The challenges of sockeye management
With millions of wild salmon swimming down the coast of British Columbia, government scientists must consider the wellbeing of hundreds of individual stocks when determining harvest numbers.
Few members of the public realize how much deliberation goes into decisions that can make or break a commercial salmon fisher in any given year. This year, expectations run high and local seine boats with a single licence have already been allowed to catch some 16,000 sockeye salmon each. Most of these fish are heading for the Fraser River and its tributaries, where scientists have identified some 271 separate Fraser River sockeye spawning populations, based on the timing of their migration and the location of their spawning grounds. Many of these 271 spawning populations have then been aggregated (grouped) into 19 identified (named) stocks, and these again have been lumped into four run-timing groups of Fraser River sockeye salmon;
Early Stuart sockeye
Early summer run
Summer run
Late run
The Fraser River sockeye fishery is a mixed-stock fishery, meaning that a run-timing group will be made up of several different stocks and that run-timing groups overlap in space and time with each other, all of which can affect the management of aboriginal, commercial and sport fishing opportunities. All through the fishing season, test fisheries are conducted and scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) are kept busy analyzing which spawning grounds the different groups of fish coming down the coast are heading for. This is no small task, with demanding turn-around times for results.
Here is a typical report about the status of the current year’s returns of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River- issued today and with an anticipation that many more fish are on their way south from Alaska to the Fraser River and other BC waters;
The Fraser River Panel met on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 to receive an update on the migration of the Fraser sockeye runs and review the status of migration conditions in the Fraser River watershed. The migration of sockeye through marine and lower Fraser River assessment areas and past the Mission hydroacoustic site has increased over the past week. Catches in the Area 12 and 13 seine test fisheries saw reduced catches following the last report but have increased in the most recent days. Area 20 seine test fisheries continue to be well below average. In river test fisheries catches have remained strong.
Recent stock identification analyses from the Area 12 purse seine test fishery indicated Fraser sockeye contributions of approximately 27% Summer run sockeye, and 73% Late run. In the Fraser River, the proportions of each stock in the most recent samples are 18% Early Summer run, 59% Summer run and 23% Late run.
The estimated upriver migration of sockeye past Mission through August 25th is 3,950,100 fish in total of which 227,900 are estimated to be Early Stuart sockeye, 1,102,600 Early Summer run, 2,171,300 Summer run and 448,300 Late Run.
River discharge levels have decreased over the past week to a level of 2,511 cms (cubic meters per second) on August 25th, which is 17 percent below the historical average discharge for this date (3,012 cms). Water temperature on August 25th at Qualark was 18.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.2 degrees Celsius above the average temperature for this date. Water temperatures are forecast to decrease in the coming days and discharge levels are expected to remain slightly below average.
At today's meeting, the Fraser River Panel adopted in-season run size estimates of 2.0 million Early Summer run sockeye with a 50% timing date in Juan de Fuca of August 8 and 6.0 million Summer run sockeye with a 50% timing date in Juan de Fuca of August 15. These changes are decreases from the previously adopted run sizes of 2.3 million for Early Summer run and 7.0 million Summer Run sockeye and two day earlier timing than previously adopted for both runs. The Panel made no changes to the management adjustment for Early Summer or Summer run sockeye. Fish condition has been good to date in the Fraser River fisheries. Management adjustments are additional fish that are allowed to escape upstream to help achieve spawning escapement targets for Fraser River sockeye.
First Nations FSC (for Food, Social and Ceremonial purposes) fisheries targeting Fraser sockeye are ongoing or being planned. Fishers are requested to check updated times and restrictions for their local area.
The Area B seine and Area H troll commercial sockeye ITQ(Individual, Transferrable Quota) fisheries remain open until further notice subject to available quota.
The next Area D gillnet fishery is planned for Wednesday, August 27. Details will be announced in a separate fishery notice.
The next Area E gillnet is planned for Wednesday August 27. Details will be announced in a separate fishery notice.
First Nation economic opportunity fisheries in the Lower Fraser River are under consideration with fisheries possible this week and over the weekend.
Retention of sockeye in Marine and Lower Fraser River recreational fisheries continue. Refer to fishery notices FN0720 and FN0721 for details.
The next in-season meeting of the Panel is scheduled to occur on Friday, August 29, 2014.
Reference Link - Pacific Salmon Commission website: http://www.psc.org/news_frpnews.htm
