This Week in Salmon Fisheries: Canada Caves to U.S. Demands, DFO Cuts Guardian Contracts– Aug 29
August 29, 2025
By: Greg Taylor
Each week, Watershed Watch’s fisheries advisor Greg Taylor will share his expert insights on what’s happening in B.C.’s salmon fisheries. With decades of experience in the industry, Greg offers a blend of observations, analysis, and personal perspective.
Southeast Alaska
The Southern Southeast Alaska pink salmon return was terrible compared to the forecast or the brood year. Most pink fisheries are now closed, and Washington docks are filling with returning Southeast seiners.
Canada will have to consider how Alaska focused effort and catch along our northern border in District 104 at a time when they knew their own pink stocks (the purported target species) were much weaker than forecast. Many of the fish they were targeting were obviously migrating through Alaskan waters to B.C. streams. Recalling the 2025 season will form an interesting backdrop as talks resume for the renegotiation of the Canada-US Salmon Treaty.
But if Canada responds in the manner it did in regard to the US interception of Fraser pinks and sockeye this week, we shouldn’t get our hopes up that Canada will step in to defend B.C. salmon.
Northern B.C. – Area 3 (Portland Canal and the Nass River) Salmon
Most commercial fisheries for Nass sockeye and pinks have now concluded. We will have to wait for the limited spawning assessments DFO produces nowadays. They may provide some idea of the trend, but don’t expect any specifics.
As a follow-up to last week’s update, I’m pleased to share some good news for the Nass River sockeye run. It appears the sockeye were simply late in arriving this year, and we are now seeing strong escapements to Meziadin. If current trends continue, Meziadin sockeye are on track to meet or potentially exceed their escapement goal by next week. The current projected Total Return to Canada (TRTC) for Nass sockeye is approximately 437,000 fish. While this remains below the long-term average of 603,000, it represents a significant improvement compared to earlier projections this season.
Preliminary in-season harvest estimates show that the Area 3 commercial fisheries (Areas C and A) have caught around 32,200 Nass-bound sockeye. The Nisga’a Nation has harvested approximately 99,420 sockeye across treaty, demonstration, and food, social, and ceremonial (FSC) fisheries. In addition, other First Nations groups including Lax’kwaalams, Metlakatla, and Gitanyow have harvested about 24,000 sockeye through both FSC and commercial fisheries combined.
While the sockeye outlook has improved, the situation for Nass River chinook salmon remains concerning. The current projected escapement is only about 11,000 fish, which falls short of the 15,000 fish conservation goal. In the upper Nass, only two sites provide in-season chinook counts. At Meziadin, just 34 chinook have returned, a sharp decline from the recent average of 220. However, returns to the Kwinageese River are more encouraging, with 567 chinook counted so far close to its recent long-term average of 541. In terms of harvest, the preliminary in-season run reconstruction indicates that the Nisga’a Nation has harvested over 4,800 chinook. An additional 300 chinook were taken in the marine recreational fishery, while other Nass-area First Nations have harvested approximately 144 chinook for FSC purposes. All in-river recreational chinook fisheries were closed for 2025. It is unknown how many survived being discarded in commercial and recreational fisheries.
Northern B.C. – Skeena Salmon
The current in-season forecast for Skeena sockeye is for just under 1.7 million. This compares to the pre-season forecast of 2.7 million.
About 950,000 sockeye have passed through the Babine fence so far this year and are on track to meet or surpass 1.2 million.
The Lake Babine Nation is now harvesting sockeye in sustainable, OceanWise-recommended, terminal fisheries. Look for their products in the frozen section of your favourite grocery store this winter. This fishery has the potential to equal the coastal commercial fishery, putting the lie to the notion that any fish uncaught by the marine fishery are wasted.
Steelhead returns, which showed some strength at the beginning of the season, are now looking very poor, as estimated by the Tyee test fishery. This measure is before Skeena steelhead run the gauntlet of legal and IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) in-river fisheries. The Province of B.C. estimates that the escapement of steelhead as estimated at Tyee (before any additional in-river mortality) is likely to be sufficient to meet minimum aggregate spawning objectives. (I say aggregate because this number does not incorporate measures to ensure the many genetically distinct steelhead populations in the Skeena meet their individual spawning objectives). Hence, the Province says no restrictions are required to protect steelhead in the recreational fishery.
