Thursday, June 29, 2017

Nisga'a Nation postpones Nass River Sale Fisheries until further notice



The summer of woe for the salmon fishing season continues to unfold, with the Nisga'a Lisims government posting a notice to their website today advising that the current outlook for Sockeye salmon returns for the Nass River for this year are looking grim.

In the Public notice, the Nisga'a Fisheries and Wildlife Department notes that original estimates of 454,000 Sockeye for this year have now been reduced to less than 250,000.

Adding that the return of Chinook to date has been poor as well, while it is too early to estimate run sizes for Pink, Chum and Coho.

The estimates were compiled after 15 percent of the Sockeye run had passed by the fish wheels at Gitwinksihlkw and Grease Harbour, allowing Nisga'a Fishery biologists to review the information related to their season run estimates.

The current forecast mirrors the conditions that are being found along the Skeena system which is now in reach of historic low returns, while it's also observed in today's notice that the Fraser System may also be finding similar returns in place as the summer progresses.

As a result of their findings from yesterday, the Nisga'a Fisheries and Wildlife Department has announced that they have had to postpone any Nass River Sale fisheries until further notice, in support of reaching escapement and domestic fishery goals.





You can review more information on the Salmon concerns on the Nass from the Nisga'a Lisims website.

More notes on the evolving  concerns related to this summers salmon fishery on the North Coast fishery can be reviewed from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

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