An unseasonably cold spring and summer could mean a better than expected return on sockeye salmon in the Fraser River.
Jeff Grout, regional salmon manager for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said the cold water is beneficial to the salmon swimming upstream.
"In general when things are colder, salmon tend to fare better," said Grout. "Flows are still quite a bit above average, temperatures are below average but in general as we go through the summer that should be helpful for the migration."
This year, the salmon return is expected to be around three million, said Grout, which is a stark contrast to last year's record-setting return of 30 million.
"In my 56 years of gillnetting, we've never had a run like last year," said Gus Jacobson, a local gillnetter. "There is fish, how much we really don't know, but it won't be as bananas as it was a year before."
Despite the drop from the previous year, there doesn't seem to be cause for concern. According to Grout, last year was an exceptional year and the research comparing this year's return to other recent runs shows an improvement.
"It's a big difference compared to 2010, but what we usually do is compare to the four years previous, given the four-year life history," said Grout of the salmon. "In 2007 we had 1.5 million salmon return, so it is an improvement on what we saw then."
Thursday will see a small three-hour window when commercial fishermen, like Jacobson, get their first run at the Fraser River.
And for consumers who are looking to buy one of the millions of salmon swimming in, prices should be roughly the same as last year, according to Jacobson.
With a report from CTV's Shannon Paterson
