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[nosey]

Does anybody here have any idea how many tons of salmon have been caught this year by commercial seine fleet? I thought that with conservation concerns this year they would be shut right down but a buddy of mine in Seward told me a seiner pulled into harbour there recently loaded so heavy they couldn't get another fish on board. Is there anywhere that the commercial catches are made public?

[Rodney]

Seward? Are they targeting the stocks which are closed for recreational fishermen in the Fraser River?

[StillAqua]

Does anybody here have any idea how many tons of salmon have been caught this year by commercial seine fleet? I thought that with conservation concerns this year they would be shut right down but a buddy of mine in Seward told me a seiner pulled into harbour there recently loaded so heavy they couldn't get another fish on board. Is there anywhere that the commercial catches are made public?

Pacific Salmon Commission
http://www.psc.org/FraserPnl/Status/FRP_Fraser_sockeye_pink_status.pdf

Seward Alaska? Not our fish.

[nosey]

Sorry for misspelling, Sayward * Johnston Strain,  100% our fish. Catch summary was only from Aug 7-13 does not reflect at all on commercial catch to date.

[nosey]

And yes the commercials target Fraser river sockeye every year long before they reach here, that 900 fish reported doesn't even fill up the corner of the hold in a seiner.

[RalphH]

Sorry no they are not targeting Fraser sockeye in Johnson Strait. Stock presence and source is done by genetic testing so they know what sockeye are coming through Johnson Strait and fact is there are no other commercial size runs from that come south from that area. 

Even numbered years are the high cycle years for pink salmon on the north coast so likely that is what were in the seiner.

There are some sockeye runs up there - notably the Nimpkish, Smith Inlet and River's Inlet but no idea if those have openings as all have been a conservation concern for decades.  Non-Fraser fisheries are also not controlled or enumerated by the PSC, that's done by DFO. That info can be hard to find and may not be available under after the season. DFO also posts notices on commercial openings all along the coast.

Also just want to mention Seiners can travel quite a ways to fish an opening - it's possible those fish are Skeena fish. I but fish from a gut here who has a boat in Steveston and he goes out to Barclay Sound every year to fish commercial sockeye openings.

[TNAngler]

I but fish from a gut here who has a boat in Steveston and he goes out to Barclay Sound every year to fish commercial sockeye openings.

Just to be clear, the fish being sold by the commercial guys are very often sold close to where they are being caught.  If a seiner is coming in to a harbor to sell a boat load of fish, they were very likely caught not too far from there.  If the fish are out of the water for too long they will start to degrade in quality and that starts taking money out of the boat's pocket.

[Rodney]

Here in Steveston plenty of commercial boats that harvest on the WCVI, etc sell their catches on the dock.

[TNAngler]

Here in Steveston plenty of commercial boats that harvest on the WCVI, etc sell their catches on the dock.

How long of a trip is it to get out to Barclay Sound?  By boat it has to be, what, 100+ miles?  That is going to take a loaded down seiner (as was the case in this point) a very long time, even assuming they could go full speed which they likely couldn't.  What are we talking, 6, 7, 10 hours?  Unless their entire hold is iced, that seems like quite a long time to wait, especially considering the first set of fish sat on the boat for most of the opening as well.

I could see them keeping out what they think they can sell on the dock, whatever that is.  The entire boat load?  No.

Also my guess would be if there is an opening on the WCVI, the commercial buyers in Steveston are not even open.

My guess is boats travel down the day before for an opening.  If it is going to be a multi-day opening, they stay there.  If not, then they offload a majority of their catch at a buyer in the area and only bring home what they expect to sell on the dock.

Granted, my experience is in the states but I know the seiners there would take the hour or two trip in to Blaine or Point Roberts to offload their catch if they were planning on travelling down to Bellingham and that isn't near as far as WCVI to Steveston.

[RalphH]

Just to be clear, the fish being sold by the commercial guys are very often sold close to where they are being caught.  If a seiner is coming in to a harbor to sell a boat load of fish, they were very likely caught not too far from there.  If the fish are out of the water for too long they will start to degrade in quality and that starts taking money out of the boat's pocket.

you can be as clear as you want as I never said they don't.

BTW I've checked the commercial & Aboriginal salmon for openings Area 13 (Johnston Strait) & Area 12(Queen Charlotte Strait). There haven't been any this year.  So it would seem the report of seiners unloading Johnston Straight sockeye in Sayward is of doubtful authenticity.

There were recent opening for chum in Area 8 & 9. Perhaps that was what was unloaded in Sayward.

[TNAngler]

you can be as clear as you want as I never said they don't.

I know.  What you did say though was that seiners can travel a long ways for an opening.  While they may travel a long way for an opening, they don't wait to sell their fish to when they get back in their home port.  That was the clarification I was trying to make.  If there was a boatload of fish coming in, it likely was caught close.

[canso]

How long of a trip is it to get out to Barclay Sound?  By boat it has to be, what, 100+ miles?  That is going to take a loaded down seiner (as was the case in this point) a very long time, even assuming they could go full speed which they likely couldn't.  What are we talking, 6, 7, 10 hours?  Unless their entire hold is iced, that seems like quite a long time to wait, especially considering the first set of fish sat on the boat for most of the opening as well.

I could see them keeping out what they think they can sell on the dock, whatever that is.  The entire boat load?  No.

Also my guess would be if there is an opening on the WCVI, the commercial buyers in Steveston are not even open.

My guess is boats travel down the day before for an opening.  If it is going to be a multi-day opening, they stay there.  If not, then they offload a majority of their catch at a buyer in the area and only bring home what they expect to sell on the dock.

Granted, my experience is in the states but I know the seiners there would take the hour or two trip in to Blaine or Point Roberts to offload their catch if they were planning on travelling down to Bellingham and that isn't near as far as WCVI to Steveston.

For sockeye caught in Port Alberni they transport the fish by truck in totes on the ferry, then load the tote onto a fish boat in steveston and park at the sales dock.  It is well worth the effort.

[TNAngler]

For sockeye caught in Port Alberni they transport the fish by truck in totes on the ferry, then load the tote onto a fish boat in steveston and park at the sales dock.  It is well worth the effort.

For private sales, yes.  I'm not disputing that at all.  My point was if the boat is pulling into the harbor loaded down, they almost surely caught the fish fairly close to that harbor.  It wouldn't make sense for them to do that and then bring it here and sell it to a commercial buyer.  The price isn't likely that much different and if there is no opening in the area, the commercial buyers are likely not even ready to accept the fish.  You can bet if they are pulling in to harbor loaded down with fish then it is likely they caught those fish within probably a three hour drive of that harbor.

[RalphH]

it's common to sell fish to packer boats out on the water. Seiners don't have to return. As I said - there was no opening in the area and it's a better conclusion that fish came from elsewhere or the report - which is hearsay - is not reliable.

[StillAqua]

Sorry for misspelling, Sayward * Johnston Strain,  100% our fish. Catch summary was only from Aug 7-13 does not reflect at all on commercial catch to date.

The summaries are "Catch-to-Date", not the weekly catch. The total catch-to-date data for the season up to that week is updated with the new additional catch data for that week. What the summary is telling you is there has been no directed commercial fisheries on Fraser River sockeye in Fraser Panel managed marine and freshwaters this season. Only First Nations FSC and a little US First Nations harvests to date.