It is based on daily announcements from the Department of Fisheries that our fishermen decide where to travel and where to fish. The Nass river fishery is now closed for two weeks and likely for the rest of the season. The Skeena River will not open for at least two weeks. And so our fishermen are left with a tough decision — do they sit around in Prince Rupert for 2 weeks hoping for more northern fish, or do they head south now aiming for area 8 where there is already a chum opening. The trip takes several days and hundreds of dollars in fuel, so once fishermen make this commitment to head south, it is unlikely it will be affordable to head back up north. Otto has decided to head south.
The good news is that transporting sustainable fish from areas 8-10 is simpler as Otto can run to Port Hardy and Shaun can drive there, fish with Otto, clean the fish himself (leaving the heads on!) and drive the fish back down to Vancouver himself for member pick-ups. There is also the chance that Otto will get to travel with Shaun by truck down to Vancouver for a few days to see his grandsons and have a much needed break!
Area 8 has some beautiful chum and pinks, but sockeye will be a by-catch so it is unlikely we will get many more, if any, fresh sockeye. If area 10 opens, we will get another shot at some nice fresh sockeye, but Fisheries’ announcements continue to be vague about area 10 (see below).
So, although we will have frozen, smoked, and canned salmon available for members, we don’t expect a fresh fish pick up for at least a week. We’ll keep you posted as always!
Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans CanadaSubject: FN0611-COMMERCIAL - Salmon: Gill Net - Area 10 Update- July 16, 2013Area 10
Docee Fence count for yesterday (July 15, 2013) was 3,702 sockeye for a total to date of 48,356 sockeye. This morning the count was for an additional 1,247 fish. Although returns past the fence remain fairly strong it continues to show a downward projection of the total run size. There remains enough uncertainty about stock size that no fishing opportunity can be announced. The Department continues to monitor the situation. The next update/announcement will be tomorrow.
