Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[MetalAndFeathers]

Stopped at the Vedder on my way to the interior to toss a nymph around for a bit and to my surprise I caught a small bass! It was around 8 inches long and wiggled out of my hands before I could snap a pic but I'm 100% sure it was a bass... unless squawfish have turned green and got spines Anyone know how long bass have been In there? Never heard of em in the vedder before

[Rodney]

Where on the Vedder?

Smallmouth bass are pretty established now in Cultus Lake so it wouldn't be surprising to see them coming down into the river. Sumas River is full of largemouth bass as well and you will encounter them in the lower section of the canal.

[MetalAndFeathers]

Where on the Vedder?

Smallmouth bass are pretty established now in Cultus Lake so it wouldn't be surprising to see them coming down into the river. Sumas River is full of largemouth bass as well and you will encounter them in the lower section of the canal.

Learn something new every day, I got it just down from the crossing on the Yarrow side

[wildmanyeah]

Cultus lake has turned into a horrible nursery for Sockeye, Should just declare them extinct and move on.

Its hopeless

[Damien]

wildman, are you going to say that every time Cultus is mentioned?

[wildmanyeah]

wildman, are you going to say that every time Cultus is mentioned?

Not if some good news come out of cultus lol

Maybe if the goverment stopped giving us BS hadounts about cultus lake sockeye evey meeting http://frafs.ca/sites/default/files2/2019%20Fraser%20Sockeye%20Forecast.pdf

The amount of funding spent on cultus lake sockeye is probably best spent elsewhere.

[Dave]

The amount of funding spent on cultus lake sockeye is probably best spent elsewhere.

Matt, I hate to say this because a lot of me is in this stock, but I agree.  Despite spending millions of $$ on these fish, they are not responding; only a very few wild Cultus sockeye remain and what few fish return are of hatchery origin. 
 

[CohoJake]

Matt, I hate to say this because a lot of me is in this stock, but I agree.  Despite spending millions of $$ on these fish, they are not responding; only a very few wild Cultus sockeye remain and what few fish return are of hatchery origin.

I gotta wonder what % of these fish are bonked in the Vedder because anglers see a clipped adipose and think coho.  It is possible to clip another fin . . .

[wildmanyeah]

I gotta wonder what % of these fish are bonked in the Vedder because anglers see a clipped adipose and think coho.  It is possible to clip another fin . . .

I am not an expert on this stock but I think stuff like that impact but by no means the smoking gun. Off course taking the last few sockeye that make it back does have huge impact.

 Think I read somewhere that Wild Cultus lake sockeye survival from the Fry to smolt stage is like 2%.  Then you have to think that at best the ocean survival of those smolts is like 4%. So you start off with 10,000 fry,  200 smolts leave the lake, 8 sockeye return to the river. The exploitation rate they are trying to get down to 20%.  so 2 die to fishing exploitation and your left with 6 fish left at the cultus lake fence.

The thing that pains me is this stock from what I have read is genetically very distinct.  The sockeye can be in like 22C water and show almost no signs of distress.

For this fish to recover its like, Remove all the development from around the lake, Stop all fishing for sockeye in the ocean and river during there migration, remove invasive plants from the lake, remove predators from the lake.

The laundry list is so unattainable for managers that they are like okay lets use hatchery to try to keep them alive as long as possible and hope that ocean survival rates return to like 10%.


I could be way off but it that's my interpretation of the whole thing.

[RalphH]

how many female sockeye does it take to produce 10,000 fry?

"All the predators" would include cutthroat and bull trout and either species can reach several pounds in Cultus. Current regulations requires trout and char over 50cm be released.

The most likely issue with the lake is over use by people & the resulting decline in water quality. Maybe we should remove the people from the environment & restrict any subsequent use to be a low impact as possible?

Much less likely to happen than removing all the predators. Illustrates why there is such declines. Everyone pays mouth service to the issues but is unwilling to make real sacrifices to make a difference.

[Dave]

I gotta wonder what % of these fish are bonked in the Vedder because anglers see a clipped adipose and think coho.  It is possible to clip another fin . . .

CJ, sorry for the tardy response.  Much consideration was given to what mark would be appropriate for Cultus sockeye, and the decision came down to what was the least stressful and had the lower mortality associated with handling. A mark readily seen by anglers was also necessary; the standard adipose clip met these criteria and DFO already had the equipment, facilities, and skilled personnel to do the job.

For sure, Cultus sockeye have been mistakenly killed by anglers who mis- identified them as hatchery coho but other factors like historic over fishing, degradation of spawning habitat, and early freshwater entry resulting in increased pathogen and parasite loading had a far greater impact on the declivity of these fish.

Here is a bit more info on this stock and the recovery efforts to date.

https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/habitat/cultus/index-eng.html

[wildmanyeah]

If it was not for the efforts of the hard working people that kept this stock a live its would of suffered the same fate as sakinaw lake sockeye.

how many female sockeye does it take to produce 10,000 fry?

"All the predators" would include cutthroat and bull trout and either species can reach several pounds in Cultus. Current regulations requires trout and char over 50cm be released.

The most likely issue with the lake is over use by people & the resulting decline in water quality. Maybe we should remove the people from the environment & restrict any subsequent use to be a low impact as possible?

Much less likely to happen than removing all the predators. Illustrates why there is such declines. Everyone pays mouth service to the issues but is unwilling to make real sacrifices to make a difference.

In sure the actually numbers are available somewhere Ralph if you want to dig into it.

[CohoJake]

how many female sockeye does it take to produce 10,000 fry?

"All the predators" would include cutthroat and bull trout and either species can reach several pounds in Cultus. Current regulations requires trout and char over 50cm be released.

The most likely issue with the lake is over use by people & the resulting decline in water quality. Maybe we should remove the people from the environment & restrict any subsequent use to be a low impact as possible?

Much less likely to happen than removing all the predators. Illustrates why there is such declines. Everyone pays mouth service to the issues but is unwilling to make real sacrifices to make a difference.

Perhaps the simplest way to lower mortality from predators would be to ban outdoor lights along the lake.

[wildmanyeah]

Perhaps the simplest way to lower mortality from predators would be to ban outdoor lights along the lake.

Light pollution is a factor, the lake urbanization is one of the big factors.

The greatest thing about cultus lake is that its been studied for the last 100 years and perhaps that's a reason to keep caring about this stock as we have such a historic background.


https://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_cultus_sockeye_salmon_e.pdf

Edit:

latest science https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40761253.pdf

[RalphH]

If it was not for the efforts of the hard working people that kept this stock a live its would of suffered the same fate as sakinaw lake sockeye.

...and your point is?

I wasn't talking about 'the the efforts of the hard working people that kept this stock a live' as once again you divert to straw man arguments and putting words in my mouth.

Our society isn't willing to give up what is needed to save this salmon stock or moist others for that matter. That's the point.