Pacific Salmon Resources in Central and North Coast British Columbia
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Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council Pacific Salmon Resources in Central and North Coast British Columbia Prepared by Dr. Brian Riddell February 2004 Pacific Salmon Resources in Central and North Coast British Columbia Brian Riddell Copyright © February 2004 Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. All Rights Reserved. For non-commercial use, you are welcome to copy and distribute this document in whole or in part by any means, including digitally, as long as this copyright/contact page is included with all copies. As well, the content may not be modified, and no reference to the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council may be deleted from the document. Commercial users may use the material as above, as long as access to it by the general public is not restricted in any way, including but not limited to: purchase of print or digital document(s), singly or as part of a collection; the requirement of paid membership; or pay-per-view. For all such commercial use, contact the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council for permission and terms of use. The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be revoked by the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. Note that this document, and the information contained in it, are provided on an "as is" basis. They represent the opinion of the author(s) and include data and conclusions that are based on information available at the time of first publication, and are subject to corrections, updates, and differences or changes in interpretation. The Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council is not responsible for use of this information or its fitness for a particular purpose. For quotes and short excerpts from the material covered under "fair use", we recommend the following citation: Riddell, Brian. 2004. Pacific salmon resources in central and north coast British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. For further information about this document and about the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (PFRCC), contact: Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council 800 Burrard Street, Suite 590 Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 2G7 Telephone 604 775 5621 Fax 604 775 5622 www.fish.bc.ca [email protected] Printed and bound in Canada ISBN 0-9733951-3-3 Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council Conseil pour la conservation des ressources halieutiques du pacifique February 2004 The Hon. Geoff Regan The Hon. John van Dongen Minister of Fisheries & Oceans Minister of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries Government of Canada Government of British Columbia Ottawa Victoria Dear Ministers: The status and prospects of salmon stocks and habitat in the northern and central coastal regions has been an on-going concern of British Columbians, especially in light of changes in monitoring and management of Pacific salmon. Attached to this letter is the background paper entitled Pacific Salmon Resources in Central and North Coast British Columbia. It was authored by Dr. Brian Riddell to inform our Council and the public about current circumstances and trends. Dr. Riddell’s background paper chronicles the serious problems of inadequate information about the salmon stocks in the region, and it helps to inform the current discussion about how wild salmon stocks can be effectively managed in the absence of adequate records, sufficient data or valid scientific evidence in many cases. He makes a compelling case for increasing the level of federal government resources assigned to assessing the wild salmon stocks in order to ensure adequate and timely conservation. The Council is reviewing this background paper for the purpose of issuing an advisory to both levels of government. We believe that the findings contained in this background paper are especially valuable and relevant to future government decisions on salmon assessment. John A. Fraser Chairman 590 - 800 Burrard Street Tel/Tel: 1604) 775-5621 590 - 800 rue Burrard Vancouver. British Columbia Fax/TE1e: 160-1) 775-5622 Vancouver. Colombie-Britannique Canada V6Z 2G7 E-mail: info@ fish.bc.ca Canada V6Z 2G7 Web Site/Site Web: uww.fish.bc.ca Pacific Salmon Resources in Central and North Coast British Columbia February 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..................................................................................................7 Overview of Council Advice............................................................................................................. 7 Summaries by Species....................................................................................................................... 9 Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka).......................................................................................................9 Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) ..................................................................................................10 Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) ..........................................................................................................10 Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch).......................................................................................................11 Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) ..........................................................................................12 RÉSUMÉ .......................................................................................................................14 Saumon du Pacifique : État de la ressource sur les côtes centrale et nord de la Colombie- Britannique ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Survol des recommandations formulées par le Conseil................................................................... 15 Résumé par espèces......................................................................................................................... 16 Saumon rouge (Oncorhynchus nerka)........................................................................................................16 Saumon rose (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) ..................................................................................................17 Saumon Kéta (Oncorhynchus keta) ...........................................................................................................18 Saumon coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch).......................................................................................................19 Saumon Quinnat (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) .........................................................................................20 1.0 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................22 1.1 Report Description..................................................................................................................... 22 1.2 Use of “Uncertainty” in the Text............................................................................................... 25 2.0 SOCKEYE SALMON (ONCORHNYCHUS NERKA)......................................................26 Mature colours of Sockeye salmon ............................................................................................................26 Canfisco’s B.C. Plants and Stations...........................................................................................................27 2.1. Skeena River Sockeye Salmon ................................................................................................. 29 2.1.1 Survival Rate for Babine Sockeye Smolts ........................................................................................32 2.2 Coastal and Nass River Sockeye Populations............................................................................ 36 2.2.1 Meziadin Sockeye Salmon................................................................................................................38 2.2.2 Queen Charlotte Islands....................................................................................................................40 2.2.3 Outer Coastal and Central BC...........................................................................................................40 2.3 Owikeno Lake Sockeye ............................................................................................................. 41 2.4 Long Lake Sockeye ................................................................................................................... 43 2.5 Sockeye Salmon Summary........................................................................................................ 45 2.6 Council Discussion.................................................................................................................... 46 3.0 PINK SALMON (ONCORHNYCHUS GORBUSCHA).....................................................48 Mature male pink salmon...........................................................................................................................48 3.1 Central British Columbia........................................................................................................... 48 3.2 Northern British Columbia ........................................................................................................ 54 3.3 Pink Salmon Summary .............................................................................................................. 59 3.4 Council Discussion...................................................................................................................