BULLETIN 20 Marine Sciences De La Mer RESULTS for JULY '75 F£ GEORGIA STRAIT HEAD RECOVERY to Evaluate Our Salmon Hatcheries

Home , Salmon as food

Environment Environnement I* Canada Canada Fisheries and Peches et BULLETIN 20 Marine sciences de la mer RESULTS FOR JULY '75 f£ GEORGIA STRAIT HEAD RECOVERY to evaluate our salmon hatcheries

4fe

fc »!»_•> * •», PHOTO: Hand Hauling Herring Set

SEE PAGE 14 PRIZES WINNER HEAD DEPOT

J.M. WALKER SCHOONER COVE MARINA, NANOOSE BRIAN CLIVE CAMPBELL RIVER SPORT FISHING CENTER N. EDGESON CLAYTON'S FISHING RESORT, CAMPBELL RIVER

ERSKINE LARKIN BIG QUALICUM HATCHERY ROBERT R. BROADDUS DOLPHINS RESORT LTD., CAMPBELL RIVER BEVERLY McCOMIE SALMON POINT RESORT, CAMPBELL RIVER

1090 West Pender Street 1090 rue West Pender Vancouver 1, B.C. Vancouver 1, (C.-B.)

F-3000 (2/73) ** -2-

DISCUSSION OF JULY RESULTS

During the July period the heads of 2,088 adipose marked chinook and coho salmon were turned in. Of these, 1,758 (84%) contained coded-wire tags in the nose; 418 (24%) of the tags were in chinook heads and 1,267 (72%) in coho heads; while for another 73 (4%) of the tagged heads, species, origin and brood year are unknown. Of the 73 unknown tags, 69 could not be located in dissection or were lost before reading and the other 4 were unreadable.

Fishermen turned in over twice as many heads in July as they did in June. Coho tag returns doubled and chinook tag returns almost trebled. The increase reflects a normal rise in sport fishing effort in Georgia Strait during July. Coho tag returns are still only at about half of last year's level while chinook returns are slightly more numerous than last year.

CHINOOK

1970 BROOD

One of the chinook recoveries was a 1970 brood 5 year old from Big Qualicum Hatchery. Not many 1970 brood chinook were tagged, so to learn much about the distribution of 5 year olds we will have to wait for next year's recoveries of 1971 brood chinook.

1971 BROOD

Out of the 418 nose-tagged chinook, 41 (10%) were 4 year olds from the 1971 brood year. Chinook of Canadian origin made up 6 (15%) of those while the other 35 (85%) were from U.S. hatcheries. Almost half of these big chinook were caught on the mainland side between Egmont and Gibsons.

1972 BROOD

The 1972 brood 3 year olds made up 87 (21%) of the tagged chinook heads, 47 (54%) were of Canadian origin and 40 (46%) were of U.S. origin. For fish of Canadian origin the dominant recovery location was Campbell River. Recoveries of U.S. fish were concentrated in the southerly quarter of the Strait, between Nanaimo and Victoria.

1973 BROOD

Tagged 2 year old chinook were much more numerous in the July catch as compared to June. The 289 recoveries made up 69% of chinook tags recovered in July; 271 (94%) were of Canadian origin; and 18 (6%) were of U.S. origin.

To date, the Capilano Hatchery has produced the greatest number of 1973 brood tag recoveries. Over. 100 Capilano two year olds were turned in during July, more than half of which were caught between Howe Sound and Jervis Inlet. A few Capilano 2 year olds were mixed in with the Big Qualicum and Puntledge chinook captured between Qualicum Beach and Campbell River.

April to July distributions for 2, 3, and 4 year old chinook suggest that immature chinooks made a slightly longer migration up coast each year of their lives. For instance, most of the 1973 brood chinook, which have spent just over one year in salt water, were recovered less that 50 miles up the Strait (northwestward) from their home streams. U. S. 1973 brood chinook were restricted to the extreme southern portions of the Strait. Canadian fish one year older (1972 brood) were concentrated -3- at the upper (northern) end of Georgia Strait, indicating that many were probably outside the Georgia Strait Head Recovery's northern boundary. U.S. 1972 brood chinook were most numerous in the southern and eastern half of the Strait. The 4 year old Canadian fish (1971 brood) appear to have disappeared completely over the northern edge of Georgia Strait area, while the main concentration of U.S. 4 year olds has moved up to the middle of the Strait. This northward shift with increasing age was also observed for Columbia River fall chinook stocks during U.S. fin-mark studies in the early 1960's.

