With forecasts calling for low sockeye returns on the Fraser River this year and the federal government commenting on the four-year-old Cohen Commission report for the first time, salmon are big news.
Sockeye is the least common of the five salmon species found in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada biologist and stock assessment expert Steve Baillie said they are one of the most stable despite their low local numbers, ranging to a couple dozen at most in rivers like the Englishman.
The main species in the area is coho, which Baillie said started to decrease noticeably in the early 1990s, like the sockeye.
“They reached their low point in the late 2000s and have been creeping up slowly since then,” he said.
Their apparent recovery is complicated by annual patterns and things like El Nino and the notorious area of warm water sitting off the coast for the past few years, known as “the blob.”
The blob changed the kinds of plankton available and interrupted the normal food systems, leading to really poor coho returns last year.
“This year the indications are that there are a lot of coho in the Strait of Georgia, much higher than the last five years,” Baillie said, but he doesn’t have numbers for 2016 yet with the main season just kicking off now.
“All I can really say at this point is that we’re hopeful.”
The good news locally is that most of the local rivers appear to be doing well in terms of coho returns.
Faye Smith of the Mid-Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society (MVIHES) points to the importance of coho as a benchmark species.
“We try to make things habitable for coho because, unlike other species, the little fry spend a year in the fresh water,” she said. “That’s good for all the species.”
“They like cold and oxygen. It’s pretty simple, sometimes they just need some shade from the heat,” she said of the importance of plants and natural features along the sides of waterways.
She said that while “thankfully” there are no fish farms in the immediate area, protecting the habitat along the river and creek sides is crucial and a constant battle.
She is optimistic about the co-operation groups like hers have been getting in recent years from local governments. “The RDN (Regional District of Nanaimo) is very interested in the issue, which is great, they set a good example, and we work with the city (of Parksville) and have good cooperation with Qualicum Beach.”
Baillie said most waterways on the east coast of the mid-Island have coho, including the Big Qualicum River, French, Cook and Shelly creeks and even smaller ones.
He described the Englishman River, for example — which has natural spawning salmon enhanced by a small hatchery — as having a “decent escapement,” meaning plenty of healthy fish appear to be leaving the river at the right time.
The other species found locally are pinks, in small numbers, chinook, which he said chug along pretty steady because they’re mostly hatchery based, and chum, which are not fished much but are important to the ecosystem, feeding nutrition back into the rivers and helping the other species.
Baillie gives a huge amount of credit to the local volunteers and groups, who he said the professionals now depend on.
“It’s absolutely huge. We’ve lost the ability to control salmon escapement enumeration when our budgets were cut, so we have moved toward supporting the local community groups, salmon societies, First Nations, streamkeeper groups.”
He pointed out that while there are lots of well-meaning people, it is important they work with officials to make sure they are doing things correctly and safely. Rivers and creeks can be dangerous at certain times of year and fish counts not done properly are of no use, often requiring very specific counting methods and formulas to be able to get useful information.
He said they can provide instruction and the right paperwork to interested groups, and pointed to the Fanny Bay Enhancement Society and MVIHES’ good work in the region.
“They have a lot of local knowledge and expertise that we are able to take advantage of. Our role with these groups is often to assist them.”
