Read this story from CBC.ca, reporting that the commercial and recreational sockeye fisheries likely won’t open in 2012, due to low returns on the Fraser River. (Aug. 16, 2012)

British Columbia’s lucrative commercial and recreational sockeye salmon fishery is not likely to open this year, as Fisheries and Oceans Canada says there are simply not enough fish coming back.

Although there has been enough returning fish to fill the spawning grounds and open an aboriginal fishery, numbers have actually started to decrease.

In order for a commercial fishery to operate, the number of summer run sockeye salmon would have had to be roughly double last week’s count.

“Returns to some of the populations this year have been fairly good,” said Barry Rosenberger, co-chair of the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Fraser River Panel.

“But overall, we haven’t achieved a total abundance that would allow us to commercially fish.”

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/15/bc-sockeye-salmon-fishery.html