Prepared by FRASER RIVER ACflON PIAN, Fishery Management Group Correct citation for th is publication: Department of Fisheries and Oceans. 1995. Fraser River sockeye salmon. Prep. by Fraser River Action Plan , Fishery Management Group. Vancouver, B.C. 55 p. CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF TABLES AND APPENDICES ................................................................................. .4 SUMMARy ................................................................................................... .. ...................... .... 5 1.0 OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 6 2.0 LIFE HISTORy ................................................................................................................ 7 2. 1 CYCLIC DOMINANCE ......................................................................................... 9 3.0 STOCK DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................ 11 3.1 STUART / TAKLA HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA .................................... 11 Early Stuart Sockeye Stocks .................................................................................. 11 Late Stuart Sockeye Stocks ................................................................................... 12 3.2 NECHAKO HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ........................... ..................... 13 Stellako River Sockeye Stock ............................................................................... 13 Nadina River Sockeye Stocks ............................................................................... 14 3.3 UPPER FRASER RIVER HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA .......................... 14 Bowron River Sockeye Stock ............................................................................... 14 3.4 QUESNEL RIVER HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA .................................... 15 Horsefly River Sockeye Stock .............................................................................. 15 Mitchell Ri ver Sockeye Stock ............................................................................... 15 3.5 CHILCOTIN HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA .................... .......................... 16 Chilko and Taseko Sockeye Stocks ..................................................... .................. 16 3.6 THOMPSON / SHUSWAP HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ........................ 17 Earl y Run Shuswap Lake Sockeye Stocks ............................................................ 17 Late Run Shuswap Lake Sockeye Stocks ............................................................. IS 3.7 NORTH THOMPSON HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ............................... 20 Raft River and Fennel Creek Sockeye Stocks ...................................................... 20 3.S SETON / BRIDGE HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ..................................... 20 Gates Creek Sockeye Stock ................................................................................... 21 Portage Creek Sockeye Stock ............................................................................... 21 3.9 HARRISON HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ............................................... 21 Birkenhead River Sockeye Stock .......................................................................... 22 Weaver Creek Sockeye Stock ................................................................................ 22 Harrison River Mainstem Sockeye Stock ............................................................. 23 3.10 PITT / STAVE HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ............................................ 23 Upper Pitt Lake Sockeye Stocks ........................................................................... 23 3.11 CHILLIWACK/LOWER FRASER HABITAT MANAGEMENT AREA ........... 24 Cultus Lake Sockeye Stock ................................................................................... 24 3.12 STOCK STATUS SUMMARY ............................................................................. 24 1 4.0 SOCKEYE SALMON HARVEST MANAGEMENT ......................................................... 27 4. 1 CURRENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY .............................................................. 27 4.2 ALLOCATION .............................................................................................. ............. 29 Intern ational Allocation .... .............................................. ................................. 29 Domestic Allocation ...................................................... .... .................................. ... .... 29 4.3 STOCK MONITORING ........... ................................................................... ... ............. 30 Run Size Monitoring ... ... .. .. ........................................................................................ .30 Racial Stock Identifi cation ....................................... .............. .. ............ .. ...... 31 Migration Pathways / Timing ..................................................................................... 31 Escapement Monitoring ................ ... ........................................................................... .32 4.4 SOCKEYE MANAGEMENT AND FISHERY CATCHES ............................. .......... 32 North Coast Fishery ........................... ............................................. ............................. 33 WCVl Troll Fishery................ .. ...................................... ............................... 34 Johnstone Strait - Sabine Channel Fishery ................................................................. .34 Juan de Fuca Strait Fishery...................... .. .......................................................... 35 Strait of Georgia Fishery ............................................................................................ 35 Aboriginal Food Fishery ............................................................................................ 36 Sport Fishery .................................................................... .. .... ... ... ....... ........................ .37 U.S. Fishery .................................................. .............................................................. 37 Incidental Catch of Other Stocks and Species ............................................................ 38 5.0 ENHANCEMENT ......................... .... ................................................................................... 38 6.0 ASSESSMENT OF THE PRODUCTION POTENTIAL FOR REBUILDING FRASER RIVER SOCKEYE STOCKS ...................................... .................... .40 6.1 HISTORICAL CATCH REVIEW ............................................................................ ..40 6.2 STOCK RECRUIT ANALYSIS ............... .... .............................................................. .40 6.3 POTENTIAL SPAWNING CAPACITY ANALYSIS ...... .. ....................................... .42 6.4 POTENTIAL LAKE REARING CAPACITY ANALYSIS ...................................... ..42 6.5 SUMMARY OF REBUILDING POTENTIAL ......................................................... .42 7.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................... .............................................................................. .43 8.0 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... .44 2 LIST OF FIGURES I. Four year average of total run size of Fraser River sockeye salmon stocks, 1954 - 1993 ....... 6 2. Sockeye salmon spawning areas in the Fraser Ri ver watershed ............................................... 7 3. Approx imate return migration timing to the lower Fraser River. ............................................. 8 4. Migration routes utilized by Fraser sockeye salmon ................................................................ 9 5. Fraser River Habitat Management Areas ." ................................................................... ... ....... 11 6. Total returns of the Early Stuart sockeye stocks, 1956 - 1989 brood years ........................... 11 7. Escapements and resulting total returns by cycle line for the Early Stuart sockeye stocks, 1957 - 1988 brood years .......................................................................................................... 12 8. Total returns of the late Stuart sockeye stocks, 1956 - 1988 brood years .............................. 13 9. Total returns of the Stellako River sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years ......................... 13 10. Total returns of the late Nadina sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years .............................. 14 I I. Total returns of the Bowron River sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years ........................ 15 12. Total returns of the Horsefly River sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years ....................... 15 13. Total returns and brood escapements of the Mitchell River sockeye stocks [or the 1993 alld 1994 cycle lines .......................................................................................... 16 14. Total returns of the Chi lko River sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years ........................... 16 15. Total returns of the Seymour River sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years ........................ 17 16. Total returns of the Scotch Creek sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood years ........................... 17 17. Total returns of the Lower Adams River sockeye stock, 1956 - 1988 brood