THE RESOURCES 11 



The number of fish landed reveals no distinct long- 

 term trend. Landings in the 1930s averaged just under 20 

 million fish, and in the 1940s and 1950s just over 20 mil- 

 lion. Since then they have increased slightly to average 23 

 million in the 1960s and 22 million in the 1970s. The rise 

 in the last two decades can probably be credited largely 

 to increasingly stringent restrictions on the commercial 

 fishery for most species. These restrictions, introduced for 

 many stocks in the early 1960s, and the more precise 

 regulation of some stocks — particularly Fraser River 

 sockeye and pinks placed under management of the 

 International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission — 

 allowed increased escapement, which was critical to stock 

 expansion." In addition, more intensive habitat protec- 

 tion and conservation efforts begun in the 1960s; and the 

 early fishways, hatcheries and spawning channels, have 

 undoubtedly contributed to the rise to some extent. 



The historical record of pounds of salmon landed 

 reveals some interesting fluctuations. Average landings 

 were relatively stable during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s 

 at about 150 million pounds per year. Then a noticeable 

 decline occurred in the 1960s, when the average fell to 

 137 million pounds. In the 1970s the average recovered to 

 142 million pounds. 



While the pounds of fish landed declined during the 

 1960s, the number increased. This can be explained 

 partly by the declining average size of all species except 

 sockeye taken in the commercial fishery.^ This is believed 

 to reflect genetic responses to continuous fishing with 

 nets that tend to take a higher proportion of the larger 

 fish from most stocks. It could also be due to the increas- 

 ing proportion of the catch being taken by troll vessels; 

 the average age and size of chinook and coho caught with 

 troll gear has apparently been declining since the 1920s.'' 



Analyses of the catch and escapement data that are 

 available for the last two or three decades, together with 

 the longer-term information on catches, allow us to make 

 some observations about trends in stocks and potential 

 yields. The Commission, with the help of expert advisors, 

 has made these analyses for each salmon species by 

 major production areas. The detailed findings relating to 

 present and potential catch and escapement from these 

 stocks are presented in Appendix D, and are only briefly 

 summarized here. 



Sockeye Landings of sockeye historically were sub- 

 stantially higher than they have been in recent decades. 

 (See Figure D-1, Appendix D.) Fraser River stocks, 

 which have contributed over half of the total sockeye 

 catch in the 1970s, were devastated by the disasters at 

 Hells Gate in 1913 and 1914. Fishways to improve the 

 upstream passage of sockeye at Hells Gate began operat- 

 ing in 1945, and Fraser sockeye stocks recovered from an 

 average annual abundance of 3.1 million fish in the 1914- 



1949 period to 5.5 million in the 1950-1980 period.' Since 

 1940, Fraser sockeye have been managed by the Interna- 

 tional Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission. 



Catch and escapement analyses show that stocks are 

 stable or increasing in all areas except for the central 

 coast region and Rivers-Smith Inlets, where stocks have 

 been declining. Strict controls have been placed on 

 fishing for the Rivers Inlet stocks, however, and there are 

 encouraging signs that the decline is being reversed. 



The optimum average annual catch of sockeye, coast- 

 wide, is estimated to be some 11.1 million fish, 4.1 million 

 greater than the 7.0 million currently taken. (This number 

 is greater than that given in Table 2-2, which applies to a 

 different period.) (For present and potential catch and 

 escapement data broken down by area, see Table D-1. 

 Appendix D.) 



Chum Chum landings declined throughout the 1950s 

 and the first half of the 1960s. Only recently has it been 

 recognized that chum salmon are much less productive 

 than other species and thus can sustain a catch of only a 

 small fraction of the total stock. The persistent decline is 

 believed to have resulted from excessive harvesting 

 throughout most of this century. Recovery began in the 

 late 1960s on the south coast — the most important area 

 — after the commercial fishery had been severely 

 restricted to allow increased spawning escapements.* (See 

 Figure D-2, Appendix D.) 



Analyses show that Fraser River stocks are now 

 increasing significantly. In most other areas the stocks 

 appear to be stable or increasing slightly except for the 

 northwest Vancouver Island area where a recovery, 

 which began in the late 1960s, has not been sustained, 

 and the southern Queen Charlotte Islands area, where a 

 decline has persisted since the mid 1960s. 



Analyses of current and optimum chum salmon yields 

 indicate that current catches, which average just under 

 1.5 million fish, could be more than doubled to 3.2 mil- 

 lion fish or more. Almost half of the potential for 

 increased chum harvests lies in the Fraser River stocks, 

 but in all areas the optimum is significantly greater than 

 current catches. (See Table D-2, Appendix D for details.) 



Pink The pink salmon catch has varied widely from 

 year to year due in part to its two-year cycle and in part 

 to fluctuations in population sizes. However, no long- 

 term increase or decline is apparent. (See Figure D-2, 

 Appendix D.) And the remarkable reinvasion of pinks 

 into the upper Fraser River system since 1945, when 

 fishways were built at Hells Gate, has offset the extinc- 

 tion of many small local stocks. 



Analyses of catch and escapement data indicate that 

 stocks have been stable or increasing moderately in most 

 areas. Fraser River (odd year) stocks show a strong rising 