In fact, the Province says it won’t introduce any management measures to protect steelhead until DFO cuts its interception of steelhead. I have this image of DFO and Provincial managers facing each other on a dusty western street. The Provincial manager, holding a pistol to his own head, says, “Listen pardner, if you don’t do something, I will shoot!”
Skeena coho look relatively poor. Skeena chums, which are very depressed, are being reported in fisheries and recorded in the test fishery. This is good news.
I am pleased to see better chinook returns to the Skeena than we have seen in recent years. The return is still much less than it was in its banner years. They may also be benefiting from this year’s recreational closures in the river, although recreational fishing has continued in the marine approaches.
Skeena pinks this year illustrate the danger of poorly managed marine fisheries. We all thought, based on early strong returns, that a big return of Skeena pinks was en route. I expected a large fishery.
But Lakelse pinks, which saw returns of around 250,000 fish the last two years, failed. There are next to no pinks in the system. There is just too much uncertainty in the marine environment when fishing mixed stocks unless there is a comprehensive management system like the Pacific Salmon Commission has for Fraser pink salmon.
Meanwhile, DFO has issued a licence for the Gitanyow to harvest surplus pink salmon in the Kitwanga River, an hour drive up Hwy 16 from the Lakelse.
Area 6 Pink Salmon
I am gutted as I write this. Stan Hutchings, the longtime Area 6 guardian, saw his short-term contract, that local managers cobbled together at the beginning of the season, expire. Stan, true to form, kept on working without pay.
Understand this means that not only does Stan not get paid, but he is not compensated for his boat and equipment costs. DFO didn’t even have the decency to warn him. They just let him keep on working without pay. Watershed Watch, SkeenaWild, and several other organizations have written to the Minister. If the past is any indication, expect a response in a few months.
This decision, along with cuts to other essential management programs we have stumbled upon this season (as there is no warning or transparency from DFO), is tied to the 50 per cent reduction in DFO fisheries budgets coming over the next two years. If this is a sign of how the Minister intends to manage these cuts, weep for our salmon.
Area 7 streams (Kitasu area) are seeing good returns of pink salmon for the first time in many years.
Fraser River Sockeye
The Fraser sockeye return is over in terms of there being further commercial fisheries. Currently, the run size looks to be around nine million compared to the 2.9 million forecast. But please remember what I said last week. The forecast was for a wide range of possibilities, with a reasonable probability of it being 2.9 million, but with some probability of it being much lower or higher than 2.9 million. The nine million is similar to what would have been anticipated in the 1980s. It is not an exceptional return.
But the responses from the media and many of my friends to the size of this year’s return depresses me. It is such an excellent example of shifting baselines. Yes, it is a good return compared to the last few years, but it is only an average return compared to the long-term average.
What depresses me is that our response to heat waves and fires in Atlantic Canada, or over 20-degree (near lethal to salmon) water temperatures of the Fraser River at Hope will become the expected norm. It quickly becomes the measure that we evaluate the future against.
Fraser River Pinks
The return of Fraser River pinks may be half or less than forecast. The Fraser pink return is for all intents and purposes, over. There was great excitement early in the year that the pink return might possibly meet, or exceed, the largest pink return on record. Today, it appears the return was early and likely average. It will meet escapement objectives, but will be much less than expected.
So, remember what I said previously about my concern that Canada will cave to US pressure when it comes to US interceptions of Canadian salmon on the North Coast?
This past week, the US wanted to have fisheries on Fraser River pink salmon in Washington State. The Pacific Salmon Treaty requires that both parties agree to a fishery. Canada said no to the US request, saying there were no late-summer sockeye available as bycatch to support the fishery.
In an intense series of caucuses and meetings, the positions of Canada and the US hardened.
