The 1977 Return of Pink Salmon Stocks to the Johnstone Strait Study Area and Prospects For 1979 LIBRARy FISHeR II~:S 24() SP~!\NI) ~ A.D. Anderson, C. N. MacKinrW\htvt\, o~:;.~ ~ Ki~'_ '~~ . ___~ Resourse Services Branch Department of Fisheries and Oceans 1090 West Pender Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2PI October 1979 FisHeries and Marine Services ;fechnical Repelit No. 893 Fisheries and Marine Service Technical Reports These reports contain scientific and technical information that represents an important contribution to existing knowledge but which for some reason may not be appropriate for primary scientific (i .e. Journal) publication. Technical Reports are directed primarily towards a world wide audience and have an international distribution. 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Les numeros 1-456 de cette serie ont ete publies a titre de Rapports techniques de l'Office des recherches sur les pecheries du Canada. Les numeros 457-700, a titre de Rapports techniques de la Direction genera Ie de la recherche et du developpement, Service des peches et de la mer, ministere de l'Environnement. Le nom de la serie a ete modifie a partir du numero 701. La page couverture porte Ie nom de I'etablissement auteur ou I'on peut se procurer les rapports so us couverture carton nee. TIlE 1977 RETURN OF PINK SALMON STOCKS TO TIlE JOHNSTONE STRAIT STUDY AREA AND PROSPECTS FOR 1979 A.D. ANDERSON and C.N. MACKINNON TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 893 FISHERIES AND OCEANS RESOURCE SERVICES BRANCH JUNE 1979 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT i LIST OF TABLES ii LIST OF FIGURES ii INTRODUCTION 1 THE 1977 SEASON REVIEW 3 The Fishery . 3 The Escapement 7 The Stock Size 7 THE 1979 SEASON 10 Pink Salmon Prospects 10 1) Study Area Stocks 10 2) Fraser River Stocks 10 Sockeye Salmon Prospects 12 1) Study Area Stocks 12 2) Fraser River Stocks 12 Timing 13 1) Pink Salmon 13 2) Sockeye Salmon 13 MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS FOR 1979 16 Considerations 16 Proposed Fishing Pattern 17 1) Area 11 17 2) Area 12 18 3) Area 13 19 4) Strait of Georgia 20 Expected Catch 20 PROVISO 20 LITERATURE CITED 22 APPENDICES 23 A. Major regulations and fishing effort by area and week for the 1977 pink and sockeye season. • . • . 23 B. Recorded odd-year pink salmon escapements, in thousands of fish, by stream and sub-area, to the Johnstone Strait Study Area for 1977 ...........•.•..•..... 25 i ABSTRACT Anderson, A.D., and C.N. MacKinnon, 1979. The 1977 Return of Pink Salmon Stocks to the Johnstone Strait Study Area and Prospects for 1979. Fisheries and Oceans Tech. Rept. 893. The 1977 Study Area catch of both Study Area and Fraser River pink salmon totalled 1,887,404. This catch was about 0.2 million less than expected. In addition, 754,266 sockeye were taken, mainly from stocks returning to the Fraser River. The sockeye catch was about 0.15 million more than expected. The 1977 escapement of pink salmon to the Study Area totalled just 282,400 and is the second lowest on recent record. Of ten subareas, Kingcome Inlet was the only subarea that received an optimum escapement. On the basis of such very low Study Area pink salmon brood stock, a run of fishable strength should not be expected in 1979. Although a greater than average marine survival is indicated, the 1979 return of pink salmon via Johnstone Strait is expected to total just 817,800. In adition, the portion of Fraser River pink salmon migrating via Johnstone Strait is expected to total 4.4 million. It is anticipated that the outlined regulatory proposals, based on the projected abundance, will provide catches of ~bout2.1mi11ion pink salmon from both Study Area and Fraser River returns, and 0.18 million sockeye, mainly from the Fraser River returns. Escapement of Study Area pinks is expected to total 630,000. An escapement of this level is well below the desired optimum of 1.7 million and less than the average of 1.0 million. ii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Pink and sockeye salmon catch by gear and area in 1977 4 2 Odd-year pink salmon escapements by sub-areas for 1977 in comparison to optimum 8 3 Catch, escapement, exploitations and ratio of return of Study Area pink salmon ....... 9 4 Projected abundance and allowable harvest for the 1979 pink return . • . 11 5 Expected weekly catches of pink and sockeye in Statistical Areas 12 and 13 for 1979 ................ 21 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 The Johnstone Strait pink salmon study area 2 2 Weekly catches of sockeye and pink salmon by Statistical Area and sub-area in Johnstone Strait in 1979 .... 6 3 Times of passage of pink salmon stocks in upper Johnstone Strait . .. .... .... 14 4 Expected weekly abundance of sockeye and pink salmon entering Queen Charlotte Strait for 1979 .•.... 15 -1- INTRODUCTION The status of the Johnstone Strait study area odd-year pink salmon stocks have been analyzed and reported bi-annually since 1963. This ninth report, a continuation of that series, includes a review of the 1977 catch and escapement, a forecast of the J979 level of abundance, and recommendations for the 1979 Johnstone Strait study area pink and sockeye salmon fishery. In 1959 a major pink salmon investigation, under the direction of the Pink Salmon Co-ordinating Committee appointed by the Governments of Canada and the United States to fulfill the requirements of Article VI of the Pink Salmon Protocol, was carried out along both migration entrances to the region to determine the migration routes, timing, abundance and exploitation of these fish. The findings of that study, published in 1964 as Bulletin XV of the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission, have been used extensively in the preparation of this report. The Johnstone Strait study area consists of the Johnstone Strait region and that portion of the Strait of Georgia lying north of the Convention area (Fig. 1). A number of pink salmon stocks migrate to streams within the Study Area from both the south via Juan de Fuca Strait and from the north via Johnstone Strait. Of the ten sub-area stocks, four stocks destined to streams in the Johnstone Strait region, use the northern approach exclusively. The remaining six stocks, destined to streams tributary to the Strait of Georgia, utilize both routes. In addition to Study Area pink stocks, a su~stantial segment of the Fraser River pink salmon stock migrates through Johnstone Strait. The strength of this stock is a major factor which must be taken into consideration in the over-all management program of the Study Area. At the same time the abundance of other species, particularly sockeye, must also be taken into consideration. - 2- , « I:o UJ E e><:« i;; ~'" z I: o "is..... I- "n;... Z ... UJ CI) Q) > I: Z ...o o I:'" u .z; ...,o Q) .z; ~ - 3 - THE 1977 SEASON REVIEW For 1977, an above average return of 2.9 million pink salmon had been projected for Study Area stocks returning via Johnstone Strait. In addition the portion of Fraser River stocks returning via Johnstone Strait were expected to total 1.3 million pink salmon and 0.9 million sockeye. The proposed regulations were designed to protect the weaker Study Area pink stocks of Upper and Mid Vancouver Island, Jervis Inlet, Toba Inlet, Howe Sound and Burrard Inlet as well as the Nimpkish River sockeye. The regulations, based on projected run sizes and average fleet sizes, were developed to provide cAtches in Johnstone Strait, from more abundant Study Area pink stocks as well as the Fraser River pink and sockeye salmon stocks, of about 2.1 million pink salmon and 0.6 million sockeye. The Fishery The 1977 Study Area catch of both Study Area and Fraser River pink salmon totalled 1,887,404 (Table 1). This catch was about 0.2 million less than expected. As well, 754,266 sockeye were taken, mainly from stocks returning to the Fraser River.