First Nations tribal council suspends Okanagan sockeye salmon fishery

One more effect of the drought.

The tribal council representing eight First Nation communities in British Columbia’s Okanagan has suspended the area’s recreational and commercial sockeye salmon fishery – and says a full closing of food fishing is likely coming – as the salmon run comes in far lower than expected.

The Okanagan Nation Alliance was set to open the fishery on Osoyoos Lake this weekend with a historic salmon run forecast for the Columbia River system. But only about 18,000 to 45,000 of the projected 375,000 fish are expected to survive the journey.

“We were ramping up fisheries and prepping for full scale fisheries on all fronts for our food needs, for the recreational and the commercial fishing, with surpluses to be had,” said Richard Bussanich, a fish biologist with the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Because of drought conditions, there’s a higher than normal mortality rate among the salmon.

“It doesn’t look good,” he said.