'just open it up': b.c. fishing industry calls for more access to fraser river sockeye surge
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commercial fishermen neil kershaw, right, and mick ries on the fraser river as a major and unexpected surge of sockeye salmon has the department of fisheries and oceans opening access that many say is too limited for the amount of fish that is available.
paul kershaw
neil kershaw was out on the fraser river this week where a major surge in returning sockeye salmon has fishers, retailers, guides, conservation and advocates marvelling at the renewal of opportunity.
but kershaw and others are miffed that they are not being allowed to harvest more of the many millions of unexpected sockeye.
“we only have a 235 piece quota,” said kershaw, describing the number of sockeye salmon each commercial licence holder can catch in total.
the last time the fraser river was open to a commercial fishery like this was six years ago. back then, there may have been 300 commercial fishing boats on the water, but after years of dwindling sockeye numbers, there are only about 40 of them on the water now, he said.
for each to catch just 235 sockeye is a level of restraint that seems absurd, considering the run was initially predicted to be around 2.7 million sockeye and is now tracking to hit well over 10 million, said kershaw, whose family has been in the commercial fishing business for decades.
“most people met their quota just by putting your net out and pulling it back in. we should be getting somewhere in the realm of 3,000 fish on the small end as far as how the fishing is out here.”
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the joint canada-u.s. pacific salmon commission is predicting a sockeye run on the fraser of 9.6 million fish, which would make it the biggest return since 2018.
the federal department of fisheries and oceans canada has been opening more fraser river fisheries in recent days, but kershaw and others say there needs to be greater transparency on how the department is making its decisions.
for now, it appears unlikely there will be a green light for more fishing in a way that is relative to the booming number of sockeye.
“it doesn’t look like there will be much more in the way of fishing opportunities, given the fraser (river) panel meeting,” said christina burridge, executive director of the b.c. seafood alliance, which represents the province’s wild fishing sector.
she explained that the pacific salmon commission’s panel, which meets weekly, has made slight increases in allowances, but nothing that reflects what is happening on the water.
“we are essentially being managed to a model where the returns were expected to be about five times less than they’ve actually turned out to be.”
prices for sockeye are determined by what retailers think consumers will pay and they are unlikely to drop much, she said.
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right now, harvesters are “charging $3.75 per pound for whole, guts in, head on, out-of-water fish. there are strong market prices for wild sockeye and demand far exceeds supply,” said nick heras, who collaborates with a network of fishers to supply 7 seas, a richmond-based seafood distributor and processor with a retail location.
it’s a premium fish with high oil content, appealing colour, taste and proximity from catch to consumer, he said.
the biggest takeaway for heras is that the strong return is happening in a year that isn’t supposed to be a boom one, based on a four-year cycle. perhaps it’s an early sign that sockeye numbers can return to a more consistent baseline after years of being much lower.
sockeye salmon counts are carried out in the fraser over four runs known as “early stuart,” referring to sockeye that spawn in the stuart river tributary, “early summer,” “summer” and “late.”
the summer run is the most abundant, but the panel is concerned there is uncertainty over the size of the late run, said burridge. she agreed there is some risk of a smaller late run, but there is a much greater risk of salmon overcrowding and disease while spawning, which would lead to a much smaller run four years from now.
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“the problem is that we have kept thousands of residents off the water (from fishing) with no supporting rationale,” said b.c. wildlife federation executive director jesse zeman.
in a statement, the department of fisheries and oceans said while sockeye salmon abundance provides greater fishing opportunities, the return of late-run fraser river sockeye includes several weak stocks — sub-runs that go to specific fraser tributaries — and so it has had to set limits on the catch of late-run sockeye “to support the conservation of those weak stocks.”
while the bumper return is opening some rare opportunities for sport or recreational businesses to access fraser sockeye, they are also muted by comparison.
on tuesday, a stretch of the fraser river opened to recreational fishing for sockeye for 11 days from friday until sept. 1.
anglers can keep two sockeye a day from a non-tidal stretch of the river from the mission bridge upstream to hope. the last time there was a recreational sockeye opening on the fraser river was in september, 2022.
fishing guide dean werk said the opening is something to be celebrated even if he wishes the window to fish was longer and businesses got more notice.
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it will be an economic boost for communities along the river and its tributaries including chilliwack, hope and mission, he said.
“you are going to see an influx of people come into these communities and buy up many things, whether it be gas, whether it be a coffee, whether it be a subway (sandwich), whether it be fishing tackle,” he said.
but he said the dfo decision should have allowed fishing sooner and increased the bag limit to four fish per person. the short notice meant there was not enough time to prepare and advertise the rare opportunity to interested anglers.
brian mack, who runs silversides fishing adventures, is frustrated for the same reasons.
meanwhile, there are some boats “that are sinking there’s so many fish,” he said. “it’s off the charts stupid management that is very ineffective and the bottom line is that there is a lot of waste. there’s no shortage. just open it up. sport fishing is for money and food.”
with files from the canadian press
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