954 thousand pounds in 1978. The total allowable harvest 

 has since been progressively reduced to 200 thousand 

 pounds in 1981, which is probably close to a sustainable 

 yield. 



Little is known about the recruitment and growth rates 

 of abalone, or about the current abundance of stocks. But 

 experience in the United States suggests that abalone are 

 highly vulnerable to overfishing and that stocks recover 

 very slowly once they have been overfished. Opportuni- 

 ties may exist for culturing abalone to supplement wild 

 production. 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS 



The condition of our fish stocks is better than many 

 commentators have suggested. Herring stocks, for the 

 most part, appear to be healthy. And, with the exception 

 of halibut and a few other stocks, groundfish are in good 

 condition as well. With improved biological information, 

 we should be able to manage these fisheries so that 

 exploitation will not endanger the viabihty of the stocks. 



Hahbut stocks are seriously depressed, but the causes 

 have been recognized and steps have been taken to con- 

 trol them. Moreover, the record of the International 

 Pacific Halibut Commission suggests that the manage- 



THE RESOURCES 17 



ment of these stocks is in capable hands. I am also 

 satisfied that, with a few exceptions, stocks of the many 

 minor but often very valuable invertebrate species are in 

 good condition. But demands on them are increasing, 

 and this will require more management attention. 



My investigation of the condition of our salmon 

 resource leaves me much less sanguine, however. Con- 

 cern is clearly warranted for those stocks in decline; and 

 in the case of certain chinook and coho stocks, the situa- 

 tion appears to be urgent. Equally worrisome is the weak- 

 ness of the data used to monitor catch and escapement. 

 Without substantial improvements in these areas, revers- 

 ing the declines in some stocks and realizing the substan- 

 tial potential from stock rehabilitation will be impossible. 



In many respects the most encouraging and challeng- 

 ing finding from the review of the resources and the 

 fisheries is the potential for significantly increasing the 

 yields from the major fisheries. Salmon landings could be 

 roughly doubled, and herring and halibut landings could 

 be more than doubled. The potential rewards from 

 expanded production are great, and well worth the 

 needed effort. In later chapters I propose specific mea- 

 sures to provide the necessary improvements in fishery 

 management and to restructure the fisheries so that these 

 potential benefits can be realized. 



FOOTNOTES 



1. North-Pacific International Chapter of the Amencan Fisheries 

 Society, Exhibit # 148, p. 4. 



2. The data for the commercial catch are based on Blake Campbell, 

 "Summary of Salmon Landings in British Columbia by Species 

 and Gear." Memorandum prepared for this Commission, 1981; the 

 sport catches of chinook, coho and pink are extrapolated from 

 DPA Consulting Limited, "1980-81 Georgia Strait Sport Fishing 

 Creel Survey Summary." Prepared for the Department of Fisheries 

 and Oceans, April 1982; the catch of the Indian food fishery is 

 based on Department of Fishenes and Oceans, Exhibit #167, 

 Table 1. 



3. For the years preceding 1920, data were obtained from Sixty-First 

 Annual Report of the Fisheries Branch . Department of Marine and 

 Fisheries, Ottawa, 1928. pp. 86-87. (Production is reported in 

 packed cases; the following pieces per case are used for conver- 

 sion; sockeye, chum and coho - 13 pieces per case; chinook - 7 

 pieces per case; pink - 20 pieces per case); for the period 1920 to 

 1976, from Historical Catch Statistics for Salmon of the North 

 Pacific Ocean . International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, 

 Bulletin No. 39, Vancouver, 1979. Table 63; for 1977 to 1980 from 

 Annual Summary of British Columbia Catch Statistics 1980 . 

 Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Vancouver, 1981. 



4. Additional Information on the Exploitation, Scientific Investiga- 

 tion, and Management of Salmon Stocks on the Pacific Coasts of 

 Canada and the United States in Relation to the Abstention Provi- 

 sions of the North Pacific Fisheries Convention . International 

 North Pacific Fisheries Commission, Bulletin No. 29, Vancouver, 

 1974; E.H. Vernon, Eraser River Sockeye: The Stocks and Their 

 Enhancement. Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Vancouver, 

 January 1982. 



5. W.E. Ricker. Changes in the Average Size and Average Age of 

 Pacific Salmon, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sci- 

 ence , (in press). 



6. Milne, D.J. (Prepared by H. Godfrey), Sizes and Age of Chinook 

 (Oncorh y nchus tshawytsc ha) and Coho (O. Kisutch) Salmon in the 

 British Columbia T roll Fishe ries (1952-1959) and the Eraser River 

 GiUnet Fishery ( 1956-1959). Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 

 MRS (Biological), No. 776, Ottawa, 1964. 



7. Vernon. Eraser River Sockeye . 



8. International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, Bulletin No. 29 . 



9. W.E. Ricker, Productive Capacity of Canadian Fisheries . Fisheries 

 Research Board of Canada, Nanaimo Biological Station, Circular 

 No. 64. Nanaimo, 1962. 



10. Vernon, Eraser River Sockeye . 



1 1 . International North Pacific Fisheries Commission, Bulletin No. 29 . 

 p. 28. 



12. North-Pacific International Chapter of the American Fisheries 

 Society, Exhibit # 148, p. 2. 



13. Vernon. Eraser River Sockeye , p. 18. 



14. D.J. Spalding, Comparative Feeding Habits of the Fur Seal, Sea 

 Lion, and Harbour Seal on the British Columbia Coast . Fisheries 

 Research Board of Canada, Bulletin No. 146, Ottawa, 1964. 



15. Personal Communication, M. Bigg, Pacific Biological Station. 