COHO

1971 BROOD

Six more 1971 brood coho were turned in during July. This amounts to only 1% of the July coho recoveries, but it makes us wonder if 4 year old coho are as rare as we once thought.

1972 BROOD

This year's adult coho, 1972 brood 3 year olds, accounted for 98% of the tagged coho heads with 1,244 turned in during July. Canadian fish comprised 1,218 (98%) of these while 26 (2%) originated from U.S. hatcheries.

Big Qualicum alone supplied 878 (over 70%) of these recoveries. Fishermen found Big Qualicum coho throughout the western half of the Strait of Georgia, roughly from Lasqueti Island to Campbell River.

Capilano coho, an early running stock, contributed primarily to the July sports fishery between Pender Harbour and the Capilano River in North Vancouver. In comparison, a later running coho stock from the Squamish system were still spread out between Gibsons and Campbell River, on both sides of the Strait.

1973 BROOD

There were also returns of 17 tagged coho of the 1973 brood year (1% of the tagged coho turned in during June); Canadian tagging sources accounted for 15 while 1 originated in a U. S. hatchery.

Gerry Harris, Technician Georgia Strait Division

A.I.A>..I3Q.„

». Ar.aieG.n

•_ AfM 14 0.n o 1 -Ana niG.n CAMPBELL RIVER LJ- I.iru140.n •- »'..ISG.n

^-"-l . »>..!40.n 1 . Aia.iiG.n

.POWELL RIVER

0 IB •-•

«tf QUALICUM BEACH .VANCOUVER

RECOVERIES OFNOSETAGGED SALMON IN THE V STRAIT OP GEORGIA ( CATCH PERIOD JULY 1975 BROOD YEAR 1972 SPECIES COHO

ORIGIN OF FISH: Saltiprii Vfe Island Bg QualicumA o RosewcM «Q Qiinsarn# Squamish"# Capilanoc] U-SA-O

VICTORIA

SUMMARY OF TAGS RETURNED DURING JULY 1975

ORIGIN OF FISH PURPOSE OF TAGGING NO. TAGS NO. TAGS WEIGHTED TAG TOTAL RELEASED*** RECOVERED RECOVERIES* TO DATE**

1970 BROOD CHINOOK EVALUATION OF:

WH/BL/GN/BL BIG QUALICUM RIVER HATCHERY REARED FALL CHINOOK 15,261

TOTALS 15,261

1971 BROOD CHINOOK EVALUATION OF:

WH/BL/BR/BL BIG QUALICUM RIVER HATCHERY REARED FALL CHINOOK 145,858 3 3 686

1 139 3/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER HATCHERY REARED FALL CHINOOK 138,216 1

