This year’s Chinook salmon run was significantly larger than forecast according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Local Resource Manager Michael Spence said the actual run size was almost 20% higher than predicted.
“The run size was predicted to be 83,000 but we’re closer to 100,000 right now,” said Spence. “We’ve had strong returns for the past three years, and it’s continuing this year.”
Spence said the ocean survival rate seems to have improved for local Chinook, but they don’t know why.
Robertson Creek Hatchery had more than enough brood stock to choose from, taking 20,000 Chinook to harvest 6.2 million eggs for incubation.
More than 14,000 fish were left to spawn naturally, above the lagoon and below Stamp Falls, although biologists don’t know how successful they will be.
Spence said Coho returns were weaker than normal this year, but still a healthy run of around 20,000 fish.