Research Document - 2001/134

Summary of stock assessment information for selected early returning chinook salmon populations of the Fraser River watershed

By Bailey, R.E., Irvine, J.R, Candy, J.R., Parken, C.K., Lemke, S.L., Sullivan, M., and M. Wetklo

Abstract

Escapement histories and recent catch data were summarised and reviewed for four early-timed Fraser River spring-run chinook populations; Birkenhead River, Coldwater River, Spius Creek, and upper Chilcotin River. A thorough assessment of the status of these populations is difficult since the quality of spawner escapement data is generally poor for Coldwater River, Spius Creek, and upper Chilcotin River populations although there was a short but consistent time series of surveys on the Birkenhead River. Analyses of the data do not indicate any temporal pattern although escapements of each population have been extremely low (<250 spawners) on several occasions over the past decade. Based on DNA and CWT analyses, it is clear that most harvest occurs in the lower Fraser First Nations fishery, especially for Spius and Coldwater River populations, although Birkenhead and Chilcotin populations are caught on occasion in marine fisheries. The apparent exploitation rate for the four populations (pooled) was about 33% by the end of April, 2000.

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