2 7 25 2/2/1 HARRISON RIVER HARRISON FALL CHINOOK REARED AT CAPILANO HATCHERY 42,257

5 183 5/15/13 NOOKSACK RIVER FALL CHINOOK (JULY 72 RELEASE) 31,361 23

19 3/15/14 NOOKSACK RIVER FALL CHINOOK (SEPT. 72 RELEASE) 27,501 2 11

217 1/15/8 NOOKSACK RIVER FALL CHINOOK (APRIL 73 RELEASE) 18,092 7 56

1/15/13 NOOKSACK RIVER FALL CHINOOK (JUNE 73 RELEASE) 52,113 5 14 386

2 8 18-1 5/15/0 SAMISH HATCHERY GREEN RIVER X CLARK CREEK FALL CHINOOK HYBRIDS 37,100

11 55 1/15/1 SKAGIT RIVER SPRING CHINOOK (MAY 73 RELEASE) 13,266

3 3/15/5 SKAGIT RIVER FALL CHINOOK (JULY 72 RELEASE) 50,000 3

3/15/7 SKAGIT RIVER FALL CHINOOK (AUGUST 72 RELEASE) 47,549 3 9

1/15/2 SKAGIT RIVER FALL CHINOOK (DECEMBER 72 RELEASE) 18,882 12

2 0 1/15/5 SKAGIT RIVER FALL CHINOOK (DECEMBER 72 RELEASE) 18,882

10 52 0/15/15 SKAGIT RIVER FALL CHINOOK (MAY 73 RELEASE) 14,556

13 2/15/9 ISSAQUAH CREEK FALL CHINOOK 20,959 7

38 7/15/15 DUNGENESS RIVER EXTENDED REARED FALL CHINOOK (APRIL 73 RELEASE) 37,513 •1

760,043 41

1972 BROOD CHINOOK EVALUATION OF:

WH/BL/LG/RD BIG QUALICUM RIVER EARLY REALEASE FALL CHINOOK (JUNE 20, 1973 RELEASE) 37,773 2 11 69

WH/BL/LG/YE BIG QUALICUM RIVER NORMAL RELEASE FALL CHINOOK (JULY 4, 1973 RELEASE) 37,125 5 36 117 29 27 WH/BL/LG/BL BIG QUALICUM RIVER ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TO ATTRACT NATURAL FOOD 18,597 2

39 WH/BL/PU BIG QUALICUM RIVER WILD (RIVER) FALL CHINOOK 12,580 1 21 27 WH/BL/OG/LG BIG QUALICUM RIVER SPECIAL DIET CHINOOK 7,151 5 186

WH/BL/LG/OG BIG QUALICUM RIVER SPECIAL DIET CHINOOK 7,104 1 38 26

2 20 7 5/2/1 ROBERTSON CREEK FALL CHINOOK 26,872

7 6 8/2/1 ROBERTSON CREEK SPECIAL DIET SPROAT RIVER STOCK REARED AT ROIERTSON CREEK 40,060 1

57 175 4/2/1 PUNTLEDGE RIVER SUMMER CHONOOK 46,753 10

18 59 350 7/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER FALL CHINOOK 80,945

