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[roeman]

The last 6 test days have shown just over 700 chum for 2025
Last year, 2024, same dates were over 2500 chum.
So the numbers are down, pretty easy to figure out.
So why continue the test nets and taking more fish out of the systems when stocks are low.  Don't need to continue with the test when the answer is already known.
Could never understand the decision making behind this, even in August when sockeye / springs have low number they continue netting..
Anyone know why?

[Easywater]

They probably have a contract or other financial agreement in place with the team that does the test fishing.
I believe that the fish are sold to a restaurant or restaurants so they have a way to offset the cost of running the boat.

[RalphH]

Bruce's Market at #7 and 240th last I heard. They may sell to other vendors such as Longliner at Granville Market which sells "Fraser Spring salmon" through the late spring and summer. Also heard they believe they need a complete data set even if the return is low. PSC did actually cancel sockeye test fisheries when the runs were very low.

They probably have a contract or other financial agreement in place with the team that does the test fishing.
I believe that the fish are sold to a restaurant or restaurants so they have a way to offset the cost of running the boat.

If the contract doesn't have a provision for cancellation for events like this I'd imagine DFO would pay the contractor for any loss. IME with government contracts they all have a cancellation clause. If IIRC 2024 was a pretty good year for chum returns so 1/4 of the return of that years ain't so bad, or so I'd guess.

It matters little since it looks so low that there will be no opening which is ok by me. It just promotes more of the nonsense increasingly seen on the more popular hatchery sluices. Who needs it? I'd be happy if chum in Region 2 were never opened again.

[redside1]

The last 6 test days have shown just over 700 chum for 2025
Last year, 2024, same dates were over 2500 chum.
So the numbers are down, pretty easy to figure out.
So why continue the test nets and taking more fish out of the systems when stocks are low.  Don't need to continue with the test when the answer is already known.
Could never understand the decision making behind this, even in August when sockeye / springs have low number they continue netting..
Anyone know why?

just a fyi
Not sure how you are getting to your numbers but the last 6 days is actually much lower than that the numbers you are quoting. The number is barely over 300 fish fish.
The Chum net only Fishes every second day until October 21. So you need to take the last 3 days of the chum net, (65,34,96,) and the previous 3 days of the Chinook net (25, 26, 66) to get the previous 6 days of test net success.

https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/fraser/albion-eng.html

[avid angler]

It actually blows me away the fishing community doesn’t get more upset about this. Chum numbers are way down, there’s literally 0 steelhead in the Albion so IFS numbers are surely way down this year. The FN got to go hog wild all summer netting sockeye. Now they get an opening to net chum for “food” What a joke. I haven’t read anything about any of this on social media. But I have read about 1 billion comments from beeks crying for a leader restriction that won’t change anything.

[SuperBobby]

Who needs it? I'd be happy if chum in Region 2 were never opened again.

Are you and I actually agreeing on something? I also would be totally fine with non tidal Chum never opening again (all sectors)....meaning there would be absolutely no late season gillnetting for any reason in the Fraser.

1. This would be better for the interior steelhead.
2. It would put more rotting chum on the river banks
3. It would be great for mid-late season Coho numbers.
4. No one eats late season chum anyway. It's a roe fishery....always has been....what a waste.

A permenantly closed Chum season is a win win for the sporties in every respect....

[wildmanyeah]

The FN got to go hog wild all summer netting sockeye. Now they get an opening to net chum for “food” What a joke.

I seen them all lined up under the golden ears bridge the other day fishing. I was like there is no way any of them are eating chum after harvest thousands of sockeye and chinook all summer.

maybe they are feeding it to their sled dogs, so they will be able to navigate the Lower mainland

[avid angler]

They barely eat sockeye and chinook. There is no way there eating chum