Estimate of Fraser River sockeye return upped to 4 million
By Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, August 12, 2011
Fisheries managers, on Friday, increased estimates of this year's Fraser River sockeye salmon run to four million fish, which will open up more fishing opportunities in all sectors.
Barry Rosenberger, the area director for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said managers have approved an aboriginal economic-fishery opening for the Musqueam First Nation on Saturday, a six-hour opening on Tuesday for the Fraser River gill net fleet and extended an opening for the Johnstone Strait gill net fleet for an additional 22 hours.
And on Monday, managers expect they will be able to announce openings for the Gulf of Georgia and Johnstone strait troll fleets on Tuesday.
For the Fraser gill net boats, it adds another opportunity to the three-hour opening they had earlier in the week.
He added that the sport fishery that was only supposed to be open for three days a week over weekends, will now be open until further notice.
"Our pre-season estimate, we were looking at one to seven-million [fish] range as the most likely estimate," Rosenberger said. "Currently we're at almost exactly four million."
That, he added, is close to the long-term average return of 4.6 million for this cycle year of sockeye salmon.
Rosenberger, who is Canadian chairman of the Fraser River Panel of the bi-national Pacific Salmon Commission, added that results of their most recent test fishing, which is used to estimate run strength, might lead to another raise in the estimate by the time the panel meets again Monday.
"We're looking for confirmation, but if the very good test sets that we had in the Johnstone Strait get confirmed in other areas, there is a likelihood of further increases," he said.
Rosenberger said estimates are based on the results of test fishing in Johnstone Strait that are backed up by the catches of test fishing on sockeye migration paths closer to the Fraser River.
