200,000 pinks in C/Q system, still more to come
Campbell River Courier-Islander, Thursday, August 9, 2012
Preliminary reports show that almost 200,000 pink salmon have returned so far to the Quinsam/Campbell River system.
In the past, returns of 150,000 have been considered good - with 2009's 900,000 return absolutely stunning. In an early swim this week three chinooks and one steelhead were also sited.
There were about 153,000 pinks counted in the Campbell River and about 45,000 were counted through the fence at the Quinsam Hatchery. And more pinks could be on the way.
"This is just a preliminary estimate only and will change in the weeks to come based on when the peak migration occurs and accuracy of swim counts based on river flows and visibility," said David Ewart, Watershed Enhancement Manager, Oceans, Habitat & Enhancement Branch, South Coast Area, Quinsam River Hatchery.
The pink salmon story out of Campbell River has been one of the shining spots on the coast, thanks to the work of the hatchery and improvements to instream spawning and rearing areas.
Aside from good ocean survival and excellent pre- and post-migration care, some of the pink improvement can be explained by the success of the Quinsam River 'cascades' project of 2005 which saw channels carved through bedrock about 13 kilometres upstream from the hatchery to open up another 14 kilometres worth of prime spawning habitat upriver. And the work of the Campbell River Salmon Foundation, with continued improvements to habitat, has also played a large role.
Pinks are the lifeblood of streams and rivers along the BC coast. They are the first of the Pacific salmon species to return and they traditionally do so in large numbers. They normally place relatively little demand on the river because they spend a relatively short amount of their lives there. But the carcasses of dead pinks are a major source of nutrients to the river system. As such, enhanced pink salmon runs are a vital tool in restoring or maintaining the health of many waterways.
In recent years, a retention fishery has been allowed on in-river pink salmon that has proved immensely popular attracting anglers from near and far.
In other angling news, the annual Tyee Club of British Columbia is off to yet another slow start without a registered fish to date. The season opened July 15 and ends on Sept. 15.
