Monthly archives: September, 2018

Fraser River Sockeye Migration Numbers for 2018

From DFO Fishery Notice FN1062-Salmon, some numbers worth calling out:

The estimated total sockeye salmon escapement past Mission to September
24 is 5,055,200. From the spawning ground report, more location specific numbers:

Location Count
Scotch Creek counting fence, Aug 9 onward 79,300
Eagle River hydroacoustic site, Aug 10 onward 233,325
Nadina Spawning Channel, post-fire impacts 26,515
Stellako River hydroacoustic site, Aug 1 onward – Nadina sockeye 178,085
Gates Creek 1,874
Chilko River hydroacoustic site, Aug 3 onward 576,353
Quesnel River hydroacoustic site, Aug 7 onward 803,232
Stellako River hydroacoustic site, Aug 1 onward – Stellako sockeye 141,340
Birkenhead River hydroacoustic site, Aug 23 onward 12,163
Sweltzer Creek, July 31 onward – Cultus Lake sockeye 30

You can view much more detail on this topic on the website of the Pacific Salmon Commission.

Spawning sockeye. Image courtesy of Government of Canada DFO site.
Spawning sockeye. Image courtesy of Government of Canada DFO site.

Proposed Expansion of Killer Whale “Critical Habitat”

Recent amendments to the Recovery Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada 2018 (proposed)  expand the area to be included as critical habitat. Under the recovery strategy action plan, this area will be subject to measures that respond to perceived threats to killer whale survival. The threat of “Reduced prey availability” identifies “Fishing for Chinook Salmon, Chum Salmon, and other important prey species” and “Other activities that are detrimental to habitat and survival of prey (e.g. fishing for forage fish species)” as activities likely to result in the destruction of critical habitat. The images here are from the above linked document, and show the areas proposed.

Proposed NRKW critical habitat:

Proposed NRKW critical habitat

Proposed SRKW critical habitat:

Proposed SRKW critical habitat

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