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[troutbreath]

Low sockeye run may mean aboriginal-only catch

A low run of Fraser River sockeye expected this year likely means there will be no commercial fishery this summer, after allocations for spawning and the aboriginal food fishery.
File

By Jeff Nagel - Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: May 14, 2012 11:00 AM
Updated: May 14, 2012 11:50 AM

Commercial fishermen shouldn't count on putting a net in the Fraser River this summer.


Pre-season estimates of this year's sockeye salmon run suggest it's unlikely enough fish will return to the Fraser for fishery managers to approve a commercial catch.


Pacific Salmon Commission chief biologist Mike Lapointe said 1.2 million to 3.8 million sockeye are forecast to return.


That's down from a run of five million last year and way down from the huge 2010 run of 30 million sockeye, believed to be a rare anomaly.


"It's a fairly bleak outlook," Lapointe said.


He admitted salmon run forecasts have been notoriously inaccurate in recent years, but said the small number of salmon that spawned in 2008 dictates that this year's return will not be large.


"The expectation is very low," he said.


A run of 2.1 million sockeye – the mid-point of the forecast for this year – would leave only one million harvestable sockeye after spawning requirements.


And Lapointe said that would be entirely allocated to First Nations, who get priority ahead of all other users for food, social and ceremonial purposes, leaving none available for any commercial catch.


The forecast estimates there's a 10 per cent chance the run could exceed 3.8 million, and the same probability that it could be less than 1.2 million.


Most sockeye are expected to come in early-timed runs.


With a near-record snowpack still to melt in the Interior, Lapointe said there's concern that returning sockeye will struggle to get upstream against a strong freshet in the Fraser and its tributaries.


A dismal 2009 return, far below forecast, led the federal government to appoint the Cohen Commission to look into a long-term decline in Fraser sockeye.

[kingpin]

Low sockeye run may mean aboriginal-only catch

A low run of Fraser River sockeye expected this year likely means there will be no commercial fishery this summer, after allocations for spawning and the aboriginal food fishery.
File

By Jeff Nagel - Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: May 14, 2012 11:00 AM
Updated: May 14, 2012 11:50 AM

Commercial fishermen shouldn't count on putting a net in the Fraser River this summer.


Pre-season estimates of this year's sockeye salmon run suggest it's unlikely enough fish will return to the Fraser for fishery managers to approve a commercial catch.


Pacific Salmon Commission chief biologist Mike Lapointe said 1.2 million to 3.8 million sockeye are forecast to return.


That's down from a run of five million last year and way down from the huge 2010 run of 30 million sockeye, believed to be a rare anomaly.


"It's a fairly bleak outlook," Lapointe said.


He admitted salmon run forecasts have been notoriously inaccurate in recent years, but said the small number of salmon that spawned in 2008 dictates that this year's return will not be large.


"The expectation is very low," he said.


A run of 2.1 million sockeye – the mid-point of the forecast for this year – would leave only one million harvestable sockeye after spawning requirements.


And Lapointe said that would be entirely allocated to First Nations, who get priority ahead of all other users for food, social and ceremonial purposes, leaving none available for any commercial catch.


The forecast estimates there's a 10 per cent chance the run could exceed 3.8 million, and the same probability that it could be less than 1.2 million.


Most sockeye are expected to come in early-timed runs.


With a near-record snowpack still to melt in the Interior, Lapointe said there's concern that returning sockeye will struggle to get upstream against a strong freshet in the Fraser and its tributaries.


A dismal 2009 return, far below forecast, led the federal government to appoint the Cohen Commission to look into a long-term decline in Fraser sockeye.

letting the natives take over a million fish for 'food' is a good place to start looking at why the run is dismal

[skaha]

--early predictions are that the columbia run will be similar to 2011 thus fishery allowed in that drainage.
--possible opening in Osoyoos lake this year for recreational as well as serimonial and commercial.

[Fillibert]

Natives... Where do I begin... Maybe I shouldn't... 

[chris gadsden]

I  hear they are putting in a proposal to net the Chilliwack up by Chilliwack Lake.

[Dennis.t]

Native only openings for sockeye...they be laughing all the way to the bank! $$$

[kingpin]

I  hear they are putting in a proposal to net the Chilliwack up by Chilliwack Lake.

and who will monitor that fishery? that run is a lot of fun, chilliwack lake fish actually bite well and fight hard...it would be a shame to have them wiped out.

[jacked55]

i wonder if this shortage of sockeye will mean they will raise the cost of the fish they net and sell on the side of the river all summer long, even right in front of the police, for ceromonial purposes though of course,lol.
what a joke? and then they wonder why fish stocks are in decline.

[blacktail2]

@ Fillibert Quote "Natives... Where do I begin... Maybe I shouldn't..."

Good plan if you don't have anything constructive to say maybe you shouldn't say anything at all. Lots of ill will towards the first nations, i never hear anything positive said about them. Every one who whines about the FSC fishery seems to forget they have been here long before the first explorers and white settlers. Everyone also seems to forget that this is how they they fed themselves and yes traded and bartered salmon and various seafoods amongst themselves. Yes this is far less than an ideal situation on our rivers and oceans and i am concerned as well about the well being of our stocks that are in serious trouble but i think a lot of this boils down to jealousy. These folks have not had a fair shake at things since the explorers arrived, they were introduced to something they knew nothing about.. Alcohol and lets not forget the small pox infected blankets that were bestowed upon them as a gift's but intended to wipe them out. I am the first one to agree we have a number of outcasts that push the limits and skirt the law any way they can but lets not forget about the other visible minorities snagging coolers full of pinks and anything else they can get their hooks into only to return for another cooler full after the first and second one are stowed away from prying eyes, taking under sized and female crab and crushing and boiling them down at sea for the crab flavoured juice it provides. Lastly lets not forget that little piece of paper that gives first nations the right too harvest for FSC which was granted hundreds of years ago, and again there are some that will break the rules to make a dollar. Why differentiate between races when it comes to infractions on our rivers and oceans lets group them all together and label them as law breakers not and not pick on one race.

