DFO still looking into lowest sockeye return since 1939
KAMLOOPS — After the Department of Fisheries and Oceans revealed the number of sockeye salmon returning to the South Thompson and Adams River fell to its lowest since 1939, it says it’s still looking into what caused the record low numbers.
In DFO’s late-run sockeye report, numbers in the South Thompson totalled 9,700, just 6% of total in 2011. There were 1.2 million sockeye salmon in 1991.
“We’re concerned what those results have shown us,” says Stu Cartwright from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Kamloops. “We’re hoping to let science guide us to help us better understand what may have been the causes. We know it’s very complex, probably not one single issue but a number of issues throughout the life cycle of the salmon that have probably caused some challenges for 2015.”
