Tag Archives: 2015 sockeye run
Bad Fraser River sockeye run has salmon watchers worried
The latest estimate pegs the run size at 2.4 million salmon, barely a third of the 6.8 million mid-range projection of fishery managers. Commercial fishing that was anticipated for August never happened because of the low returns. About 150,000 sockeye have been taken in First Nations food fisheries. “We don’t have the abundance we were expecting,” said Jennifer Nener, Lower Fraser area director for DFO. Last summer, 1.7 million late-run sockeye that were counted as having gone upriver never reached the spawning beds and Taylor fears a repeat is in store. Read the rest here 14:52
2015 sockeye run produced underweight fish across state
With the bulk of the sockeye season over, biologists and fishermen have continued to notice smaller than average weight for one of Alaska’s most valuable exports. Workers statewide from offices of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or ADFG, noticed an early in-season trend of smaller-than-average fish. Throughout the state’s early season salmon fisheries, particularly sockeye and chum, fish were coming in shorter and lighter for their age. “The biggest reason would be lots of fish equals small fish,” “The catch last year (in Bristol Bay) was 28 million versus 35 million this year. Read the rest here 16:33
