Pink salmon returns to Campbell/Quinsam strong once again
Courier-Islander, August 20, 2010
The number of pink salmon returning to the Campbell/Quinsam river system continues to grow, much to the delight of local fishers lining river banks.
At press time, the latest count estimated almost 400,000 pinks had come home.
"We counted about 300,000 pinks down in the Campbell and we've counted around 80,000 upriver in the Quinsam," said Dave Ewart, Quinsam River Hatchery Manager.
"Looking at it right now I can't predict if it's going to be less or more than last year but it's another large return."
In recent years the river system has hosted returns in the 100,000 range, but last year brought an amazing flood of roughly 900,000. That's far more fish than the river can actually sustain in terms of spawning habitat, said Ewart. That's why the river was opened to a pink retention fishery in July instead of the usual August opening.
"It was proactive, with Fish Management, to open it early," Ewart said. "It was a good move to let people have access to those fish."
At last word the chinook were coming into the river faster. While it's early, hatchery staff counted 270 chinook in the river last week. That's up from recent years at this time.
"I think because the river was a lot higher," Ewart said. "It was double the flow that it has been over the last few years. It's kind of going back to the way it was 10 years ago, prior to the flow management (agreement with BC Hydro). Under the flow management, flows came down to about 30 cms (cubic metres per second) in the summer and that's changed when chinook come in over the past 10 years, they come in later."
Meanwhile Fisheries Enforcement says there have been some issues with people taking more than the four-per-day pink limit and issues with some people using barbed hooks, but generally the fishery has gone pretty well considering the number of people taking part. They estimate more than 100 fishers have lined the Campbell at times.
