"ANALYSIS.
by Jorma Jyrkkanen

The Ministry of Environment
says that an estimated 67 steelhead
passed. the Tyee test fishery near
the mouth of the Skeena River
during the first week of July, the
_ lowest number in 10 years and
fourth lowest since the ministry
began keeping records.

Commercial catch of steelhead
during the July 1 opening was 31

_fish. These figures are, however,
subject to various sources of error
which makes their value question-
able until more data has come in
later in the season.

A large run of steelhead could
have passed by Tyee and totally
missed the test fishery, since it
only samples a small portion of the
river. Or the summer run could be
later this year due to ocean condi-
tions like temperature.

Commercial catch estimates are
based on hail counts in which
commercial fishermen are asked
how many steelhead they caught;
the true figures may or may not be
accurately reported.

On the basis of poor returns of
winter run steelhead to other
streams in B.C. and the northwes-
tern States, the Ministry of Envi-
ronment says expectations are for
much poorer than average returns
of steelhead to the Skeena system
over the upcoming season. Early
returms of summer steelhead else-
where have supported this predic-
tion method to date.

In a obuiletin ministry staff
explained why they had catch and
telease regulations on upriver
home spawning rivers, stating that
it was to foster survival of summer
run fish, which were impacted
heavily by the commercial fishery
in southern Alaska and in Canada.

Because later season steelhead
were not subjected to commercial
fisheries, these fish were not
deemed to be as threatened, and
for that reason a kill fishery was
considered reasonable in the
Skeena mainstem after closure of
the commercial fishery.

The ministry claims that summer
run fish cannot be distinguished

from later-running fish, so all .

steelhead in home rivers should
have maximum protection such as
through a catch release regulation.

Experienced anglers, however,
know that summer run fish are
generally darker in late fall, and
have a more pronounced pink
stripe down the side, as compared
to the bar-of-chrome fresh fall and
winter fish.

Environment provided a graph in
their July 9 bulletin showing the
commercial catch and fish passing
Tyee for the past 10 years. If one
studies the graph closely, it
appears that the commercial catch
of steelhead is more a reflection of
the size of the run than it is a
predictive factor in producing the
future return.

. For example, during 1981, 1982,
1984, there was good escapement
of steelhead past Tyce in the first
week of July, with virtually no

commercial catch so that the return |

run of first time spawners —
assuming four years in freshwater,
and one in salt water —- should
have been good in 1986, 1987,
1989,

It was good for 86/87 but very
poor for 1989, with this last excep-
tion calling the rule into question.

Also, in examining chinook and
steelhead commercial catch trends
and relating them to the size of
spawning stock (that is, fish that
actually made it to the home river)
there is a big problem linking
commercial fishing and the deci-
mation of summer run steelhead.

The Department of Fisheries and
Oceans provided the following
comparison of the commercial
catch of chinook to steelhead:

Aug. 25, 1985 — 20,642 chinook,
29,224 steelhead

*Aug. 31, 1986 — 7,141 to 19,462
*Aug. 29, 1987 — 5,486 to 8,303

eAug. 6, 1988 — 20,898 to
11,330

Sept. 2, 1989 — 11,097 to 3,529.

The problem is twofold. First,
these catches of chinook coincide
with 50,000-60,000 spawners
counted on the spawning beds each
year. Is it not reasonable that the
steelhead catches should also

Terrace Review — Wednesday, July 25, 1990 A9

The obvious is no answer

Steelhead are subjected to natural
cyclical fluctuations which are
influenced by a host of variable
factors. These include spawning
gravel quality, provision of clear
rivers and pools and abundant

coincide with an equivalent propor-
tional number of spawners?

Secondly, there has been no
major change in commercial fish-
ing pressure, gear types, fishing
areas except perhaps on the side of
conservation.

Yet steelhead numbers have
fluctuated considerably, suggesting
that the connection between com-
mercial fishing and summer run
steelhead isn’t as clear as has been
suggested.

The fact is that like all species,

feed, fertility fluctuations, fluctu-
ations in numbers within an age
class, time lags, competition and
predation — and ocean survival,
perhaps the most mysterious factor
of all.

This spring, I passed the Bulkley
River during early freshet and I
have never seen it so dirty. Per-
haps we’ve squandered critical
habitat, with critical repercussions
to certain age classes essential for
population survival. .

Perhaps catch and release fishing

is more traumatic than we think,

and we should study the effects of

this style of fishing on spawner
SUCCESS, .

Human predation is certainly -
important because it is increasing
on the high seas where some
steelhead may be hard hit, and
because it is so heavy along our
coast and in our rivers.

- For steelhead, a fish which has
evolved the habit of living long,
enabling it to repeat spawning up
to three times, and of having few
numbers, incidental bycatch may
well spell the end unless the popu-
lation can be bolstered somehow.

Since it has been in good
measure artificially reduced, per-
haps it should be artificially
increased, with some portion of the —
Babine facility funds, currently -
devoted exclusively to sockeye
salmon, being channelled into
summer run steelhead enhance-
ment.

Bill Bailey, Conductor Prince George, representing the B.C. North
Health and Safety Committees, receives the 1989 System Safety Award
from Ross Walker, Senior Vice-President, Western Canada. The award
is presented annually to the district with the lowest combined ratio of
accidents to train miles. Shown on the right is Jed Drew, District

Manager B.C. North.

Congratulations to B.C. North District
Employees, winners of the 1989
System Safety Award.

R.A. Walker
Senior Vice-President
‘Western Canada

J.E. Drew
District Manager
B.C. North District

"From Prairie to Sea — Accident Free