Question for Nelly

[adipose clipper]

Nelly,

Every year we bang out some big silvers this week at Sekui. Which rivers do these 17-22 lb silvers go to?

ac

[Nelly]

Hey AC,
I would be lying to you if I said I knew for sure.

Every healthy population of salmonids has a wide range of size and run timing variations. The strength of a particular stock of fish is rooted in the resiliency borne of genetic variability.

In plain english, if all individuals in a particular stock of salmon exited the river as juveniles in one mass, couldn't they get wiped out by a flock of cormorants and/or terns?
If the same stock fed in the same place in the ocean, for the same period of time and returned in one school, couldn't they get harvested by one purse seiner or gillnet opening?

Mother Nature has "hedged the bet" by spreading out populations spatially and temporally, eliminating the possibility of a population all suffering the same, unfortunate fate.

The larger individuals in a stock of coho may have an extra year of fresh water growth but more likely spent a bit more time on the oceanic pasture or found a particularly rich area in which to feed and grow quickly.

I've been fortunate enough to find 20 pound class coho in the Skagit, Snohomish and Cowlitz systems and undoubtedly there are more systems that produce huge silvers!

If we ask nicely, perhaps we might get Smalma to "weigh in" on this issue.."Weigh in"...get it???

[Smalma]

Those 17 to 22# silvers are VERY nice fish!!

Agree with Nelly in that is always great varability within the various salmon populations and in the case of the size there always seems to be some individuals that are larger than their mates. But as your question implies there are populations/rivers thathave exceptional fish (larger than average, different run timing, etc). Here in Washington one of the late Grays Harbor fish (Satsop) historically produced some of the largest coho in the State - likely a combination of rich feeding grounds and late run timing (access to lots of forage for a longer than normal period). The size of the early run Columbia fish (August ) has always surprised me with their size.

Here in Puget Sound the Snohomish followed by the Stillaguamish and Samish seem to have the largest average size and would be good bets to a fish of that exceptional size. Though have to be honest there are not very many fish that size most years though every once in a while (2001 comes to mind) where such fish are much more common.

Remember Sekiu is very much a mixed stock fishery with fish from some pretty diverse areas. I remember a couple years ago where there was a high contribution of Columbia River summer Chinook to the Sekiu summer selective fishery. In regards to coho there are lots of BC coho taken in the straits. I suspect that many of those larger fish could be headed for waters to the north.

It is that contribution of Canadian coho that accounts for much of the low mark rate during the coho selective fishery. While not a large stock, the upper Fraser/Thompson coho is a key stock which tends to limit thecoho fishing on the northern coast and the straits; which for some reason seems to be that stocks major feeding area. By agreement with the BC the Washington fisheries are limited to no more than a 10% impact on them.

BTW -
The average Puget Sound coho are smaller today than 50 years ago due in at least part by heavy gill net fishing (and the size selection those nets place on the population). The reason that the Snohomish, Stillaguamish, and Samish may have a larger average size is those populations are not exposed to as constant gill net fishery (little or no in river fishing). Contrast the Skagit where the retuning fish are exposed to gill nets in the bay, then the lower river and then the middle river. The gillnet fishery is staggered such that virtually all segments of the run are exposed to the nets. Those fish fortunate enough to return to the river during closures on the Bay are likely to be exposed to one or more net seasons before reaching their spawning grounds. While on say the Snohomish those fish that pass through those bay closures get a free pass (at least in regard to the net exposure) in the river; in the end ,fewer of the ultimate spawners have been exposed to the selection of gill nets.

Tight lines
Curt

[Robbo]

Here's link to the the 2011 North of Falcon coho forecast for Washington that might help you

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/ ... ecasts.pdf

[adipose clipper]

Thanks for the responses.

I know where the big silvers don't go. Area 11