•s^ \PI'JM)I\ I) 



Table l>-2 shtiws thai the t)ptimiim average .mriu.il 

 chum catch is m excess ot 3.2 million tish, over twice the 

 present catch of approximatelv 1.5 million, lor all areas, 

 the estimated optimum catch is substantially greater than 

 what IS beuii; taken now, with almost half ot the potential 

 tor increa.sed production lying in the fra.ser River system. 



Those areas in which the ptitential tor increased chum 

 catches are shown to be greatest also require substantial 



increa.ses in spawning escapement. Cbastwide, escape- 

 ments need to he increased from the present 2.4 million 

 to more than 3.4 million, increasing Jra.ser River escape- 

 ments to more than double the present levels ( 1 million as 

 opposed to 435 thousand) could yield a more than ihrec- 

 tbld increa.se in catch. Substantial scope lor increa.sed 

 escapement in the Queen Charlotte south and Central 

 coast areas is al.so indicated. 



Table D-3 



Current and optimum catch and escapement of pink salmon originating in Canadian rivers estimated by 

 major production area 



' The ranges reflect uncertainty about optimum exploitation rates and a lack of knowledge about the spawner-recruitment relationship. 

 ' The ranges reflect both uncertainty over escapement, problems with interception in other fisheries and perceived difficulties in effectively harvesting 

 the available surplus from each substock. 



Table D-3 shows that the current pink catches average 

 between 10 million in even years and II million in odd 

 years. Optimum catches were not estimated for all pro- 

 duction areas, primarily because of extreme uncertainty 

 in optimal escapement estimates. But, to obtain a rough 

 perspective on the overall potential pink catches for those 

 areas where an optimum catch is not estimated, the opti- 

 mum has been assumed to be equal to the current. With 

 this assumption, the potential is some 18.6 million fish for 

 even years and 1 1 .2 miUion for odd. Some opportunites 

 for substantial catch increases have been identified, par- 

 ticularly in the central coast and Johnstone Strait areas. 



The data on optimum escapement indicate that the 

 lower range of the estimate for the Skeena River is below 

 the current levels, which implies that exploitation rates 

 are also presently below the optimum. Increased escape- 

 ments are indicated as optimal on the central coast in 

 keeping with the indication of significant potential har- 

 vests for that area. In other areas the current and opti- 

 mum estimated escapement figures are not badly out of 

 balance, particularly in view of the wide ranges in the 

 optimum estimates. 



