Local streamkeepers are hoping the rain returns in the coming days to bring in the chum salmon that would normally be spawning in great numbers in local creeks.
With the Fisheries and Oceans Canada reporting smaller numbers to date of the usually plentiful fish in its Albion test fishery on the Fraser River, fishing for the large salmon is not allowed in some tributaries, which is delaying catches for brood stock to fill local hatcheries with eggs.
Neil Laffra, operations manager for Mossom Creek Hatchery in Port Moody, said two egg takes in the Alouette River slated for Oct. 21 and 28 were cancelled because of a low fish count.
“This should be the peak,” Laffra said of the chum salmon fish run, adding, “They may be late, it’s been a very strange year.”
So far, the only salmon eggs filling the trays at the hatchery are from one salmon caught in the Mossom creek system, but that’s not enough to replenish its tanks.
“One good female had 2,400 eggs,” Laffra said, noting that normally, volunteers would have collected 150,000 chum eggs from 60 fish in the Alouette system.
“It’s just dribs and drabs and we don’t know what the future has in store,” Laffra said.
Over at Hoy/Scott Creek in Coquitlam, fish numbers are down, too.
Hoy/Scott Watershed Society president Robbin Whachell said there would be usually be a strong smell in the air from decaying salmon but there haven’t been too many fish arriving to spawn. Still, volunteers continue to keep watch.
“It’s not like we have none. It’s not great quantity. Usually it’s the rain, the rain lures them in. Another rain would be great to see if there’s another resurgence, we just don’t know,” Whachell said.
Meanwhile, Fisheries and Oceans isn’t providing any numbers because data is still coming in. A spokesperson said the fish numbers will be ready in December.