Canada had two problems. They knew that the US was correct; there were more than enough late-run sockeye available for bycatch. It was only Canada’s domestic handcuffs that limited access. After all, the escapement of late-summer sockeye (for this cycle line) is expected to exceed anything we have witnessed since the end of the Second World War.
Canada’s other problem is that they could see the US side thinking, ‘if you don’t allow us to fish when fish are available, what is the advantage of the Treaty at all?’.
Suddenly, Canada caved. After holding a hard line, Canada folded like a cheap suit. The US went fishing. Much of the US effort keeps all bycatch, unlike Canadian fishermen, who are required to release all bycatch. There are reports of large numbers (thousands) of chinook being taken in the waters between San Juan Island and Point Roberts. I would think many threatened Interior Fraser River coho are being encountered as well. And, of course, there is all the late-summer sockeye they catch.
But what is also disturbing is in agreeing there were sufficient late-run sockeye available for a fishery, Canada gave the bycatch of late-summer sockeye that had suddenly somehow become available to the US instead of using at least some of it to allow Canada’s own fishermen to access the available pink salmon.
As I write this on Friday, August 29th, the Panel approved an increase of late-summer sockeye to 1,050,000. But it is too little, too late for both US and Alaskan fishermen, the bulk of the pink return is now migrating past Mission.
Fraser Sockeye and Pink Catches
Canadian fishermen have caught 73,000 Fraser pink salmon. US fishermen have caught 825,000 and untold numbers of chinook, coho, and sockeye.
The US has caught 302,000 Fraser sockeye compared to their allowable catch of 203,000. Canada caught 745,000 sockeye (546,000 by First Nations and 224,000 by commercial fishermen) compared to the Canadian allowable catch of 1,443,000.
This does not include the raging black market for sockeye caught outside of sanctioned fisheries. I implore you to only purchase sockeye from reputable sources.
Focus will now shift to First Nations commercial fisheries on surplus sockeye destined for their territories.
Next week, I will be taking a look at what has been happening in South Coast recreational fisheries.
Greg will be providing weekly fisheries updates, which we will publish here on Fridays. Stay tuned.
Read Previous Weekly Updates
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This Week in Salmon Fisheries: Canada Caves to U.S. Demands, DFO Cuts Guardian Contracts– Aug 29
August 29, 2025
By: Greg Taylor
Each week, Watershed Watch’s fisheries advisor Greg Taylor will share his expert insights on what’s happening in B.C.’s salmon fisheries. With decades of experience in the industry, Greg offers a blend of observations, analysis, and personal perspective.
Southeast Alaska
The Southern Southeast Alaska pink salmon return was terrible compared to the forecast or the brood year. Most pink fisheries are now closed, and Washington docks are filling with returning Southeast seiners.
Canada will have to consider how Alaska focused effort and catch along our northern border in District 104 at a time when they knew their own pink stocks (the purported target species) were much weaker than forecast. Many of the fish they were targeting were obviously migrating through Alaskan waters to B.C. streams. Recalling the 2025 season will form an interesting backdrop as talks resume for the renegotiation of the Canada-US Salmon Treaty.
But if Canada responds in the manner it did in regard to the US interception of Fraser pinks and sockeye this week, we shouldn’t get our hopes up that Canada will step in to defend B.C. salmon.
Northern B.C. – Area 3 (Portland Canal and the Nass River) Salmon
Most commercial fisheries for Nass sockeye and pinks have now concluded. We will have to wait for the limited spawning assessments DFO produces nowadays. They may provide some idea of the trend, but don’t expect any specifics.
As a follow-up to last week’s update, I’m pleased to share some good news for the Nass River sockeye run. It appears the sockeye were simply late in arriving this year, and we are now seeing strong escapements to Meziadin. If current trends continue, Meziadin sockeye are on track to meet or potentially exceed their escapement goal by next week. The current projected Total Return to Canada (TRTC) for Nass sockeye is approximately 437,000 fish. While this remains below the long-term average of 603,000, it represents a significant improvement compared to earlier projections this season.