7 60 49 2/1/2 SKAGIT RIVER SPRING CHINOOK 31,024 2 5 26 8/15/7 SAMISH HATCHERY FALL CHINOOK (MAY 73 RELEASE) 99,440

13/15/5 TULALIP PONDS FALL CHINOOK 25,000 2 21 9

•19 19 8/15/15 SKYKOMISH RIVER SPRING CHINOOK (APRIL 74 RELEASE IN SKYKOMISH RIVER) 32,352 6

2 10 3/1/7 ELIOT BAY PEN REARED FALL CHINOOK 4,813 111

12 10/15/15 GORST CREEK SPRING X FALL CHINOOK HYBRIDS 100,958 2 5

5 10/15/10 GREEN RIVER FALL CHINOOK RELEASED IN FRIDAY CREEK 48,790 1

2 15 6/15/4 DESCHUTES RIVER FALL CHINOOK RELEASED IN CAPITOL LAKE 35,535

15/15/12 DESCHUTES RIVER SPRING X FALL CHINOOK HYBRIDS 17,917 1 15 SUMMARY OF TAGS RETURNED DURING JULY 1975

ORIGIN OF FISH PURPOSE OF TAGGING NO. TAGS NO. TAGS WEIGHTED TAG TOTAL RELEASED*** RECOVERED RECOVERIES* TO DATE**

1972 BROOD CHINOOK (CONT.) EVALUATION OF:

14/15/4 MINTER CREEK EXTENDED REARED FALL CHINOOK (SEPT. 73 RELEASE) 35,535 1 8 3

8/15/12 GEORGE ADAMS HATCHERY FALL CHINOOK (MAY 73 RELEASE) 103,250 1 3 2

9/15/4 HOODSPORT HATCHERY SPRING CHINOOK (MARCH 74 RELEASE) 28,946 2 18 21

9/15/5 HOODSPORT HATCHERY SPRING CHINOOK (MARCH 74 RELEASE) 19,024 1 14 9

9/15/6 HOODSPORT HATCHERY FALL CHINOOK (MARCH 74 RELEASE) 28,946 3 2 8 22

12/15/8 QUILCENE RIVER FALL CHINOOK 101,022 1 3 3

14/15/4 SOLEDUCK RIVER SPRING X FALL CHINOOK HYBRID 6,111 1 44 1

13/15/2 SIMPSON RIVER FALL CHINOOK RELEASED IN STEVENS CREEK 104,933 1 3 3

12/15/3 LOWER KALAMA FALLS FALL CHINOOK (JUNE 73 RELEASE) 100,445 1 2 1

1/5/1 SPRING CREEK FALL CHINOOK (APRIL 73 RELEASE) 266,599 1 1 17

3/5/1 SPRING CREEK FALL CHINOOK (MAY 73 RELEASE) 260,701 2 1 4

1,786,301 87 1,070

1973 BROOD CHINOOK EVALUATION OF:

WH/BL/OY/GN NANA IMO RIVER FALL CHINOOK REARED IN BIG QUALICUM & RELEASED IN NANAIMO RIVER 10,098 30 304 36

WH/BL/RD BIG QUALICUM RIVER EARLY RELEASE FALL CHINOOK (JUNE 13, 1974 RELEASE) 19,499 31 163 47

'•'" "" '"r, 'r» nir. niiAi irm« nrvm NORMAL PPTj?Aap fa? I rHTMnnn iMiivf 97 1Q74 rft.fasfi 17 057 9 54 16

11/2/2 BIG QUALICUM RIVER LATE RELEASE FALL CHINOOK (JULY 9, 1974 RELEASE) 19,314 6 32 8

WH/BL/CY BIG QUALICUM RIVER WILD (RIVER) FALL CHINOOK 9,697 8 84 10

WH/BL/RD/GN BIG QUALICUM RIVER ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TO ATTRACT NATURAL FOOD 20,111 10 51 12

3/2/2 PUNTLEDGE RIVER FALL CHINOOK 39,652 51 132 60

12/2/2 PUNTLEDGE RIVER EXTENDED REARED SUMMER CHINOOK (MAY 75 RELEASE) 13,600 2 2 166 2 2

15/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER FALL CHINOOK 100,503 104 106 137

1/11/3 UNIV. OF WASH. HATCHERY HYBRIDS OF DIFFERENT AGE CHINOOK 20,090 7 36 8

1/11/5 UNIV. OF WASH. HATCHERY HYBRIDS OF DIFFERENT AGE CHINOOK 18,727 3 16 3

1/11/6 UNIV. OF WASH. HATCHERY HYBRIDS OF DIFFERENT AGE CHINOOK 19,970 1 5 2

1/11/7 UNIV. OF WASH. HATCHERY HYBRIDS OF DIFFERENT AGE CHINOOK 19,586 1 5 1

1/11/8 UNIV. OF WASH. HATCHERY HYBRIDS OF DIFFERENT AGE CHINOOK 19,842 1 5 1

13/15/12 GREEN RIVER FALL CHINOOK 103,343 1 1 1

13/15/13 GREEN RIVER FALL CHINOOK 99,386 3 3 4

11/1/11 PERCIVAL COVE EXTENDED REARED FALL CHINOOK (MARCH 75 RELEASE) 15,630 1 7 I

564,105 289 1,170

1971 BROOD COHO EVALUATION OF:

WH/BL/LB/BL BIG QUALICUM RIVER EARLY RELEASE COHO (MAY 11, 1973 RELEASE) 31,585 1 3 1,159

WH/BL/WH BIG QUALICUM RIVER NORMAL RELEASE COHO (MAY 25, 1973 RELEASE) 36,156 1 3 1,463

6/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER HATCHERY COHO 97,030 4 4 4,367

