Tag Archives: sockeye salmon run

Very few sockeye have passed Chilcotin River landslide area: DFO

While sockeye salmon have been able to migrate past obstructions from the Chilcotin River landslide, the run is projected to be far lower than average. At the end of July, a landslide across the Chilcotin River at Farwell Canyon, about 285 kilometres north of Vancouver, blocked the flow of water. More than a week later, built-up debris and a pulse of water surged over the slide and down the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers. Now, a fraction of the average sockeye run has been observed past the slide area. A report from the Pacific Salmon Commission says higher-than-average temperatures and obstructions from the slide are hindering salmon migration up the Fraser and Chilcotin rivers. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:11

Report shows salmon numbers slowing from B.C. landslide

A new report is providing some early insight on how last month’s landslide into the Chilcotin River affected the run of salmon that swims up the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers every year to reproduce. Monitoring efforts reveal the number of salmon that head upstream during August has slowed — but the exact scale of the disruption isn’t yet clear. “The landslide certainly had a role already in slowing the migration,” Scott Hinch, a salmon ecologist at the University of British Columbia. “The issue is whether it’s slowed it to the point that these fish are not going to be able to complete their migration up the Chilcotin.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:49

‘Majority’ of chinook run is already past Chilcotin River landslide area: Cullen

Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Nathan Cullen says officials are estimating a four-to-seven-day window for returning sockeye salmon, but the “majority” of the chinook run is already past the Chilcotin landslide area. During an update on the landslide situation Saturday (Aug. 3), Cullen said the province is working very closely with First Nations and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to prepare. “While we know that there will be impacts on fish from there this event, our early assessment is that the majority of the chinook run is already past the landslide area,” he explained. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:44

Massive B.C. landslide could mean new barriers for struggling salmon

An expert on British Columbia’s salmon populations says the massive landslide that blocked off part of Canada’s largest sockeye salmon run has created an unprecedented situation potentially putting the already struggling fish at even more risk. Scott Hinch, the associate dean at the University of British Columbia’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, said the debris piled 30 metres high and 600 metres long blocking the Chilcotin River could cause problems for chinook and sockeye populations both while the water is being held back, and when it eventually bursts free. “These are natural events, but what’s unusual about this event is it’s occurring at a time when the rivers are way warmer than they used to be,” he said in an interview Thursday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:23

Opposite forecasts for SE pinks, Bristol Bay reds; Cook Inlet busts

Biologists are forecasting another weak pink salmon year for Southeast and another strong sockeye salmon run for Bristol Bay coming in the 2020 season. The forecasts for Southeast Alaska and for Bristol Bay, released in late November, continue the trends of the past few years in both areas. In Southeast, biologists are forecasting about 12 million fish to be harvested, with a range of 7 million to 19 million fish. >click to read< 11:51

They’re big, they’re fat and thankfully there are finally a whole lot of ‘em!

It’s early, but the Fraser River sockeye salmon run is looking strong for fishermen in U.S. waters. The season started earlier this week for commercial fishermen, with salmon coming in large numbers through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and heading toward Canadian waters. There are a lot of the fish, and they are fat, said Riley Starks, of Lummi Island Wild. The company does reefnet fishing near Lummi Island. On Monday the crew had its best one-day catch ever, he said. >click to read<09:00