Preliminary in-season harvest estimates show that the Area 3 commercial fisheries (Areas C and A) have caught around 32,200 Nass-bound sockeye. The Nisga’a Nation has harvested approximately 99,420 sockeye across treaty, demonstration, and food, social, and ceremonial (FSC) fisheries. In addition, other First Nations groups including Lax’kwaalams, Metlakatla, and Gitanyow have harvested about 24,000 sockeye through both FSC and commercial fisheries combined.
While the sockeye outlook has improved, the situation for Nass River chinook salmon remains concerning. The current projected escapement is only about 11,000 fish, which falls short of the 15,000 fish conservation goal. In the upper Nass, only two sites provide in-season chinook counts. At Meziadin, just 34 chinook have returned, a sharp decline from the recent average of 220. However, returns to the Kwinageese River are more encouraging, with 567 chinook counted so far close to its recent long-term average of 541. In terms of harvest, the preliminary in-season run reconstruction indicates that the Nisga’a Nation has harvested over 4,800 chinook. An additional 300 chinook were taken in the marine recreational fishery, while other Nass-area First Nations have harvested approximately 144 chinook for FSC purposes. All in-river recreational chinook fisheries were closed for 2025. It is unknown how many survived being discarded in commercial and recreational fisheries.
Northern B.C. – Skeena Salmon
The current in-season forecast for Skeena sockeye is for just under 1.7 million. This compares to the pre-season forecast of 2.7 million.
About 950,000 sockeye have passed through the Babine fence so far this year and are on track to meet or surpass 1.2 million.
The Lake Babine Nation is now harvesting sockeye in sustainable, OceanWise-recommended, terminal fisheries. Look for their products in the frozen section of your favourite grocery store this winter. This fishery has the potential to equal the coastal commercial fishery, putting the lie to the notion that any fish uncaught by the marine fishery are wasted.
Steelhead returns, which showed some strength at the beginning of the season, are now looking very poor, as estimated by the Tyee test fishery. This measure is before Skeena steelhead run the gauntlet of legal and IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) in-river fisheries. The Province of B.C. estimates that the escapement of steelhead as estimated at Tyee (before any additional in-river mortality) is likely to be sufficient to meet minimum aggregate spawning objectives. (I say aggregate because this number does not incorporate measures to ensure the many genetically distinct steelhead populations in the Skeena meet their individual spawning objectives). Hence, the Province says no restrictions are required to protect steelhead in the recreational fishery.
In fact, the Province says it won’t introduce any management measures to protect steelhead until DFO cuts its interception of steelhead. I have this image of DFO and Provincial managers facing each other on a dusty western street. The Provincial manager, holding a pistol to his own head, says, “Listen pardner, if you don’t do something, I will shoot!”
Skeena coho look relatively poor. Skeena chums, which are very depressed, are being reported in fisheries and recorded in the test fishery. This is good news.
I am pleased to see better chinook returns to the Skeena than we have seen in recent years. The return is still much less than it was in its banner years. They may also be benefiting from this year’s recreational closures in the river, although recreational fishing has continued in the marine approaches.
Skeena pinks this year illustrate the danger of poorly managed marine fisheries. We all thought, based on early strong returns, that a big return of Skeena pinks was en route. I expected a large fishery.
But Lakelse pinks, which saw returns of around 250,000 fish the last two years, failed. There are next to no pinks in the system. There is just too much uncertainty in the marine environment when fishing mixed stocks unless there is a comprehensive management system like the Pacific Salmon Commission has for Fraser pink salmon.
Meanwhile, DFO has issued a licence for the Gitanyow to harvest surplus pink salmon in the Kitwanga River, an hour drive up Hwy 16 from the Lakelse.
Area 6 Pink Salmon
I am gutted as I write this. Stan Hutchings, the longtime Area 6 guardian, saw his short-term contract, that local managers cobbled together at the beginning of the season, expire. Stan, true to form, kept on working without pay.
Understand this means that not only does Stan not get paid, but he is not compensated for his boat and equipment costs. DFO didn’t even have the decency to warn him. They just let him keep on working without pay. Watershed Watch, SkeenaWild, and several other organizations have written to the Minister. If the past is any indication, expect a response in a few months.
