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[avid angler]

If I’m not mistaken haven’t summer run chinook for the Fraser River improved since the the 70’s and 80’s. The only difference I can see is there has been very few commercial sockeye fisheries comepared to the years before.

Yes you are right about steelhead and all stocks crashing tho and I’m surprised you did not bring up coho as most sports fishermen like to point out that we have stopped fishing for wild coho yet their numbers are still crashing. Tho I and some others beleive that is more to do with habitats loss.

Tho it’s also hard to ignor how chum stocks have been increasing in the Fraser and relatively stable. A fish that is less commercially sought.

I beleive climate change is the main contributor to the loss of salmon we are seeing everywhere.


Do you beleive if fishing is not having an impact then we should adjust our escarpment goals and fish more?

Chum stocks are largely influenced by hatchery enhancement so not really the best indication

[redside1]

Chum stocks are largely influenced by hatchery enhancement so not really the best indication

totally
DFO has even changed the run timing of Fraser chums.
Before the SEP program started in the 1970's Fraser chum returns peaked in Mid November. Over the decades of enhancement by DFO the November chums are virtually gone and the peak return is right on top of the Thompson steelhead return in Mid October. This was done to appease the commercial gill netters so they did not have to fish in the colder weather.
When fishing the Vedder all through December and into January there would be lots of chums in the shallows and many runs.

[RalphH]

it's true I noticed the shift from a later peak to an earlier one but that took place well after enhancement - like 20 years+. Rivers like the Vedder and the Alouette always had substantial early returns.The later component on the Harrison has dropped to nothing after the coast wide chum crash of several years ago.

[clarki]

This was done to appease the commercial gill netters so they did not have to fish in the colder weather.

I tend to be "show me" kind of guy, and that's a pretty bold claim. I'm curious if you can support that in any way?   

[dobrolub]

ocean can support shitloads of life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA5mn423F9g

[santefe]

How about we fallow the fish farms in the Discovery Passage during peak migration of juvenile salmon and close the Georgia Strait (Salish Sea) to harvesting herring for the roe fishery for a season or two...

[wildmanyeah]

This video from 1984 should be compulsory watching for anyone that uses the resource. The supply and Demand pictures is still way out of whack! We still have the SEP stocks dominating the non SEP stocks.

https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/westland/items/1.0048237

[Dave]

This video from 1984 should be compulsory watching for anyone that uses the resource. The supply and Demand pictures is still way out of whack! We still have the SEP stocks dominating the non SEP stocks.

https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/westland/items/1.0048237

Wow, not much has changed in over 30 years ... neat to see some people I know as well.  Thanks for posting this.