Gary
Cooper, fishing-show maker and all around bon
vivant, is giving a seminar at Pedder Bay on August 24, 2014 at 1PM on how to
catch salmon. Kevin McAughtrie, Manager of Pedder has this to say: “Gary and I are now planning Gary’s second
seminar: a general discussion on fishing the Juan de Fuca Strait. Once again,
we ask for pre-registration at 250-478-1771. The event will be free of charge.”
Pedder
Bay RV Resort and Marina is at 925 Pedder Bay Drive, in Metchosin.
Salmon Regs: Currently the Regs in Area 20, and
19-1 to 19-4 are: two chinook salmon over 45 cm, one of which may be over 67 cm;
four sockeye; and two hatchery coho, and on Sept 1, one coho may be wild. For
updates, see: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/tidal-maree/a-s20-eng.html#sockeye.
In Sidney, Area 19-5: 2 chinook over 62
cm, one of which may be over 67 cm; two coho, one of which may be wild; and
four sockeye. See: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/tidal-maree/a-s19-eng.html.
Fraser
River Sockeye Update, Aug 17: Test gillnet
fishing shows a higher diversion down Johnstone Strait than Juan de Fuca. Two
weeks ago, when I was doing my pink fly thing, a gillnet opening in Johnstone
put gillnetters up and down Johnstone, about 2 miles off shore. Oddly, they
were fishing parallel with shore, rather than perpendicular.
The Johnstone test showed 14% Early
Summer-run, 46% Summer-run and 40% Late-run Fraser sockeye. In the Fraser,
proportions were 44% Early Summers, and 56% Summers. Some 2,077,700 sockeye
have passed the Mission counting fence.
The Fraser discharge declined to 2,781
cubic metres, 25% below the historical average of 3,699 cubic metres. The
Qualark temp is 19.7 degrees C. Sockeye begin dying at 20 degrees C.
I noticed on the news the commercial
sockeye taken in the Fraser looked puffy, mushy and grey, not silver and
healthy. Hopefully they will migrate upstream with a lower pre-spawn mortality than
noted in the DFO Miller Viral Signature research, put on the Cohen Commission record.
It showed as high as 90% of some sub-components died before spawning.
Campbell/Quinsam
pink salmon numbers: I asked David Ewart,
Watershed Enhancement Manager, at the Quinsam Hatchery what number of pinks
would return to the system in 2014 (I having seen record numbers north of
Campbell River). He answered that it should be high: “Well over last year’s 1.0
million. Ocean conditions appear to have gone from 1- or 2-% survival to
probably 10%... Something good happened out there.”
I’ll say. I have never heard of survival
approaching 10%, and nature only needs 1% to equal the run size of two years
previous. We have had a La Nina. Presumably the Aleutian Low Pressure system
blew enough to stir up nutrients from the deep, and probably something else
happened.
I also asked when the spawning
obstructions in the Quinsam were eliminated.
“In 2005, the Quinsam Fish Passage
Project opened a series of cascade blockages that were hindering salmon
migration in the early fall. Although fish could get through these areas
on higher flows, climate change has had an effect in lowering river levels in
recent years in the summer and early fall when Pinks migrate. This was
significantly impacting them by creating high spawning densities in the lower
river and low egg survival to the fry stage.”
The project “opened approximately 20km
of upper river to the next set of falls at the outlet of lower Quinsam
Lake. Pink adults now migrate to this area and spawn in some really good
spawning habitat in the upper river. Combined with recent winters of stable
flows (no floods), and really good ocean survival, the pink population has
exploded. The Quinsam hatchery now only takes a minimum number of eggs to act as
a “bank account” for the river in case conditions turn poor. The hatchery
is still taking eggs to restore other South Coast Pink populations, if and when
required.”
Interesting. The Quinsam pinks comprise
the eggs/fry of about 15 volunteer projects on Georgia Strait that anglers fish
for on beaches from Salmon Point, south of Campbell River, to Nanaimo, and even
in Cowichan Bay, where the first staging spot is Cherry Point and then in the park
near the marina. I suggest you give Salmon Point a try because it has a pub on
the beach. You can angle some ale and when those dorsal fins come by, amble to angle
some fish.
David also sent me a table of returns of
all five species of salmon since the Quinsam opened in 1973. In 2013, for
instance, some 13,000 coho returned; 4,400 chinook;1.035 million pinks; and
25,000 chum. I can send the table your way, if you want it.
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