This decision, along with cuts to other essential management programs we have stumbled upon this season (as there is no warning or transparency from DFO), is tied to the 50 per cent reduction in DFO fisheries budgets coming over the next two years. If this is a sign of how the Minister intends to manage these cuts, weep for our salmon.
Area 7 streams (Kitasu area) are seeing good returns of pink salmon for the first time in many years.
Fraser River Sockeye
The Fraser sockeye return is over in terms of there being further commercial fisheries. Currently, the run size looks to be around nine million compared to the 2.9 million forecast. But please remember what I said last week. The forecast was for a wide range of possibilities, with a reasonable probability of it being 2.9 million, but with some probability of it being much lower or higher than 2.9 million. The nine million is similar to what would have been anticipated in the 1980s. It is not an exceptional return.
But the responses from the media and many of my friends to the size of this year’s return depresses me. It is such an excellent example of shifting baselines. Yes, it is a good return compared to the last few years, but it is only an average return compared to the long-term average.
What depresses me is that our response to heat waves and fires in Atlantic Canada, or over 20-degree (near lethal to salmon) water temperatures of the Fraser River at Hope will become the expected norm. It quickly becomes the measure that we evaluate the future against.
Fraser River Pinks
The return of Fraser River pinks may be half or less than forecast. The Fraser pink return is for all intents and purposes, over. There was great excitement early in the year that the pink return might possibly meet, or exceed, the largest pink return on record. Today, it appears the return was early and likely average. It will meet escapement objectives, but will be much less than expected.
So, remember what I said previously about my concern that Canada will cave to US pressure when it comes to US interceptions of Canadian salmon on the North Coast?
This past week, the US wanted to have fisheries on Fraser River pink salmon in Washington State. The Pacific Salmon Treaty requires that both parties agree to a fishery. Canada said no to the US request, saying there were no late-summer sockeye available as bycatch to support the fishery.
In an intense series of caucuses and meetings, the positions of Canada and the US hardened.
Canada had two problems. They knew that the US was correct; there were more than enough late-run sockeye available for bycatch. It was only Canada’s domestic handcuffs that limited access. After all, the escapement of late-summer sockeye (for this cycle line) is expected to exceed anything we have witnessed since the end of the Second World War.
Canada’s other problem is that they could see the US side thinking, ‘if you don’t allow us to fish when fish are available, what is the advantage of the Treaty at all?’.
Suddenly, Canada caved. After holding a hard line, Canada folded like a cheap suit. The US went fishing. Much of the US effort keeps all bycatch, unlike Canadian fishermen, who are required to release all bycatch. There are reports of large numbers (thousands) of chinook being taken in the waters between San Juan Island and Point Roberts. I would think many threatened Interior Fraser River coho are being encountered as well. And, of course, there is all the late-summer sockeye they catch.
But what is also disturbing is in agreeing there were sufficient late-run sockeye available for a fishery, Canada gave the bycatch of late-summer sockeye that had suddenly somehow become available to the US instead of using at least some of it to allow Canada’s own fishermen to access the available pink salmon.
As I write this on Friday, August 29th, the Panel approved an increase of late-summer sockeye to 1,050,000. But it is too little, too late for both US and Alaskan fishermen, the bulk of the pink return is now migrating past Mission.
Fraser Sockeye and Pink Catches
Canadian fishermen have caught 73,000 Fraser pink salmon. US fishermen have caught 825,000 and untold numbers of chinook, coho, and sockeye.
The US has caught 302,000 Fraser sockeye compared to their allowable catch of 203,000. Canada caught 745,000 sockeye (546,000 by First Nations and 224,000 by commercial fishermen) compared to the Canadian allowable catch of 1,443,000.
This does not include the raging black market for sockeye caught outside of sanctioned fisheries. I implore you to only purchase sockeye from reputable sources.
Focus will now shift to First Nations commercial fisheries on surplus sockeye destined for their territories.
Next week, I will be taking a look at what has been happening in South Coast recreational fisheries.
Greg will be providing weekly fisheries updates, which we will publish here on Fridays. Stay tuned.
