Salmon Head Recovery Information for 2024

[bryce]

Like Doug said out of the 29 I submitted only 4 came back with a tag... So i would assume the non "chipped head tag" are fish that are clipped as the USA clip 100% of the fish they release. and thanks to the US they ramped up there progam years ago big time ...

Date Caught Tag Area Species Age (yrs) Release or Hatchery Name

2024‐08‐06 186818 20 Chinook 4 Chilliwack River 1
2024‐08‐14 211318 20 Chinook 5 Hoko R 2
2024‐08‐23 056525 20 Chinook 4 Tsoo‐Yess R 3
2024‐08‐29 211502 20 Chinook 4 Hoko R 2

3 4 year olds and a 5 year old Roy?

 

[wolf]

yes apperantly small 5 yr old thats for sure

 

[Peahead]

Submitted two Coho heads, report said neither had coded wire tags. Report was a guess on where they might be from based on other catches in the same area that week. Surprising to me that many of the clipped fish have not been tagged based on reports in this thread. DFO appears to be operating with limited and maybe poor quality data. Not really surprising considering the clown show we call a federal government.

Are you referring to being surprised at the the lack of CWT in hatchery marked Coho ? .... or in hatch marked Chinook? Because USA Chinook are 100% marked for MSF retention fisheries and only a very small percentage of those have CWT. So for Coho that scenario is somewhat similar in that some hatcheries ( such as Capilano here locally) claim a 100% marked rate for retention fishery ... and therefore very view have CWT. I am guessing approx. 10% CWT ( or even less) for Cap hatchery Coho because I can't recall their Coho numbers. I was more surprised by the amount of unmarked Coho out off Vancouver last year and to some extent this year. That could be partially have to do with a pause in marking Coho ( & chinook) during Covid. I know Capilano didn't mark for at least one year in 2020 or 2021 as I recall.

 

[Peahead]

I just received my guide number chinook head report. The 12 fish on the report were from numerous people fishing with us in 2024, and all the heads were dropped off at the Esq Anglers with my guide number noted on their tags.

The only CWT tagged salmon was from a net pen project at Sandy Cove, Burrard Inlet, West Van. The four-year-old was from the Chilliwack River Hatchery.

In past years, when I fished in Sooke, my reports showed we averaged catching three times more clipped fish in the Sooke area compared to the Victoria waterfront. From what I've heard, (hope not true) the Net Pen project is being cancelled in Sooke this year. If it's cancelled, four years from now we can expect less clipped fish - maybe even unclipped fish - being caught in the Sooke area, all along our coast, and even in Alaska.

The Sooke Net Pen Project increased the salmon returns to the benefit of sport and commercial fisherman up and down the Pacific west coast.

DFO should let the Sooke Salmon Net Pen Project go ahead.

Did anyone else get their Head recovery Program reports?

Good to see our ( VSFGA and Cap Hatchery joint project) in Sandy Cove net pen ( West Van lab) is producing chinook over there! I fed your fish!! I catch them spread about within the Vancouver/Sunshine Coast area. One later near end of last September 2024 ( 82cm) was caught at Sandheads which proves not all the chinook in that fall terminal fishery tight to the Fraser Mouth are actually all Fraser bound ( Thompson/Chilliwack/Harrison) . In fact some Washington bound chinook go through Sandheads area in the fall as well - as proven by my recent CWT returns.

 

[Peahead]

Where it gets really interesting is getting the results from DNA samples we gather because that is a ton more data - rather than just hatch kept fish and those having very few CWT. Its just too bad the DNA results take much longer and sometimes there have been additional delays apparently due to the funding not coming in forthwith.

 

[bryce]

yes apperantly small 5 yr old thats for sure

That was my next question usually by the time they hit 5 there a pretty impressive fish!

 

[wolf]

That was my next question usually by the time they hit 5 there a pretty impressive fish!

I did however release 3 fish that were way over the 80 cm mark last year that were hatchery marked... WHAT really bugs me is we should be able to keep any hatchery fish as thats what they are deemed for "to catch" for the DNA... but thats for another thread not here