Recreational anglers will have a rare chance to try and catch sockeye in the Fraser River for the first time in three years as officials forecast a booming salmon return.
“The current estimated run size of Fraser River sockeye is about nine million fish, which is the largest since 2022,” said Adam Kaiser, senior salmon advisor with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and chair of the Fraser River Panel.
“Fraser sockeye return in a series of cycles, so every four years, a new cycle returns. For this particular cycle line, it’s the largest we’ve seen since the late 1990s.”
Kaiser said there was no single factor behind the large run, but said combined efforts by provincial, federal and First Nations authorities to restore habitat, to hold harvesting to sustainable levels and to restore fish passage through the site of the Big Bar landslide contributed.
That bumper salmon run means that the DFO has opened a recreational fishery in non-tidal waters of the Fraser River from the Mission bridge, upstream to Hope.
“It’s really important that folks understand and practice proper etiquette for species conservation to lessen the environmental impacts we have on fish habitat and to maintain a positive relationship with other anglers who are hopefully enjoying the experience, Kaiser said.
“This is going to mean following the catch limits, handling your catch humanely, respecting other angler(s), abiding by all the rules and regulations that support the fishery.”
Anglers must have the proper licence and are limited to two sockeye and four pink salmon per day. The fishery will remain open until Sept. 21, or until the DFO closes it.
Out on the banks of the Fraser, there was no shortage of anglers hoping to take home a couple of prize fish.
“It feels very exciting, being the first day open,” Emily Yuan told Global News.
“Myself, I haven’t been fishing for a long time. Last time I was seven years old or something like that, we caught lots of salmon and that was a very nice memory for me.”
Angler Andy Lewicki said he’d participated in the last open fishery on the Fraser in 2022, but said that opening happened largely after the run had come through.
“We’re excited, we’ve got until September here, so we’re looking forward to getting some sockeye in.”
He said the two sockeye limit was fair.
“Good with both anglers … and conservation — we don’t need to be greedy,” he said.
According to the DFO fishery notice, anglers must take care not to catch any Chinook, Coho or Chums salmon, and are prohibited form using barbed hooks or any bait.
Fishing is allowed during daylight hours only.
Anglers are also being advised that the area is open to the First Nations food, social and ceremonial fishery and should “minimize or eliminate any gear conflict in this area.”