Fraser river chinook

[rides bike to work]

Well it's looking dismal on the Fraser for chinook this year with only a few fish caught in the Albion. Is the end near is it time to sell the boat has the dfo turned their back on the Fraser. Lolls like only hatchery enhance runs have a chance these days so when are the powers that be going to wake up or is the Fraser destined for collapse.i hope not

[Sasquatch]

I think the Fraser has pretty much collapsed already. There are a few minor bright spots, but for the most part, it has been decimated.

If it wasn't for the American fish passing by, there wouldn't be much of a Chinook fishery anywhere in southern BC.

[Whonnock Boy]

I think the Fraser has pretty much collapsed already. There are a few minor bright spots, but for the most part, it has been decimated.

If it wasn't for the American fish passing by, there wouldn't be much of a Chinook fishery anywhere in southern BC.

Yup..... What is left will be cleaned out by.........

[coach]

I'm no fan of DFO - but you're on crack if you think the Fraser has been decimated. How much time have you spent on the river? :confused: Numbers of springs are better now than they were a few years ago as a result of scaled back commercial fisheries. Sockeye numbers should be good this year - expecting about a three week opening. Next year's sockeye run will be the returning fish from the record run a few years ago. If I were you, I'd keep the boat a little longer..

[r106]

I have to agree with coach on this one. I thought the Fraser was making a come back? With the exception of the Sockeye and this year should be good for them. 4 years ago was an awesome run

[lip_ripper00]

I'm no fan of DFO - but you're on crack if you think the Fraser has been decimated. How much time have you spent on the river? :confused: Numbers of springs are better now than they were a few years ago as a result of scaled back commercial fisheries. Sockeye numbers should be good this year - expecting about a three week opening. Next year's sockeye run will be the returning fish from the record run a few years ago. If I were you, I'd keep the boat a little longer..


Thats what I like optimism!!! Just wait untill DFO relases their new quota plans! We are pretty much hooped.

[russm]

I'm no fan of DFO - but you're on crack if you think the Fraser has been decimated. How much time have you spent on the river? :confused: Numbers of springs are better now than they were a few years ago as a result of scaled back commercial fisheries. Sockeye numbers should be good this year - expecting about a three week opening. Next year's sockeye run will be the returning fish from the record run a few years ago. If I were you, I'd keep the boat a little longer..


Let him sell the boat, it'd be one less person to partake in the summer zoo lol

[Moe.JKU]

It just all depends where you fish it. I got a couple last year, Since i never knew how the river used to be 10 years ago i can't compare, but I have noticed more my way, maybe i'm getting better or something. Some more awareness on the factor in government would be nice thats forsure. Cuts keep happening when they shouldn't be and where they can't afford to but, i beleive theres still a good run. Pinks are this year to which makes for some action out there. Always good to get people into fishing in pink year for this reason.

[Sasquatch]

I'm no fan of DFO - but you're on crack if you think the Fraser has been decimated. How much time have you spent on the river? :confused: Numbers of springs are better now than they were a few years ago as a result of scaled back commercial fisheries. Sockeye numbers should be good this year - expecting about a three week opening. Next year's sockeye run will be the returning fish from the record run a few years ago. If I were you, I'd keep the boat a little longer..

I sure hope you are right - but the early spring run counted at Albion this year was one of the lowest ever. Sockeye forecasts are not good for this year, last year they were poor.

Hopefully next year will be a good sock year, but 1 out of 4 doesn't seem like a great percentage to me.

[adriaticum]

I wouldn't write them off as yet. I have done well on the tributaries.
In general, of course, all fishing is experiencing higher pressure do to simple numbers.
Population of people vs. population of fish.
Every river has carrying capacity which is a number of fish after which additional fish don't produce additional offspring.
Once that point is reached there will be a steady decline of fish if we keep issuing more and more fishing licenses.
But in general I have been noticing that the runs of Chinook are late every year.
So maybe we need to set our bar to a new standard.

[G.A.]

myself 3 year ago it was nuts for me. couldnt catch anything but chinook, then last year only got one all season on my first day out, havent tried this year yet

[rides bike to work]

I'm mainly basing my thoughts on what I'm seeing on the Albion test fishery compared to other years hopefully its just a late run. I'm pretty sure there won't be a sockey opening this year though as this is the offspring of the year the numbers crashed but only time and a big sharp hook at the end of a long leader will tell.

[Jack Russell]

I'm no fan of DFO - but you're on crack if you think the Fraser has been decimated. How much time have you spent on the river? :confused: Numbers of springs are better now than they were a few years ago as a result of scaled back commercial fisheries. Sockeye numbers should be good this year - expecting about a three week opening. Next year's sockeye run will be the returning fish from the record run a few years ago. If I were you, I'd keep the boat a little longer..

