Sockeye Recreational Opening Fraser/Thompson

[Ltbullken]

Not hunting, but any guesses when the rec sockeye fishery will open?

[Dirty]

Based on current test fishing numbers in the ocean it will be a miracle if there is an opening. They commercial fished way too hard on them during the last dominant cycle.

[browningboy]

It simply won't happen unfortunately...Whatever you do, don't buy fish off of them!!!

[Bugle M In]

Returns on many areas has already met numbers or even gone above expectations from what I have heard.
I think there should be an opening coming.
Some figure the 12th, but that’s a Friday.
I wouldn’t hold out for a Friday opening at all.
I would bet on a Monday for an opening, imo.
Maybe between the 15th and 19th I am guessing???
if closed and returns are good, the dfo will be getting a lot of phone calls!!!
It better not be closed if returns are good.

[adriaticum]

Never again.

[Ltbullken]

Returns on many areas has already met numbers or even gone above expectations from what I have heard.
I think there should be an opening coming.
Some figure the 12th, but that’s a Friday.
I wouldn’t hold out for a Friday opening at all.
I would bet on a Monday for an opening, imo.
Maybe between the 15th and 19th I am guessing???
if closed and returns are good, the dfo will be getting a lot of phone calls!!!
It better not be closed if returns are good.

I've read the updates as well and they look promising.

[driveby]

The returns used to be in the tens of millions. Now we're lucking to hit a few million. The numbers may appear to be "better than expected" but they're actually still TERRIBLE.

[Bugle M In]

The returns used to be in the tens of millions. Now we're lucking to hit a few million. The numbers may appear to be "better than expected" but they're actually still TERRIBLE.
True……….
Just like every other species in the planet

[Dirty]

The marine test fishing numbers haven’t been very good. Within the next week you will know if they are late or not coming.

Have a read.

https://shuswappassion.ca/environment/adams-river-2018-salmon-run-lowest-on-record/

[britman101]

Contrast this to what is happening in the Skeena watershed. The Sockeye run is at an all time high as the five year average return has been approximately 1.4 million fish. This year they are projecting that 4 million Sockeye will return to that watershed. There have been some news stories about what has contributed to this success story, such as Indigenous people working with others to rebuild the Sockeye run for that area.

[B-rad]

me personally,,,,,,i think we will get an opener up here on the south thompson,,,,,of course the number count is low still,,,,,they gonna be running alittle late this year,,,,the water levels are still wayyyy high for this time of year,,,,my prediction will be last week august,,,,,we will get notice of opener,,,,starting at 2 fish/day,,i read the reports almost daily province wide from DFO,,,,,,all runs are good,,,,but fraser,,(adams river run) is held up still,,,,,,,but they are coming,,,

[MichelD]

Based on current test fishing numbers in the ocean it will be a miracle if there is an opening. They commercial fished way too hard on them during the last dominant cycle.

There was a spawner escapement of 4,100,200 sockeye in 2018, 2% below the target escapement.

in 2006 there was a spawner escapement of 4,654,000 and four years later the run size was 29,016,000

[Dirty]

There was a spawner escapement of 4,100,200 sockeye in 2018, 2% below the target escapement.

in 2006 there was a spawner escapement of 4,654,000 and four years later the run size was 29,016,000


So what? 2014 Escapment was 10,142,400. 2014 was overfished by established standards for exploitation rate. 2018 late run was severely over fished (65% exploitation rate I think) causing the lowest dominant cycle return of the Adams River. Oh wait and Chilko fish used to have a return per spawner of 20 some odd : 1. What are they at now? How many CUs on the Fraser are at abundance levels of concern? There was a report that 10 were at near endangered levels and 5 were at levels of serious concern. That is 15 of 24. The commercial fishery
of the Fraser is not sustainable and I can prove that point. How many boats are running their revival boxes for
steelhead and interior coho? Who is checking them !

[MichelD]

Fishing the hell’ out of B.C. sockeye may be best way to preserve stocks, UBC professor says
“Fish aren’t healthy when they’re over-abundant,” said Prof. Walters. “Survival rates are better when there are fewer fish.”

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/fishing-the-hell-out-of-b-c-sockeye-the-best-way-to-preserve-stocks-ubc-professor-says

[tyreguy]

Seeing the test numbers improving but not great yet, test fishing over the next 10-14 days will show if the fall runs are strong enough for recreational harvests.
Our usual August openings focused on the summer and late run fish however with the recent reports of overfishing of the late Adams runs in 2018, the unknown effect of the Big Bar slide on salmon runs i would have to think we are being set up for disappointment and no rec opening.
Fingers crossed but a weak Summer & Fall runs will mean no recreational or commercial openings.