[Bassonator]

@ Fillibert Quote "Natives... Where do I begin... Maybe I shouldn't..."

Good plan if you don't have anything constructive to say maybe you shouldn't say anything at all. Lots of ill will towards the first nations, i never hear anything positive said about them. Every one who whines about the FSC fishery seems to forget they have been here long before the first explorers and white settlers. Everyone also seems to forget that this is how they they fed themselves and yes traded and bartered salmon and various seafoods amongst themselves. Yes this is far less than an ideal situation on our rivers and oceans and i am concerned as well about the well being of our stocks that are in serious trouble but i think a lot of this boils down to jealousy. These folks have not had a fair shake at things since the explorers arrived, they were introduced to something they knew nothing about.. Alcohol and lets not forget the small pox infected blankets that were bestowed upon them as a gift's but intended to wipe them out. I am the first one to agree we have a number of outcasts that push the limits and skirt the law any way they can but lets not forget about the other visible minorities snagging coolers full of pinks and anything else they can get their hooks into only to return for another cooler full after the first and second one are stowed away from prying eyes, taking under sized and female crab and crushing and boiling them down at sea for the crab flavoured juice it provides. Lastly lets not forget that little piece of paper that gives first nations the right too harvest for FSC which was granted hundreds of years ago, and again there are some that will break the rules to make a dollar. Why differentiate between races when it comes to infractions on our rivers and oceans lets group them all together and label them as law breakers not and not pick on one race.

x2

[alwaysfishn]

I would support traditional fishing rights, as long as traditional gear was used.....

[blacktail2]

Lol !!
       We as human beings have come along way with technology, walking on all fours to walking on two feet then to horse then to horse and buggy , first auto mobile etc.. Believe it or not hooks were fashioned out of bone, nets were made out or cedar roots etc. So as man ages and improves so does technology such as our Sage rods and centre pin reels we like.. High powered rifles with our Leupold scopes we love so much. Why not go back to killing animals with bolo's and stones. Oh cant forget the advancements we have made in the medical field, new hips,knees,pacemakers etc, nope sorry you need a new knee so we are going to cut your leg off and carve ya a wooden one mate. So i guess as time changes and advances so does technology and methods used to harvest our food we eat. Why should one or two races benefit from technology advancements and not another because they get first shot at the sockeye.God i would hate to go back to using a hoe to till my seven acre potato field  

[Bently]

God i would hate to go back to using a hoe to till my seven acre potato field  

If it's a traditional,sacred,ceremonial potato field, grab yer hoe and get at er ya wuss.

[alwaysfishn]

Lol !!
       We as human beings have come along way with technology, walking on all fours to walking on two feet then to horse then to horse and buggy , first auto mobile etc.. Believe it or not hooks were fashioned out of bone, nets were made out or cedar roots etc. So as man ages and improves so does technology such as our Sage rods and centre pin reels we like.. High powered rifles with our Leupold scopes we love so much. Why not go back to killing animals with bolo's and stones. Oh cant forget the advancements we have made in the medical field, new hips,knees,pacemakers etc, nope sorry you need a new knee so we are going to cut your leg off and carve ya a wooden one mate. So i guess as time changes and advances so does technology and methods used to harvest our food we eat. Why should one or two races benefit from technology advancements and not another because they get first shot at the sockeye.God i would hate to go back to using a hoe to till my seven acre potato field 

You can ridicule the fact that you shouldn't have to work your 7 acre plot with a hoe, but the argument is totally irrelevant. There are restrictions already in place limiting the technology that the FN are allowed to use. The current FN sockeye fishery in the Vedder limits the equipment to seine and dip nets....

The technology used allows the FN to catch many times what they require for food and ceremonial purposes with a fraction of the manpower that their traditional methods allowed. A fraction of the fish caught is used for their personal consumption, the rest is sold illegally for non-taxable cash. That's the problem. The constitutional rights they have do not include the commercial sale of the salmon.

I know several members of 2 FN bands and they have told me that more than 90% of their catch is sold. The numbers may be lower as you go farther up the Fraser, but the majority of the catch from Hope to the coast is caught and then sold illegally.

Either the authorities need to stop the illegal sales of salmon by FN (which will never happen) or limit the technology they use to catch salmon.

[RainbowMan]

Regardless of how we all see the sockeye issue on the Fraser, the government in Ottawa has decided to keep the situation under control by giving the FNs the right to 'harvest' the stocks for whatever purposes and keep the other stakeholders out of the picture. This is completely in line with their conservative policy of protecting their public image and minimizing tensions with cretain social groups. The fact that some other minorities are abusing the system has nothing to do with the federal government's approach to the Fraser's Sockeye. IMHO, this is completely a political issue and not a socio-economical debate.

BTW, what happened to the Cohen inquiry and what 'constructive' decisions came out of it??