The 2015 sockeye season started for Mowachaht/Muchalaht members in May as the salmon started running up the river at about the middle of the month.
According to Sarah Harrison, Mowachaht/Muchalaht Fisheries coordinator, community members started going out fishing the Gold River in late May under the watchful eyes of catch monitors.
“The catch monitors essentially walk the Gold River and survey fishers to collect the number of fish they are catching for home use so that we can estimate, at the end of the season, the number of fish removed from the river for food and ceremonial purposes. It helps us estimate return numbers,” said Harrison.
Other information catch monitors collect is the type gear being used and the status of the river, such as water levels, whether or not there is trash left behind.
Community members have busy smoking and canning sockeye for food and ceremonial purposes. Elders have received their first taste of sockeye for 2015 as they are being taken care of by community.
But Harrison warns that with low water levels and warm temperatures there are concerns around the upstream migration of Gold River sockeye into Muchalaht Lake and the upper Gold River.
“At this time there does not appear to be any imminent danger to upstream migration; however, if water levels do not raise and temperatures remain warm, discussions will need to made regarding the protection of these fish and available options to ensure they make it to their spawning grounds,” said Harrison.