Was out on the Fraser on Tuesday for a burn and i was surprised to see no nets in the Harrison/Island 22 area. The buoys were there but no nets.
Saw 1 jumper sockeye and an 7ft Sturgeon jumped in front of the boat.

[Salty]

Sure hope the numbers pan out. There's fish flopping around out front here pretty sure they're all socs. The water is probably a good 6 feet higher than normal for this time of year. Its the inside of a turn here and normally they're all on the other side of the river but right now there's lots of water and current still on this side and fish jumping. All the traditional bars people fish are under water. No nets out yet. Bodes well for the fish.

[Bugle M In]

Well the nets don’t help.
I know 4 years ago a few jet boaters hitting the bars were skunked and pissex late in the opening.
Granted, it as the end of the run, but nets everywhere they said.
Grt rid of the nets and you will see better returns, imo.
Alaska is a different story

[Dirty]

Does Dr.Walters say anything about ensuring revival boxes are in working order to preserve Interior Coho and Steelhead? Additionally, is anything mentioned why there is only a recreational and commercial fishery once every 4 years? Probably has something to do with quack scientists, commercial fishery lobbyists, and corrupt decision makers. Commies care so much about the resource. I once sat at a debate after the collapse and one fisherman said, “You don’t think we had something to do with this?”. The other said, “ It’s not our fault they told us how much we could fish”. “ So if they told you to fish until there was none left you would?”. “Yep”. That about sums up the fate of the Fraser River. These fish belong to the people of Canada not the globalist economy.

[Bugle M In]

https://youtu.be/1gjB-b9v9DI

5 minute mark, early run numbers were good, now suddenly really bad with current later run.
So, now not good!!!????

[tubby]

No nets out? LOL There has been 50+ openings on endangered Chinook this spring alone. Now with sockeye open for the FN everything is getting mopped up.
The last two weeks the river has been choked with nets. DFO let the Adams run get completely netted out in 2018. Fact there was maybe 2-300k that actually made it back to the Adams that year and that is from one of the bios I fish with.

The Fraser needs a break....time to stop all parties from fishing on any stock within the river.

The article about not allowing too many sockeye to come back is complete bullshit. Any time you have excess fish on the spawning grounds they move to new areas within the watersheds they spawn in.
2010 had Adams sockeye spawning in creeks in the lake that had never had spawning activity documented.

I love how people are saying high water is holding them back lofl

CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf)
CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf)
CeremonialOpeningTimes.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CeremonialOpeningTimes.pdf)
CeremonialOpeningTimes_Previous.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CeremonialOpeningTimes_Previous.pdf)

[Salty]

First set of the year last night there was a FN opening here not sure how well they're doing yet. They're clocking 40,000 fish a day passing at the Big Bar slide though, that's good not great but its early. Personally I don't GAF if there's a flossing opening this year or not. We caught some in 2018, meh, not my cup of tea.

[Harvest the Land]

No nets out? LOL There has been 50+ openings on endangered Chinook this spring alone. Now with sockeye open for the FN everything is getting mopped up.
The last two weeks the river has been choked with nets. DFO let the Adams run get completely netted out in 2018. Fact there was maybe 2-300k that actually made it back to the Adams that year and that is from one of the bios I fish with.

The Fraser needs a break....time to stop all parties from fishing on any stock within the river.

The article about not allowing too many sockeye to come back is complete bullshit. Any time you have excess fish on the spawning grounds they move to new areas within the watersheds they spawn in.
2010 had Adams sockeye spawning in creeks in the lake that had never had spawning activity documented.

I love how people are saying high water is holding them back lofl

CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf)
CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CommunalOpeningTimes.pdf)
CeremonialOpeningTimes.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CeremonialOpeningTimes.pdf)
CeremonialOpeningTimes_Previous.pdf (dfo-mpo.gc.ca) (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/PDFs/CeremonialOpeningTimes_Previous.pdf)

Great post. Haven't fished the Fraser since 2017/2018. Fall coho was my passion for 15+ years - I dropped everything for it. Always carried rods in my truck for before and after work if I could make it. It has been tremendously painful to see the collapse of the Fraser and it has hurt even more to have not fished my honey hole (that's 15 mins from my house) for 4-5 years now.

Pretty amazing how shortsighted some of the FN bands and some of our fellow outdoorsmen are. And I really hope that Big Bar wasn't the nail in the coffin