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[Steelhawk]

"Weirs are a traditional FN harvest method and sizable numbers of fish get by them."

There is no debate there on their traditional method of fishing. But blocking the entire river from early season on is not being responsible as 'stewards' of the land and fish resources. If there is no more heavy rain till fall, then they may be taking most fish (if they block from Marine Drive too which they do every year when the water is low and rain not expected). Tradition can't be used as an excuse to own the fish all to themselves when there are other user groups and when the hatchery need to have fish  for brood stock. At least the Cap hatchery is a tourist attraction. Lol. The natives normally don't block until late June when a lot of the early stock would come in and fill the fish ladder with fish. But this year's drought just enables the natives to block the river a bit too early. I wonder if the hatchery has any say to the natives to open up the weirs if there isn't enough fish in the holding tank from early season return.

[Steelhawk]

Garbage.  They always get by, keep watching the cable pool and the hatchery.  They get the bigger clipped ho's.

Besides it's a total hatchery show other than a handful of spots where they can even attempt to create a redd.

Yes they always got by in the past when natives normally blocked in late June or July, allowing the early stock to arrive the hatchery. But if you have seen the upper blockage at the Marine Drive Bridge when the fish have to sail up a mini fall in low water, no fish can get through the weirs there. There is a lesser channel there at the fall but it dries up as the water shallows. Go see it yourself. So if those weirs are up there now and the other channel is dry, no fish can get up river.

[RalphH]

"Weirs are a traditional FN harvest method and sizable numbers of fish get by them."

"There is no debate there on their traditional method of fishing. But blocking the entire river from early season on is not being responsible as 'stewards' of the land and fish resources."

Traditionally that was how it was done. The weirs had traps from which the fish were removed and the traps were opened to allow fish to proceed upstream.

There really isn't  a stewardship issue here as the late spring early summer run is overwhelmingly thanks to hatchery production.

[avid angler]

It doesn’t make a lick of difference. They aren’t effecting future returns. Let them harvest hatchery fish however they please. They get the excess fish from the hatchery anyways. If you want to lobby for change complain about something worthwhile that actually effects the quality of the sports fishery on the cap. Like the ridiculous bait ban in the fall.

[wildmanyeah]

So who are we going to blame the cap steelhead being all but extiupulated on?

[Blood_Orange]

So who are we going to blame the cap steelhead being all but extiupulated on?

Why not blame the dam? It can't argue back and it's very difficult to hurt its feelings.

[halcyonguitars]

Damn dam.

[avid angler]

So who are we going to blame the cap steelhead being all but extiupulated on?

The near zero spawning habitat because of the dam

[Dave]

What then is the main purpose of federal hatcheries?

They were originally built to make up for dwindling wild salmon that supply commercial fisheries; sports fishing was a by product.

[wildmanyeah]

The near zero spawning habitat because of the dam

I dident think any of the salmonids naturally spawn in the cap. Expect for some chum/chinook that spawn in hadden/ brothers creeks.

Most just go right into the hatchery was my understanding.

Do steelhead respond differently to hatchery enhancement compared to coho and chinook?

[avid angler]

I think there is some (kind of) natural steelhead. Too many unclipped winter runs for there to not be a little natural spawning occurring

[RalphH]

So who are we going to blame the cap [summer] steelhead being all but extiupulated on?

burying most of their habit and rearing areas under a reservoir made it inevitable don't you think?

[wildmanyeah]

burying most of their habit and rearing areas under a reservoir made it inevitable don't you think?

I mean ultimately yes, but their is a lot of systems that have seen steelhead all but disappear

ocean survival rate and unstatiable harvest levels on wild stocks seem to be the issues of today

If there was zero harvest by all on the system and hatchery enhanced their would be alot more steelhead in the system around.

But hey maybe i'm wrong maybe it just took 50 years too feel the full impact of the damn being built. Ocean survival rates and harvest had nothing to do with it.

[avid angler]

Urbanization is the other major factor facing wild steelhead populations. Habitat loss is a huge factor on many small runs in urban areas. VI has been hit hard by logging and has done those systems no favors.

[RalphH]

I think by the time the hatchery came into operation the summer runs numbers were pretty low. IIRC an accidental release of chlorinated water into the hatchery water supply killed the entire brood stock one year not so long after it went into operation. Add to that the pressure from the early coho fishery, poaching and low ocean survival, they trickled away to less than nothing. Last I heard the return had been 1 adult fish some years ago.

Any angler in the GVRD ought to think about the dam and it's effect on the Cap salmon every time they water their lawn or have a drink of water.