Squamish Chum-Closed to Retention

[cohochinook]

Subject: FN0865-RECREATIONAL - Salmon Region 2 - Non-Tidal; Zero Retention of Chum Salmon on the Cheakamus, Mamquam, Squamish Rivers Systems


Category(s):
RECREATIONAL - Salmon

Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Subject: FN0865-RECREATIONAL - Salmon Region 2 - Non-Tidal; Zero Retention of Chum Salmon on the Cheakamus, Mamquam, Squamish Rivers Systems

Effective 12:00 November 02, 2007 until further notice, the daily limit for
chum salmon is zero (0) per day in the Mamquam River, Cheakamus River and
Squamish River (including tributaries).

The Squamish-Lillooet Sport Fishing Advisory Committee (SLSFAC) and Department
of Fisheries and Oceans staff have noted low returns of chum salmon to these
systems to date. The SLSFAC recommended that the retention of chum be set to
zero.

Current Salmon Retention opportunities include:

Until December 31, 2007 you can retain one (1) hatchery marked coho in:
the Cheakamus River,
the Mamquam River and
the Squamish River including Ashlu Creek, Elaho River and Powerhouse channel
(downstream of boundary signs at the powerline crossing approximately 1.5 km
upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River).

Until December 31, 2007 you can retain two (2) chinook per day, none over 55 cm
in the Mamquam River (downstream of the BC rail Bridge to the confluence with
the Squamish River) and
the Squamish River, including Ashlu Creek, Elaho River and Powerhouse channel
(downstream of boundary signs at the powerline crossing approximately 1.5 km
upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Call your local Fisheries & Oceans Canada office.

Notes:

The aggregate daily limit for all species of Pacific Salmon (other than
kokanee) from tidal and non-tidal waters combined is four (4).

Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal
waters of British Columbia. This includes all species of fish in the Fraser
River.

The term “hatchery marked” means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the
adipose fin.

Sport anglers are encouraged to participate in the voluntary Salmon Sport Head
Recovery program by labelling and submitting heads from adipose fin-clipped
chinook and coho salmon. Recovery of coded-wire tags provides critical
information for coast-wide stock assessment. Contact the Salmon Sport Head
Recovery Program at (866) 483-9994 for further information.

Did you witness suspicious fishing activity or a violation? If so, please call
the Fisheries and Ocean Canada 24-hour toll free Observe, Record, Report line
at (800) 465-4336.

For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at (866) 431-
FISH. The telephone number of the Squamish DFO office is 604-892-3230.


Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN0865
Sent November 1, 2007 at 15:44
Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

 

[cohochinook]

It does seem like gloom and doom with the coho returns so weak last year followed by few sockeye this year and perhaps weak
early (3 year old) chum runs as well. The most likely reason is that there was a body of warm water on the west coast in 2004 and into 2005 that reduced the winds that create the upwellings that cause the diatom algae blooms that in turn feed the krill that virtually all salmonids depend on. The collapse of the krill results in poor survival of salmonids, especially as they first leave fresh water for salt water. The dependence of young salmonids (as well as cod, pollock, hake, dogfish sablefish and herring) survival on krill has been thoroughly studied by DFO biologist Ron Tanasichuk out of the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center.
Tanasichuk is amazed by how much the biomass of krill can vary from year to year. "Over the last 15 years, the annual average biomass of sub-adults has varied by 10 times and the biomass of adults by 100 times."
"Over the years, opinions have changed from thinking that it's the freshwater phase that determines returns to the current view where everything happens in the ocean. The results of our work show that for sockeye, the effect is clearly in the ocean and takes place in the near-shore areas during the first month or so at sea."
Tanasichuk has also found there is relationship between krill abundance and the return of age-three chum. 'It seems to be a type of jacking effect when fish that mature earlier are growing faster....But age-three fish don't make much of the run....the return of four year old fish appears to be determined by the hake fish-eating biomass: the more hake the lower the chum return."
Tanasichuk also can explain variations in West Coast Van Isle wild coho returns. He found that it is biomass of krill longer than 17 mm that accounts for most of the variation in ... coho returns.
He found hake biomass to be in direct competition with first year old herring from Barkely Sound and two year old herring from Georgia Strait as they move out to the west coasts La Perouse Bank where the main summer upwellings occur. In 2005 krill biomass was expecially poor and hake biomass large so he expected herring and salmon stocks to remain low.
However, things have turned around rapidly since 2005. A large body of cold water appeared in the Gulf of Alaska in 2006 and the returned upwellings produced one of the largest plankton blooms ever recorded. In 2006 the green bloom could be seen on satellite to extend from Cape Cook to the mid coast of Oregon and krill began to quickly return. There were so many krill off the west coast in 2007 that the Georgia Strait and Barkely Sound herring which normally summer out on La Perouse Bank, instead stopped at Swiftsure Bank and the mouth of Barkely Sound as there was adequate food. Apparently the cooler water remains in the Gulf of Alaska and explains our cool summer and increases the liklihood of another good ski season. This should be followed with increased ocean survival for both salmon and herring over the next few years.
Jonn Matsen, Squamish Streamkeepers

 

[chris73]

Very interesting report, cohochinook! I hope you are right...

 

[danthewire]

Interesting,Wondered what went on at the Bamfield Marine station.DAN