Salmon size and food source

Poppa Reelie

Poppa Reelie

Well-Known Member
It was pilchards getting commercially hammered years back and herring spawns getting whacked today. Reading how the Great Lakes are now producing Chinook (transplant) Salmon that are larger on average than we have in our backyard. It would be nice if DFO can get herring populations explode by shutting off permanent areas for harvest...? There are tons of Chinooks out there but the size is down. Killer Whales wont waste energy chasing 8 pound springs therefore we need more rationale to fix the size issue. Closing recreation fishing does not make Killer Whales healthy.

Article below is interesting on how the Great Lake Springs can size up when the alewives are hearty.

www.glangler.com

LAKE MICHIGAN MEGA KINGS A FAD OR THE FUTURE? - by Captain Mike Schoon

Is it karma, management, natural selection, better anglers, climate change, better tackle, something else or all of the above contributing to the abundance of Great Lakes mega kings the past few seasons? First time salmon angler, Luis Martinez, set a new Great Lakes hook and line record with...
www.glangler.com
 
It's more than 1 issue alone:

* Feed for most Pacific salmon spp/stages is adequate most years - altho the juvies/subadult pink/sockeye competition has a large effect.
* Chinook feed on anything they can get - not just herring.
* Herring can be limited in some areas/years. But predators like marine mammals (sea lions & humpbacks) & hake are having a huge effect on the ability of herring to rebound.
* Predators take out the largest fish by size & often sex. Orcas pick off the largest salmon by size/spp. - which usually means the oldest & most fecund (egg numbers).
* Sea lions also prey similar to orcas - but more at the river mouths/estuaries. Harbour seals are not as good swimmers as sea lions, travel less far, are often more resident, and are often up the rivers some distances. Both types of seals are also selective about size/sex. They take out the largest, oldest & most fecund female salmon.
* Sometimes in warm years salmon eggs get a bump-up early on (early fall) on ATUs and hatch too early for their feed in the estuaries. Chum in particular have this happen.
* onshore downwelling winds, locally.
* Diseases & parasites.

This list is off the top of my head - so I prob I forgot to mention a few things, in addition to the list above.
 
^ seems natural. Just mentioning this as I observe yearly up to a hundred boats along the east island netting boatloads of herring. As well, pilchards are a thing of the past. Anyways, good points, guess we could add fish farms and sea lice destroying pristine habitat... list can go on.
 
Poppa Reelie said:
^ seems natural. Just mentioning this as I observe yearly up to a hundred boats along the east island netting boatloads of herring. As well, pilchards are a thing of the past. Anyways, good points, guess we could add fish farms and sea lice destroying pristine habitat... list can go on.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, that word "natural" (i.e. "nature") has been appropriated, weaponized & misused by many ENGOs and MM enthusiasts to invalidate any other experiences and opinions other than their own often urban experiences. That includes noticing the effects that seals are having coast-wide on salmon populations.

ENGO spokespersons will loudly & paternalistically declare on all of our behalf's to "let nature take it's course" - meanwhile bringing in any seal pup they can find to "save it" - and somehow not noticing the reality that all cities used to be woods & forests including their own abodes & their local starbucks where they have the triple frappo made from free trade rainforest beans. And they will do the limbo-jack trying to deny the burgeoning seal populations. But I digress...
 
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