TOTALS 164,771 SUMMARY OF TAGS RETURNED DURING JULY 1975

ORIGIN OF FISH PURPOSE OF TAGGING NO. TAGS NO. TAGS WEIGHTED TAG TOTAL RELEASED*' RECOVERED RECOVERIES* TO DATE*

1972 BROOD COHO EVALUATION OF:

10/2/1 BIG QUALICUM RIVER EARLY EALEASE COHO (MAY 10, 1974 RELEASE) 31,185 157 an 335

1/2/2 BIG QUALICUM RIVER NORMAL RELEASE COHO (MAY 23, 1974 RELEASE) 35,474 :i77 444 774

2/2/2 BIG QUALICUM RIVER LATE RELEASE COHO (JUNE 6, 1974 RELEASE) 34,683 303 364 678

4/2/2 BIG QUALICUM RIVER ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TO ATTRACT NATURAL FOOD 11,494 71 2 58 189

WH/BL/BL BIG QUALICUM RIVER WILD (RIVER) COHO 591 1 71

1/8/10 ROSEWALL CREEK ROBERTSON CREEK STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 3,085 38 515

1/8/11 ROSEWALL CREEK ROBERTSON CREEK STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 3,963 SO 528

1/8/12 ROSEWALL CREEK ROBERTSON CREEK STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 3,718 56 630

1/8/13 ROSEWALL CREEK ROBERTSON CREEK STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 11,199 4 15 6

1/8/14 ROSEWALL CREEK BIG QUALICUM STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 241 6 1,041 11

13 1/8/15 ROSEWALL CREEK BIG QUALICUM STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 1,122 20 745

2/8/1 ROSEWALL CREEK BIG QUALICUM STOCK - CONTROL GROUP FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH EXPERIMENT 1,030 6 211 9

288 24 1/2/3 QUINSAM RIVER WILD (RIVER) COHO 2,384 13

1/2/5 LITTLE STAWAMUS CREEK WILD (RIVER) COHO IN SQUAMISH RIVER SYSTEM 7,025 15 B9 25

136 38 2/2/5 MEIGHN CREEK WILD (RIVER) COHO IN SQUAMISH RIVER SYSTEM 5,837 19

226 42 3/2/5 TENDERFOOT CREEK WILD (RIVER) COHO IN SQUAMISH RIVER SYSTEM 4,987 27

2 5 33 12/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER NORMAL FEEDING OF COHO 16,434 10

55 13/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER PARTIAL FEEDING OF CHOH DURING WINTER 16,603 22

58 14/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER NON-FEEDING OF COHO DURING WINTER 16,634 2 3

1 5 1/2/1 CAPILANO RIVER EXTENDED REARED COHO RELEASED IN INDIAN ARM 8,500

2/1/3 SKAGIT RIVER HATCHERY COHO 31,923 4

15/15/4 SKAGIT RIVER HATCHERY COHO 41,022 7

29,871 •1 2/1/1 ISSAQUAH CREEK COHO (LARGE SIZE)

1/1/15 PUYALLUP RIVER HATCHERY COHO (MAY 74 RELEASE) 30,205 1

4/1/4 PUYALLUP RIVER LATE RELEASE COHO (JULY 74 RELEASE) 20,400 1

4/1/8 LITTLE CLAM BAY VACCINES FOR VIBRIO DISEASE 9,152 1

4/1/10 LITTLE CLAM BAY VACCINES FOR VIBRIO DISEASE 9,122 2

9,207 1 4/1A1 LITTLE CLAM BAY VACCINES FOR VIBRIO DISEASE

4/1/13 LITTLE CLAM BAY VACCINES FOR VIBRIO DISEASE 9,020 3

15/15/1 TOUTLE HATCHERY HATCHERY COHO (MAY 74 RELEASE) 41,820 1

1/1/5 TOUTLE HATCHERY HATCHERY COHO (JUNE 74 RELEASE) 31,068 1

478,999 1,244 5,944 2,601

1973 BROOD COHO EVALUATION OF:

9/2/2 BIG QUALICUM RIVER NORMAL RELEASE COHO (MAY 23, 1975) 59,999

1/8/1 ROSEWALL CREEK BIG QUALICUM STOCK - WARM WATER TO SPEED GROWTH (JUNE 74 RELEASE) 1,655 1,604 1/8/5 ROSEWALL CREEK ROBERTSON CREEK STOCK - WARM WATER TO SPEED GROWTH (JUNE 74 RELEASE)

129 1/8/7 ROSEWALL CREEK ROBERTSON CREEK STOCK - WARM WATER TO SPEED GROWTH (JUNE 74 RELEASE) 2,334 29 5/8/15 ROSEWALL CREEK BASIC SIZE GROUP 3 - LENGTH MORE THAN 127ram (JUNE 75 RELEASE) 2,083

13/1/1 SKAGIT RIVER DOGFISH MEAL IN DIET 30,798

1/11/10 UNIV. OF WASH. HATCHERY SELECTIVE BREEDING OF PUGET SOUND TYPE AND OCEAN TYPE COHO 13,941

112,414

WH/BL/?