You can't be serious....and who gives two shitts about sockeye and the Fraser river SNAG fishery that goes with it?

Early chinooks are in serious trouble. Late summers are not what they were in previous years either.

Decimated might be a strong word to describe the Fraser, but that river is facing some tough times recently, and will see difficult years ahead.

[G.A.]

deffianatly way less than when i grew up on the river fishing, nor am i seeing as many big fish taken as back then

[Moe.JKU]

Yeah sockeye don't need to open we need to build that fishery to be sustainable enough to get open for 10 years straight before we should harvest anymore. Other than that I've been having to expand the rivers i fish a lot more lately to keep consistent throughout the year. Already have 5 coho on the fly from the beach this year. Can't wait for the silvers to come in and might even hit up the red springs again this year when it opens it 11 days.

[tubby]

Albion is a horrible indicator of whats actually returning. This year is actually had pretty decent return. However with the natives netting 24/7 it's only a matter of time before it crashes. Native netting needs to stop ASAPASAP

[tubby]

Full native opening today on fraser, boats netting from Boston bar to steveston. Set nets, drift nets and commercial boats in the lower. They were doing very well from what I saw around chilliwack and lower fraser.....

[pnbrock]

stop the fn slaughter and we will see a true increase.who eats salmon three meals a day?maybe a few boats will catch a log during this run off.

[Brez]

Full native opening today on fraser, boats netting from Boston bar to steveston. Set nets, drift nets and commercial boats in the lower. They were doing very well from what I saw around chilliwack and lower fraser.....
I thiink I feel sick..............again.
Hope we get an openning, but I'd forgo it for a couple of years to build stocks.
Fingers crossed.

[browningboy]

It's brutal when you see the netting, it doesn't even give them a chance, every hole has a net across it then the drifts?.
how much salmon do they really need? Seems crazy to me?

[Fella]

Seems to me almost double the amount of chinook have been caught in the past month than in the same period last year at the albion test? Could be coincidental, but could also indicate a decent run.

[Fella]

I take it back. 2010 had 132 chinook in the same period.

[adriaticum]

So far Albion fishery has been poor.
But if I remember correctly last year had a lot of jacks which means this year should be good.
They might be late.

[G.A.]

i see so many say the net size at albion wont reflect true fish run size.

[Jack Russell]

When you've been doing the same thing for umpteen years, with the same net, a trend will develop. Whether the net is effective or not, it catches fish. It is catching less fish each year for the run in question. There is a pattern.

[G.A.]

myself i go by whats being cought by real fisherman to the size of a run. i lost faith in gov info being 100% factual long ago, ive had them say no fish but i get 30+ a day on my hook fishing for a different species. to me its hard to agree with all their low numbers when its the only type of fish being cought on a river and by huge numbers.

[adriaticum]

By the way the salt reports in Georgia Straight are stellar this year.

[tubby]

The inside straight has been very very good for feeder and mature white springs, these are fall fish that are produced by our hatcherys and wild Harrison stock. There is very few reds getting caught and most of the reds are clipped puget sound fish. This inside fishery is and was zero indication on what has come in so far in April,may and June.the Albion is a shitty way to determine run size, if they wanted a more accurate way to determine they should be netting above grassy to Agassiz . There is a reason why the natives net that area so hard. I am on the fraser 3+ days a week and see what the natives have been netting since April, this years run so far has been better than the last few years despite what the Albion DFO bullshit says. DFO has no clue what's going on with our fisheries, all the bullshit regs in the saltwater in Victoria and sooke get wiped away by wknd netting on the fraser.

[lip_ripper00]

Is the sonar fish counter at Mission no longer used?

[G.A.]

i hadnt even heard of it...lol. looked it up and apperently they say they dont know how to use it..or nobody is qualified to use for counts

.....What are we doing? We are investigating the dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) technology (underwater transducer shown at left) as alternative method for counting fish in sockeye salmon stocks that are assessed with mark-recapture programs, i.e., large returning stocks. Sonar is a non-invasive, non-destructive technique for monitoring the abundance of fish populations and this is an important advantage given the high esteem for sockeye salmon in British Columbia. Conventional sonar has been used to estimate gross escapement of all sockeye salmon stocks into the Fraser River since 1977 at Mission, but it has not been used to estimate stock-specific escapement in natal streams because of the perception that the training required to operate these systems and analyze the data is high and consequently,

[Whonnock Boy]

In regards to the test fisheries on the Fraser, remember that the freshet was at record heights last year, which is not ideal conditions for the fishery. Comparing numbers this year to last is suspect.