Scientists and conservationists are warning against being overly optimistic about the future of salmon in B.C. because of the record Sockeye run this year.
Mark Angelo, chair of the Rivers Institute at BCIT, said in an interview Wednesday afternoon, “I know there will always be pressure to harvest more fish, but I think we should resist the temptation to fish too heavily. While we’re seeing this incredible run, there are still things that can go wrong [for Sockeye].”
He noted that Hell’s Gate, which is a choke point for salmon moving up the Fraser River, is narrower this year because water levels are about two-thirds of their normal levels. He added warm water temperatures could also negatively affect salmon spawning. “Things could still go wrong, so it’s important to take a precautionary approach.”
The Pacific Salmon Commission further increased its prediction of this year’s Sockeye salmon run to 34 million fish on Tuesday, up from last week’s estimate of 25 million, creating a bounty for local fishers. Some have called for more fishing to take place, however, Watershed Watch Salmon Society said in a release that more aggressive fishing is “based on myths that salmon not killed today are somehow ‘wasted’ or worse, contribute to overcrowding and collapse.”
Angelo speculated this year’s record run was possibly due to favourable conditions in the Georgia Strait in 2008, which helped the survivability of young salmon flowing through those waters in the late spring and early summer. Last year’s 20-million strong return of pink salmon was likely because of the same reason and could have been a sign of this year’s record Sockeye run, since pink run on a two-year cycle.
He noted, however, that other salmon species remain at risk, including Coho, Chinook, Chum and Steelhead salmon.
“We’re not out of the woods yet in ensuring that salmon are back. If we can get a few good years in a row, then we’d start to see more solid ground in terms of the salmon’s future in B.C.”