The Best of Times
These are the best
of times. The latest measure is the 2023
return of Chinook salmon to the Fraser River, the major producer of Chinook salmon
on the coast, which had the largest return since 1979 ! !( Extra Exclamation Mark
! ). This year is shaping up strong as well . Plus, the numbers of juvenile chinooks we’re
encountering indicate good fishing for the coming years. We don’t need the official count to know that
the abundance of chinooks is high because we experience it in very good fishing
.
Yet, it is complicated.
We have regulations to limit the catch of
weak stocks of chinooks that might pass by. The particularly
weak stocks are a type that spend a year in the freshwater streams before
heading to sea, as contrasted to the ocean-type which go directly to sea. Those few stream-type adults pass through our
area in early season to spend all summer swimming upstream to spawn in the Upper
Fraser where they and their offspring have numerous environmental challenges such
as low water from diminishing glaciers and snowpack, warm water, forest fires, etc.
We can fish all year around, however in
the period April 1 to July 15 we must travel out of the migration route of
those stocks. The fishing trips for
chinooks in that time period are lovely scenic trips requiring a full day and these
are some of my favourite trips.
There is an excellent
article about the abundant and historic Chinook return written by Dr Richard
Beamish and Chrys Neville in the Island Fisherman Magazine, May issue.
And cohos, too ! The recreational catches of coho salmon in
the Strait of Georgia in 2023 and 2024 were the best since 1994. This is
a welcome improvement from those years in the early 1990s when the coho population
declined and the remainder moved out to rear in the open ocean. Again, I’ll point you to an article by Dr Richard
Beamish and Chrys Neville , titled “Why So many Coho ? “, in the IFM , March/April
issue. This year the cohos are back
again in excellent numbers.
Yet, it is
complicated. In spite of the terrific
abundance of cohos, the regulations allow retention of 2 hatchery marked cohos and
no wild cohos until September 1. This is
meant to allow rebuilding and especially help the Fraser coho which mostly pass
by before September 1, leaving good fishing for later-timed runs.
This ironic situation
of abundant salmon but modest allowances for retention can be hard to explain
to potential anglers. The vitality of life in our area has been
increasing with a trend toward more plankton in the nutritious soup bowl that
is Georgia Strait and the nearby channels. Herring live here and feed the salmon. Humpback Whales are now very common to see as
they slurp it all up. Fishing is a fun and exciting and you get to keep some. It is so good,
even if the backstory is complicated.
