Upper Skeena Roundtable Report
The Skeena system has had numerous years of years with low snow pack and as a result of this, and lack of precipitation in the summer we experienced very low flow conditions in most of our rivers (estimated to be 40 year lows). Groundwater tables were lower as well with many long term shallow wells drying up in the summer and fall. The lack of water in late summer fall impacted salmon trying to access the tributaries for spawning. Sockeye, Pink and Coho were the most noticeably affected. Current snow levels are said to be 150% of average and in the Bulkley valley we have over 3’ of snow on the ground and have had since the end of October.
In 2006 Chinook returns to the upper Skeena were slightly improved in a few main tributaries, such as the Kispiox, Kitwanga (5000-5500) and Morice, but dismal in the Bear Sustut, Babine etc. Runs to most streams are still well below optimum escapements and harvest by commercial trollers and commercial sport fishers in NWBC continue to climb. FOC spawner escapement estimates are inconsistent and considered unreliable due to lack of effort and concern. Chinook captured were considered to be larger in body size that the past year for 4 to 6 year old fish, this information was drawn from anglers at large and is analogue information only.
The Toboggan Creek Enhancement Society has received notification from the Pacific Salmon Commission of funding from the Northern Endowment Fund for Chinook enhancement to provide a CWT group from the Morice River. This will in future provide an index on Upper Skeena Chinook for more catch information from Alaskan and north coast fisheries should the effort to recover CWT’s continue.
On that we note we would like to reiterate the concern of northern groups on the reduction and/or elimination of CWTagging for Coho and Chinook from the CEDP and volunteer facilities. While we do recognize the high cost of tagging we question how you will be able to distinguish “wild salmon” from enhanced stocks should that policy ever reach the ground. We are losing our only sources of empirical information on who is catching what stock short of DNA sampling of a large portion of the landed catch. While collection of heads is poor in the Northcoast commercial and commercial sport fishery information from Alaska and inland sport fisheries are more consistent.
Coho returns were determined to be good in the area with estimates of 35–40,000 coho to the Bulkley Morice system, good returns o the Kispiox and a consistent return to Toboggan Creek (3100). Bulkley/Morice Coho estimates are derived from a tagging program through the Wet’Suwet’en First Nations at Moricetown, with upstream sampling at Toboggan Creek and Little Bulkley fence programs and tributary and helicopter surveys by WETfish and FOC staff.
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Mission Creek, which is a small lower Bulkley stream enhanced by the Chicago Creek Enhancement Society counted 194 coho into the creek while expecting 900. Low flows were considered to be the primary reason for the low numbers of fish entering the stream.
The Provincial Government is still not participating in the existing SFAB process. There appears to be initiatives to set up their own process with meetings for the Skeena area in a central location. They do not intend to provide travel costs for volunteers and are currently trying to solicit more anglers at large to complement their selected membership. While crying lack of funds and staffing over the past so many years as the reason for not participating in SFAB they seem to have found monies for their own game and selective process. Efforts to engage MOE in steelhead assessment have again been rejected and there appears to be little hope in sight for cooperation on stewardship with the province in the north.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing northern fishers from the provincial perspective is the continued sale of our steelhead rivers to the parades of non-guided non-residents who invade our rivers in the fall. The Ministry seems to believe that conservation is accomplished only through catch and release of steelhead. They apparently do not feel there is any conservation concern for the spawning salmon, eggs in the gravel or other species of wildlife that used to frequent our rivers. Wildlife that depends on access to the river and its bounty can hardly get there without traffic control. There is absolutely no control over the numbers of stream stomping, how many, how big, how cheap, anglers that can arrive from outside of Canada to fish our rivers for weeks on end. Locals are tired of watching anglers wade through spawning salmon and redds and watching the parade of boats of all types from daylight to dark. Most locals have hung up their rods for steelhead, or at least until late fall in hopes the pressure will dissipate, but there appears to be no end in sight. While resident angler licence numbers plummet the Province continues to reap the bounty from the sale of access to our fair rivers to non-residents at $20.00 per day. Enforcement is at an all time low on the rivers and the increase of outfitters and guides from outside the country grows annually. When is enough enough?
We would like to thank SEHAB for their support on the upper Skeena Chinook index issue and for providing the list of abbreviations used so often in correspondence these days.
Our concerns from the north regarding habitat will be presented in the EPMP discussions and working group.