WH/BL/BR/7

PIN UNREADABLE

WEIGHTED TAG RECOVERIES ARE CORRECTED FOR DIFFERENCES IN NUMBER OF FISH'RELEASED SO THAT THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION MAY BE SEEN. FOUR RECOVERIES FROM A RELEASE OF 10,000 FISH FOR EXAMPLE IS A GREATER RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION THAN FOUR RECOVERIES FROM A RELEASE OF 100,000 FISH.

OTHER GROUPS WHICH HAVE SHOWN IN THE PAST BUT NOT IN THE PERIOD ARE NOT TOTALLED HERE.

THE NUMBER OF TAGS RELEASED MAY HAVE CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS BULLETINS, AS WE NOW HAVE REVISED FIGURES. -12- -13-

*Hay AW., you sure this is the right way to smoke a salmon?!

A REQUEST

Any sports fisherman in Georgia Strait who would care to help us even more than simply by turning in heads may be interested in keeping catch records for us. We have a log book and instructions for fishermen to keep their catch records in. We ask that they keep a tally of number of coho and chinook caught without marks and with marks. These records are sent in at the end of the month. We take this information for our analysis and return the records.

If any fisherman who fishes with some intensity who would be willing to keep these records for us on a regular and serious basis would write me, I will send on a book and instructions. This information will give us a mark to unmarked ratio which we need to determine absolute numbers of marked fish in the Gulf, and the amount of effort put out to catch marks.

Please write: Gerry Harris Department of the Environment Fisheries Service 1090 West Pender Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2P1 -14- * HERRING NOTES - PART III

The Herring Fishery in the Strait of Georgia

Many fishermen are opposed to the herring roe fishery in the Strait of Georgia. They believe that herring stocks are depleted and that the roe fishery is worsening the situation. Many are particularly concerned for the resident or "homestead" herring stocks. Having observed that, in the Strait of Georgia, herring is the major food of chinook salmon, sports fishermen reason that commercial herring fishing will deprive chinook of food and so ultimately harm chinook fishing. These fears are understandable but they are largely contradicted by biological data. A strong case can be presented for the present roe fishery.

Chinook Catch Statistics

It has been advanced in a previous (in Bulletin 16) article that herring abundance appears to have little direct relationship with Strait of Georgia chinook catch. Since 1952, accurate records have been kept of the commercial troll catch of chinook salmon in the Strait of Georgia; and sport catch records cover the period since 1960. So chinook catch data can b€- compared to the records of herring abundance between 1952 and the present. (See Figure 1). (1) This data shows no clear releationship between herring population or spawn and the sport or troll catch of chinook, so herring abundance must be seen as only one of many factors that combine to determine the availability of chinook in the Strait of Georgia. As discussed in Bulletin 16 chinook are opportunistic feeders, they eat whatever, within a certain size range, is most abundant. In years of low herring abundance chinook can be expected to eat an increased amount of olher foods.

Commercial Herring Fishing 1877 - 1968

Commercial herring fishing in the Strait of Georgia dates back to 1877. By 1905, we were exporting a dry-salted product to Chinese markets. Demand for it increased until the mid-twenties, then declined during the thirties. Over the next thirty years a reduction fishery developed for the production of herring meal and oil.

During the reduction era, purse seiners of the B.C. herring fleet netted about 200,000 tons annually in a summer, fall and winter fishery. A large proportion of the tonnage was taken from the Strait of Georgia where in the 31 year period, 1937-1967, the herring catch averaged 50,000 tons per year. The peak year in the Strait of Georgia was 1964, when the seine fleet took 85,000 tons. The low year was 1953, with a catch of 8,000 tons.

