Fraser Valley – The Fraser River Panel met Friday, July 12 to receive an update on the migration of Fraser River sockeye salmon and review the status of migration conditions in the Fraser River watershed.
Discharge levels are below average throughout the watershed and there are no upstream migration problems reported at the Big Bar slide site.
To date, 38 sockeye salmon have been caught in test fisheries. The in-river gillnet test fisheries at Whonnock and Brownsville Bar began on June 28 and July 8, respectively. The Mission hydroacoustics program began July 5. It is currently estimated that 22,200 sockeye have passed the Mission hydroacoustics site.
On July 11 the discharge of the Fraser River at Hope was 4024 cms, which is approximately 29% lower than average for this date. The temperature of the Fraser River at Hope on July 11 was 18.90C, which is 2.70C above average for this date. Fraser River discharge levels and water temperatures will be monitored closely to determine if specific management actions are required during the in-river migratory period to help achieve sockeye escapement goals.
All Panel Area Waters remain closed to commercial salmon fishing.
The next in-season meeting of the Panel is scheduled to occur on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
