NSTC In-Season Salmon Abundance and Health Indicator Program

Year 2009
Proponent Northern Shuswap Tribal Council (08 D 18)
Project type Fisheries
FSWP funding source DFO Fraser Basin Initiative
Grant amount $66,000
Total project value $108,600
ID number 09-D88-F

Location: Cariboo-Chilcotin

Project Summary

Overview

The NSTC Fisheries Department proposes the continuation of a live capture; tagging and sampling platform in the Middle/Upper Fraser River.  The project will promote collaboration with the NSTC catch monitoring program as well as collect the baseline data required to provide for a reliable estimate of abundance on chinook, sockeye and coho returns to the Upper Fraser River as well as the blueprint for in-season stock assessment in-river.

The project will also provide a means to collaborate with other continuing projects being proposed on the Fraser River by LGL, Siska and other Fraser First Nations.  Spawning ground enumerations via boat, foot surveys or enumeration fence will provide the methods for recapturing tags, as well as the Food, Social and Ceremonial fisheries upstream of the fishwheel site.

The goals are to build on the data collected in 2008, improve, on lessons learned as well as continue to increase the involvement of the Northern Shuswap in the management of fish and fisheries that occur in the traditional territories and those fisheries that affect the traditional fisheries of the Northern Shuswap.

Objectives
1.Develop real-time in-river, in-season estimates of the abundance as well as monitor the health of sockeye, chinook and coho runs as they migrate to their natal streams.
2. Further determine the feasibility of a fishwheel and its efficiency as an inseason assessment platform in the mid/upper river and possibility as early indicator of harvest for traditional fisheries.
3. Improve information sharing amongst various parties and agencies that are considered project collaborators, such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Siska Band, LGL and others.
4. To collect data that could provide useful for in-season management information and form part of an overall Fraser River In-Season Management Framework.

Methods

The project will enumerate sockeye from approximately July 20/25 to September 15, 2009, depending on run size, as they migrate through the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw Territories.  The initial period will attempt to include estimation of abundance of the Early Stuart Sockeye stocks, which are intercepted but not retained by fishers targeting chinook.  The fishwheel will operate on a set schedule to collect data on fish migration timing, including diel timing, as well as abundance through the period of the study.  The traditional fisheries will use the CPUE estimates to determine the abundance through the Soda Creek fishery and will involve the recording of catch data as well as the start and end time of fishing. Data collected by NSTC Catch Monitoring Program will also be utilized.

Data collected will be entered into the database on a daily basis and CPUE analysis will then take place. Comparisons of traditional catch data will be made to the fishwheel catch data to determine additional information, such as changes in abundance from fish migrating up the Chilcotin River and those destined for the Upper Fraser (including the Quesnel), timing through the migration period as well as diel timing and fish physiology data.


Final Results

The final report for the study is posted in the orange resource box to the upper right. 


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