Though the size of yearly herring catches fluctuated somewhat, the occasional low catches basically reflected poor market conditions and/or management-union disputes. Some fluctuation also resulted from natural changes in the abundance of herring. As the average yearly catch slowly increased, herring stocks continued to thrive; and gradually a belief developed that seine boats could not overfish herring. The gear did not seen efficient enough to outpace the tremendous reproductive capacity of the herring.

But after World War II, boat owners began to apply modern technology to herring fishing. Radar allowed 24-hour fishing; radios helped co-ordinate fishing efforts; echo sounders located herring concentrations. Then, in the 1950's, nylon nets appeared and powered net-hauling equipment. No longer did fishermen laboriously hand-haul acres of heavy tarred twine. They could use larger nets and complete more sets per day. Finally, in the 1960's, the mercury vapour lamp was introduced. Used at night, these lights attracted concentrations of herring that might otherwise have been so dispersed as to make fishing uneconomical. Thus, the lights thwarted a natural control on over-fishing. -15-

Figure 1. Comparison of Herring Catch, Spawn Milage, and Estimated Adult Herring Population from 1937 to 1974, with Commercial Troll Catch of Chinook Salmon from 3952 to 1974 and Sport Catch of Chinook Salmon from 1960 to 1974, for Statistical areas 13 through 18, 28 and 29.

HERRING CHINOOK CATCH SPAWN ESTIMATED COMMERCIAL SPORT* (in thousands (in miles) TOTAL ADULT TROLL CATCH CATCH YEAR of tons) POPULATION (in thousands (In thousands (in thousands of fish) of fish) of tons)

1937 25 47 68

1938 25 38 60

1939 26 67 88

1940 44 55 95

1941 38 74 105

1942 57 58 110

1943 55 58 108

1944 48 22 68

1945 44 23 66

1946 46 46 88

1947 45 50 90

1948 52 35 84

1949 54 59 108

1950 55 52 103

1951 53 57 106

1952 51 70 116 78

1953 8 139 136 119

1954 72 95 159 90

1955 76 56 129 72

1956 78 31 107 100

1957 62 42 100 138

1958 27 24 50 194

1959 54 53 102 139

1960 57 68 119 97 29

1961 41 58 95 112 23

1962 72 49 117 113 35

1963 77 62 134 112 35

1964 85 62 142 86 19

1965 60 40 97 89 26

1966 38 17 54 101 50

1967 38 26 61 128 40

1968 1 24 24 85 51

1969 1 43 40 98 45

1970 1 72 67 128 59

1971 1 98 91 121 67

1972 6 61 62 222 86

1973 4 64 63 148 67

1974 8 94 95 169 70

1975 6 109 106 - -

* Spring grilse not included. -16-

The seine fleet of 1940, or even of 1950, may not have posed a threat to Strait of Georgia herring populations, but that of the 1960's was many times more efficient. During the winter of 1963-64, the Strait of Georgia herring catch hit its all time high of 85,000 tons. The decline that followed was at first thought to be only a normal fluctuation, but by 1967-68, an extreme scarcity of herring made it clear that the B.C. stocks were at dangerously low levels. The B.C. reduction fishery was closed so that the herring stocks could recover.

After the closure, Strait of Georgia herring spawning populations increased rapidly. By 1970, spawning (measured in miles of spawn deposited at a standard with and thickness) was already above the average for the 25 year period of 1940-1964. Spawn deposition has since risen to extremeLy high levels during the last three years.

Though herring stocks appear to have quickly recovered, the herring fishery will probably never reacn former levels. It is now recognized that, marvellously prolific as the herring may be, existent fishing technology could eradicate herring populations. Awareness of this capability has permanently altered herring management strategy.

Brailing 200 Ton Set of Herring H.V. Cape Caution & M.V. Kaisun Prince Rupert Harbour Feb. 1940

Photos courtesy of The Canadian" Fishing Co. Ltd. JUVEWiLE HERRING Courtesy - R. Bov.l

The Roe Fishery

When it became clear in 1970 that the herring stocks were building up rapidly, planning began for a different kind of fishery. In 1971 a small scale herring roe fishery commenced. Gillnets and seines captured mature herring during February, March and April, just before spawning. Roe from females was salted and shipped to Japan where it is greatly valued as food. The female carcasses and the males were reduced to meal and oil. This experimental fishery and the subsequent commercial fishery have shown that the roe fishery has numerous advantages over the reduction fishery.

