Kitwanga counting fence update

Here's the latest update from the Kitwanga river counting fence. The Kitwanga river sockeye are a very depressed wild sockeye stock.


If commercial fishing isnt curtailed to allow this stock a chance to rebuild...or exploitation rates kept within very conservative limits, this stock will not have a chance to rebound at all. As of yesterday, only 12 sockeye has passed the fence...yet there were gillnet openings on Monday and the seine fishery was also open.

The Kitwanga River Salmon Enumeration Facility has been in operation since July 11, 2008 under slightly higher than normal water conditions, and total salmon counts to the night of August 4, 2008 are as follows:

Sockeye = 12
Chinook = 127
Pink = 0
Chum = 0
Coho = 0

To date we have counted only 12 sockeye through the fence, the lowest count to the day ever recorded since accurate enumeration was initiated in 2003. Based on run timing seen in previous years approximately 10% of the run moves through the KSEF by the end of July.

Chinook escapement through the KSEF is still low with an escapement of only 127 fish. Usually by the end of July our chinook escapements >600 fish.

To date we have not seen any pink, chum or coho salmon at the KSEF. In previous years we start seeing pinks show-up between July 22nd (2006) and August 3rd (2007), chum between July 28th (2005) and August 21st (2006), and coho between August 7th (2005) and September 1st (2006). Information courtesy of Gitanyow Fisheries