Record sockeye run strains fish-processing capacity
DFO is expected to increase allowable catch, but there may be no way to market it
Justine Hunter
August 27, 2010
The Globe and Mail
Thirty million sockeye salmon are making their way back to the Fraser River, rivalling the great run of 1913, the Pacific Salmon Commission is expected to announce on Friday.
The latest update is based on field reports, including a test fishery near Port McNeill on Thursday that pulled in an unheard-of catch of almost 100,000 sockeye salmon. Those fish are still a week away from reaching the river.
After the near-collapse of the sockeye returns last year, the unexpected bounty has stretched the capacity of fishermen and processors this week after the commission changed its forecast to 25 million from 11.4 million.
Based on the growing numbers, the first major commercial fishery on the Fraser in four years will likely be extended next week. But the overriding question is whether B.C.’s fishing industry still has the capacity to process such a monumental harvest.
Read the full story in The Globe and Mail
Read related stories:
- The Globe and Mail; August 31, 2010; "B.C. sockeye prices plummet as supply runs high - Result of ripple effects of an unexpectedly strong sockeye salmon run flowing to consumers"
- The Vancouver Sun; August 31, 2010; "Great deals can be found at the roadside"
- Richmond Review; August 27, 2010; "Sockeye processors at capacity"
Posted August 27th, 2010