In the roe fishery, the greatest value of the catch is as a human food. Processors continue to produce fish meal, but as a by-product. Many processors have installed machinery to cut fillets from the roe herring and some are seeking markets for the milts from the males.

Roe herring sells for many times the price of reduction herring. In 1972, the first year of an extensive roe fishery, the British Columbia herring catch of less than 45,000 tons had a wholesale value approaching $13 million. By contrast, the value of the B.C. reduction fishery was never greater than $12 million for catches of up to 265,000 tons. Wholesale value of the Strait of Georgia roe herring catch now exceeds $3 million annually.

Catch sampling has shown that the roe fishery takes very few salmon. The reduction fleet which fished primarily on migrating and feeding schools of herring, sometimes had problems with a high incidental catch of both juvenile and adult salmon. In today's roe fishery, salmon are not caught; mature spawning herring and salmon do not frequent the same locations.

The roe fishery methods select herring of age III (third year of life) and older; the younger, sexually immature herring seldom concentrate in the shallow bays with mature herring at spawning time. In comparison, during the last years of the reduction fishery, immature herring - excellent food potential for chinook salmon - often made up a large part of the catch.

Also, the roe fishery draws primarily from the large migratory populations rather than from the small resident populations. The season for roe is so brief that only areas of heaviest spawning provide profitable fishing. Resident fish such as those in Jervis Inlet usually spawn in too sparse numbers to establish a

roe fishery. Consequently, only such areas as Saltspring Island, Nanoose, Nanaimo, Baynes Sound and other spawning grounds of the migratory Lower East Coast and Middle East Coast spawning populations are fished by roe fishermen.

Over the past four years of successful roe herring fishing, spawn mileage deposited in the Strait of Georgia has continued to increase. This closely managed fishery has hastened the rebuilding of stocks by taking less than 15% of the spawners, In contrast, the reduction fishery often harvested over 50% (even as high as 85%) of the total adult population. Now, natural factors such as egg and larval mortality - instead of the fishery - determine the strength of spawning populations. -18- OCT - 71975

iTATION

,. C. Food and Bait Herring

Since reduction fishing closed in 1968. interest in the food and bait fishery has increased. This fishery presents some difficult management problems. First, food and bait fishing is a year-round operalion; but during the summer months virtually the only herring in the Strait of Georgia (other than newly hatched age I fish) are the "resident" herring. Second, 1he bait fishery requires smaller herring such as those of the resident population. Thus, the bait fishery depends largely on resident herring. Because these populations are not large and are not completely understood, the management strategy is to keep the food and bait fishery small until further investigations are carried out. Annual food and bait catch in the Strait of Georgia over the last four years has averaged less than 2,000 tons.

Summary

It is extremely unlikely that present herring fisheries in the Strait of Georgia are detrimental to chinook salmon abundance or availability. In addition to indications that chinook are less dependent on herring than most people believe, there is evidence that the present herring fisheries capture very few salmon. Furthermore, the herring taken by the present fisheries detracts little from the supply of herring available to chinook salmon as food because: the size of the herring catch is more closely controlled than in previous decades; the roe fishery takes predominantly older mature herring that would normally migrate out of the Strait of Georgia; it does not draw on resident herring; the food and bait fishery which does take residents and juveniles is still very minor in terms of tonnage harvested; and herring spawn mileage in the Strait continues to increase and has reached extremely high levels during the roe fishery years. In summary, under the present combination of a closely controlled roe fishery and a small food and bait fishery, Strait of Georgia herring are thriving.

Funds permitting, the Department of Environment intends to step up investigations into herring populations in the Strait of Georgia, particularly into "resident" stocks. In the meantime the Department will continue to pursue a very conservative herring fishery management policy, while giving full recognition to the importance of the resource to commercial and recreational fishermen and^to-^tne Indian people.

Gerry Harris, Technician A.W. Argue, Biologist Georgia Strait Division