to differentiate Chinook and sockeye (based on tagging data from2022), 1,872 sockeye have migrated past Churn sonars up until July 10.
• A total of 20 sockeye have been collected for broodstock.
• A total of 74 sockeye have been tagged.

Thus far, in-river catches have been low and
dominated by Age-5 Early Stuart fish. Hydroacoustic estimates commenced July 1 at Mission.
 
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Big Bar Rock Slide Update
• A total of 20,490 salmon have been observed upstream of Big Bar (mainly Chinook)
• Length-based estimates indicate 6,235 sockeye migrated past Churn; however, high length
overlap with chinook (species ID concerns)
• A total of 94 Sockeye and 48 Chinook have been radio tagged below the Big Bar site (at Matsqui)
• 21 Early Stuart Sockeye have been taken as broodstock at the Matsqui fishwheel
 
Keep in mind these Chinook and sockeye numbers aren't entirely accurate.

There was no sonar prior to June 27.
Essentially missing out on almost 3 months of the early timed Chinook stocks that would have been migrating through the area.
 
No age 4 early stuarts sockeye have been caught and DNA tested looks like the slide wipe out near 100% of the early stuarts. in 2019
 
Derby said:
Subject: Fraser River Indigenous salmon fishery closure to protect stocks

https://www.wltribune.com/news/fraser-river-indigenous-salmon-fishery-closure-to-protect-stocks/
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DFO said they are taking measures to give priority access to First Nations food, social and ceremonial, Treaty and rights-based fisheries, many of which have not been able to harvest sufficient numbers in recent years due to low numbers. Why not forgo any netting including the Lower Fraser to allow any 4 year old early stuarts to pass if there happens to be a few left? Or do they just get written off?
 
Big Bar Update

•There have been no upstream migration problems reported at Big Bar.
•A total of 40,713 salmon have been observed 40 km upstream of Big Bar (Churn Creek).
•Using a length-based estimate (68 cm) to differentiate Chinook and sockeye,13,349 sockeye have migrated past Churn sonars up until July20.
•A total of 23,713 sockeye have been observed below Big Bar (Alfalfa).
•Although there is a discrepancy between Alfalfa and Churn Creek sites, no holding fish or mortalities have been observed at the sonar sites below the slide.Work to account for the discrepancy between sites continues.
•A total of 134 Sockeye have been tagged.
•7 tagged fish that reached the slide were able to pass and migrate from Alfalfa to Churn in under 24 hours which is comparable to previous years.
•Tagging is planned to continue until Friday, July 28
 

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Bridge River Rapids Fishway
Janice Billy
Location
The Bridge River Rapids, also known as the Six Mile Rapids (Setl), Bridge River Fishing Grounds, located in the central Fraser Canyon at the mouth of the Bridge River six miles north of the confluence of Cayoosh Creek with the Fraser and on the northern outskirts of the District of Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada.
The location is the most important traditional fishing site, many St'at'imc members come every year to do traditional preserving of salmon, wind dried and fresh for the freezers and canning.
During 1945 – 1950 controversial and untested fishways were built, at Hell’s Gate, Bridge River Rapids, Yale, and the Farwell Canyon fishways were constructed by the Pacific Salmon Commission with equal help from the United States, were built during winter and when the river levels were low. My understanding to allow and assist the salmon to pass to their spawning grounds up north.
October 2023
October 5th Kupi announced they will assist the fish in getting over the falls, as they need to finish their cycle to get to the spawning areas. The water levels were extremely low at the Fishway, the salmon were unable to pass. A Call out to people to assist help net the fish over to higher water levels. Need to respect the Bridge River fishing grounds.
Indigenous and non-indigenous people came from all over British Columbia to lend a hand.
October 7, 9, 10, 2023
The Xwisten chief and council and Xwisten fisheries pleaded for Emergency Fish Salvage to help save the salmon, to bring aluminum fish nets and to wear orange shirts to support. Here the people assisted with the fish ladder flow, expanding trench and beginnings of ladders. On October 10th the water dropped so efforts were to assist with water flow and revamping the trench , filling sand bags. Continued monitoring will be in place, until the fish have passed this area.
In three days the volunteers had assisted a total of 6251 (sockeyes, coho, and pinks) to the higher waters, it is hoped that these sockeye are the Quesnel stock that hardly had any spawners. It is hoped that these efforts will allow them to reach where they should. Prayers to all the volunteers and the Xwisten Community for efforts.

Thanks for the people from Secwepemc, Nlaka'pamux (just to name a few) who came out to support!​

 
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