Measuring salmon

[Capt_Ed]

So the discussion was on the dock today about measuring salmon ,I've always thought that it was a flat tape from nose to the middle of the tail fork. Now the creel survey young fellow measures along the fish following the thickness of the fish which in today's case was 5 cm difference. Can't find it in the regs.

 

[RiverBoy]

 

[RiverBoy]

based on the included image i read it like a flat line or “ calipre” if you will. that’s how i’ve always done it. i also have a ribbon style tape and it will be completely different like you mentioned.

if you really wanna blow your mind measure the brown side versus the white side of a halibut…

 

[N2013]

This came up a couple weeks ago on another thread. My understanding is using a flat tape measure (like the sticker ones we get from fishing stores and Fisheries Canada), and it is tip of nose to middle fork. That gives you a true length (diameter if you will) vs going over the fish which gives you its circumference. Think of measuring the length of a football. How would you measure that? I’d be curious what the creel surveyor says to that. That’s a hill worth dying on in my books.

 

[wildmanyeah]

The creel survey person was wrong to do it like that

 

[Hardy Guy]

lay the fish on the tape for the true measurement.

 

[Aquaholic]

lay the fish on the tape for the true measurement.

*Sorry, I misread your notes. Thought it said “ lay the tape on the fish”. I do agree with you, lay the fish on the tape.*

If you are trying to weigh the fish by the tape measure method, yes laying it on the fish makes sense. But as far as what you retain while being onside with the regulations, that is another story.

 

[Hardy Guy]

The legal way would be with calipers as mentioned. The next closest is laying a fish on a ruler/ board as they use for science etc. Laying the tape along the curve on top of the fish is not the proper way and is fine as long as its well under and writing it on your licence.

 

[Reel Time]

I have witnessed this improper method as well. It is 80cm plan view. Its a joke that these creel guys dont get it. Does the doctor measure your height and include your gut circumference? Be a lot of very tall people in this world.

 

[Capt_Ed]

I have witnessed this improper method as well. It is 80cm plan view. Its a joke that these creel guys dont get it. Does the doctor measure your height and include your gut circumference? Be a lot of very tall people in this world.

I would be 7'4" instead of 5'10"

 

[Trophy21]

As a business owner, I can tell you most young people you hire have no common sense anymore. Brain power minimal.

 

[Aquaholic]

I got a reply from DFO today regarding measuring, based on my avid angler query. It was between a flat ruler/sticker and getting a measurement, versus a tape measure and getting a measurement which includes the girth of the fish.


“The flat ruler method is certainly preferable for both consistency and accuracy sake if your set-up is conducive. I do know a number of fishers who use actual yard sticks or home fashioned measuring sticks that can be held alongside the fish while it is being held out of the water (need two people and less accurate). Whenever possible I suggest the ruler method. I have also found that having the fish laying flat makes for far quicker/effective DNA sampling.”

This may help.

 

[Robert Dee]

So the discussion was on the dock today about measuring salmon ,I've always thought that it was a flat tape from nose to the middle of the tail fork. Now the creel survey young fellow measures along the fish following the thickness of the fish which in today's case was 5 cm difference. Can't find it in the regs.

It's in the regs. Your right.

 

[agentaqua]

There's potentially a number of measurements one can take from a fish - but the generally accepted priority for salmon is fork length - or as every poster on here has already mentioned - nose to fork in tail (and not taken by having the tape measure follow the contour on the side of a fish as already mentioned). Girth is another typical measure if one wishes to estimate the weight of a fish. There are tables that can be used to estimate the weight by using only fork length and girth measurements. Weight is sometimes used as a proxy for health as in a "fish condition" index - but the use of that indicator comes with a number of assumptions that limit it's usefulness.

Sometimes post-orbital length is instead used (from the edge of the eye back). Infrequently, overall length is used - but is generally accepted that it is a less precise measurement than fork length - esp for juveniles that often nip at each other and each other tails. Most often the application of numerous physical measurements (i.e. meristics) was used to try to determine subspecies/populations (phylogeny and taxonomy) of fish largely before the advent of the application of genetics which has come a long way in the past 20 years or so.