With news on record returns for sockeye, followed by conflicting stories about dwindling sockeye runs, it’s no surprise if folks aren’t sure what to think about this season’s salmon runs in BC!

That’s why we’ve laid it out for you in our 2022 Pacific salmon update. Read more to learn how the season’s going (so far)! 

Sockeye Salmon 

As you’ve probably gathered by this point, it’s been a big sockeye year! Our seafood fishers started off the season strong in Barkley Sound, and then we had three gillnetters (Doug Kostering, and Dean and Danny Macdonald) hit it big in the Skeena River opening in July. Unlike some past years where we’ve had to limit the number of pieces per order, we are stocked for the season on sockeye and won’t be selling out anytime soon! Unfortunately the Fraser River runs aren’t going as well as expected, which you may have read about in this CBC article. That was a blow for fishing families who were counting on that 4-year abundance cycle. But because we were able to get so much sockeye from Barkley Sound and the Skeena River, it won’t have an impact on Skipper Otto members’ sockeye availability.

Chinook 

Doug Kostering and Rick Dietterle started off the chinook season with two scratchy gillnet openings in Barkley Sound on August 21st and 23rd. But a week later, they both had a better go at it and caught us a decent amount of chinook salmon! Les Sam and Willard Marshall also fished this week’s Economic Opportunity opening in the Alberni Inlet. Between the catches of all four harvesters, we now have plenty of chinook salmon for our members!

Chum

As expected, there weren’t any openings for the early-summer mid-coast fishery, where we used to source most of our chum salmon. In 2020 we were able to get some chum salmon from the fall fisheries, but it’s unclear whether those will be plentiful this year. We are not planning to carry much or any chum salmon this year.

Coho and Pink

For the trollers that made the trip north to Haida Gwaii, like Francis van der Sande, this season has gone pretty well. Francis was able to catch a good amount of coho and pink salmon earlier in August. Both coho and pink salmon are a little milder in flavour and have a more delicate texture than sockeye and chinook, so they lend themselves to different cooking options. They’re both delicious and pink salmon comes in at a more affordable price point, too!

This is what it means to eat with the ecosystem; to consume only the salmon that are abundant this season to ensure the success of future salmon populations. As a Skipper Otto member, you’ve made this possible by pre-purchasing a share of the catch and entrusting your fishing families to only catch what the ecosystem provides in abundance. And long-time Skipper Otto members will agree that eating with the ecosystem tastes so much better!

We hope you appreciate this update and enjoy your share of the catch!

If you’re looking buy sustainable seafood online, join Skipper Otto’s membership!