If you were anywhere near the Fraser River this past Saturday or Sunday then you'll likely have noticed hordes of fishermen throwing lines in the water from the banks or racing to get their boats off of the back of their trailers. Why? Because a surprise three day opportunity came up for BC fishermen and many scrambled their way down to participate. I only stumbled upon it myself because I was camping out on Harrison Lake and when I crossed back over the river on my way back to the city I had to stop to see what the heck was going on with all of these people fishing the river. On the way out on Friday the banks were free of humans, but on Sunday it was practically shoulder-to-shoulder.
Fishermen flock to the Fraser River near Agassiz, BC on Sunday August 14, 2011
Last year we brought you the ongoing of the record breaking 2010 sockeye salmon run, the biggest one to happen in 100 years with a jaw-dropping almost 35 million of these fish making their way up the Fraser River! We even travelled all the way up the Adams River to share with you about their final destination.
This year the numbers of returning salmon are expectedly lower, somewhere between 1 and 7 million sockeye are expected to make their way up the Fraser to spawn, meaning that sportfishermen will likely only be given one small window by the to catch some. They've given 3 days to fish the Fraser, and the first day was Saturday, meaning if you're a fisherman and you didn't hear about it until right now then I imagine you'll be taking the afternoon off to try and find a spot on the Mighty Fraser to reel one in!
Fishermen on the Fraser River near Agassiz, BC on Sunday August 14, 2011
A fishermen reels in a sockeye salmon on the Fraser River near Agassiz, BC on Sunday August 14, 2011
Check out feature in the Province that our friend Sean Patrick Sullivan wrote about the opening. And I suppose I couldn't find a better time to remind you once again about the Pink Salmon Festival that the is putting on on the 28th of this month. Pink salmon is returning in serious numbers this year (projected 17.5 million) and is perhaps the most sustainable stock of salmon. Learn more in I made about the festival and be sure to come out to Hadden Park near the Maritime Museum at noon on August 28th for free pink salmon prepared by a chef.
