SEP Planning and Assessment
• DFO hatcheries support various fisheries through large-scale for-harvest hatchery production.
• When changes to fisheries reduce or eliminate harvest, the associated hatchery production should
be scaled to support remaining harvest needs.
• If hatchery production is not adjusted, excess hatchery fish may return to spawning grounds or
hatchery facilities creating increased biological risk. This is inconsistent with the Wild Salmon Policy,
SEP guidelines, DFO fishery policy, and Science Branch advice.
• Potential adjustments to hatchery production are evaluated annually by SEP. However, fishing
regimes have historically been quite stable, so resulting production adjustments are usually minor.
• Recent closures and reductions to salmon fisheries to protect Stocks of Concern have significantly
reduced harvest coastwide, necessitating larger-scale adjustments to production.
Pitt River Sockeye
• Pitt River Hatchery Sockeye production was initiated in 1960 to address declining returns and to
research the feasibility of hatchery production.
• Pitt River Hatchery Sockeye are currently produced under a harvest objective.
• Production levels and catch of this stock peaked in the early 2000’s. Decreases to production
occurred incrementally from 2015 (2.5M smolts) to 2018 (500K smolts).
• In recent years, there has been limited ability to harvest this stock in mixed-stock fisheries due to
measures taken to protect co-migrating Early Stuart Sockeye. Harvest has also been negligible in
terminal areas due in part to lack of assessment tools.
• Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) Status of Pitt River Sockeye is Green or Not at Risk (assessed in 2017).
• Pitt River Sockeye spawning channel has been recently rebuilt to support access to stable spawning
sites (work undertaken collaboratively with Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance and DFO).
Proposed Change for 2023
• DFO has identified a proposed reduction of this production line to zero in 2023.
• This proposal can be revised if additional harvest opportunities to access this stock in terminal
areas are developed. DFO is engaging with local First Nations to assess the extent to which
terminal assessment of abundance and fisheries targeting Pitt River Sockeye can be implemented
in the near term.
Chilliwack River Coho
• Chilliwack Coho are produced for a harvest objective, primarily supporting a directed recreational
fishery in the Vedder and Chilliwack Rivers, as well as bycatch in FSC fisheries targeting other
salmon species.
• Coho hatchery surplus was at very high levels in the early 2010’s. Concerns that this production was
adversely affecting wild salmon survival in the Strait of Georgia led to reductions of hatchery Coho
production at many DFO facilities. This change resulted in a decrease in Coho surplus observed at
Chilliwack Hatchery.
• Over the last 10 years, the Chilliwack Hatchery Coho surplus has again risen to pre-2014 levels.
Some of this increase in hatchery returns can be attributed to improvements in survival. In addition,
recent closures/restrictions of Southern BC salmon fisheries have reduced fishing pressure on this
stock.
Proposed Change for 2023: Reduce production of Chilliwack Hatchery Coho from 800k to 700k smolts.
This adjustment is expected to bring hatchery surplus back into alignment with 2015 – 2017 levels, and
should have negligible impacts on the availability of Hatchery Coho to fisheries.
Fraser River Chum
• Fisheries management measures to protect Interior Fraser River Steelhead have resulted in longerterm closures for many Chum-directed commercial gillnet fisheries in Southern BC, as well as
reductions in fishing opportunities for FSC and recreational fisheries. This has created a misalignment of hatchery Chum production with the capacity of the fishery.
• To avoid excess hatchery fish returning spawning grounds or hatchery facilities, hatchery
production needs for harvest purposes were assessed against the current fishery regime.
1. DFO biologists from SEP Planning and Assessment, Resource Management and Stock
Assessment identified fisheries impacted by Chum fishery closures/reductions and
considered opportunities to access foregone catch in terminal areas or by other gear types.
2. Projections were made of expected harvest in future years, given identified
closures/reductions and other fishery adjustments.
3. Hatchery production with a harvest objective that contributes to those fisheries was
identified (production for rebuilding or other purposes was excluded), and the amount of
hatchery production required to support the remaining fisheries was estimated.
4. As a result of this analysis, adjustments to Chum hatchery production are proposed at three
facilities in the Fraser River for the 2023 Brood Year (2024 Release Year).
Proposed Change for 2023:
• DFO proposes an overall reduction of 45% from 2021 levels for Fraser Chum produced for harvest
purposes. Production was previously reduced by 25% in 2022; the remaining 20% reduction is
proposed for 2023.
• The overall 45% proposed reduction in Fraser Chum hatchery production is commensurate with the
reduction observed in Fraser Chum harvest in recent years due to fishery closures/reductions.
• Adjustments are not proposed for Weaver Creek spawning channels due to implications for
Sockeye production.
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Topic: Lower Fraser River SEP Production Planning Proposed Changes for 2023 (Read 2580 times)