DFO delays opening of salmon season
Posted July 19, 2015 9:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is delaying the opening of salmon season here till the end of the month.
Regional Salmon Resource Manager Jeff Grout says they need to make sure enough sockeye reach the spawning grounds. “We could look at additional closed areas if we have holding salmon that are waiting to migrate upstream that we are looking to protect. We also consider adjustments to harvest amounts for Fraser sockeye in particular we use management adjustments.”
Acting Lower Fraser Area Enforcement Chief Ken Green says that means officers will be cracking down on compliance with fishing closures. “[We are] out on the water doing patrols during the day and at night to detect violations, remove any illegal fishing gear that is in the water and to deter any poaching activity.”
The DFO plans to be cautious, making adjustments to harvest opportunities and numbers on the fly throughout the season. This year’s sockeye salmon median forecast is about 6.9 million fish.
Environmental experts are taking a cautious approach when it comes to opening salmon fishing on the Fraser River this year due to concerns about the impact of the water temperatures and levels on fish survival.
