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Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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Chapter 1 Introducti<strong>on</strong>1.0 BackgroundOn the west coast <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> North America, sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> utilize freshwater habitats from theSacramento <strong>River</strong> in California to Kotzebue Sound in Alaska (Burgner 1991). Theirunique life history means that sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> distributi<strong>on</strong> and abundance are, for the mostpart, related to the availability <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> watersheds that c<strong>on</strong>tain linked riverine (for spawning)and lacustrine (for juvenile rearing) habitats. As a result <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this unique habitat use, the twolargest spawning complexes <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> are found within the Bristol Bay watershed<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> southwestern Alaska and the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> drainage basin <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> British Columbia (Burgner1991). These populati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> have supported substantial aboriginal,commercial, and recreati<strong>on</strong>al fisheries for thousands <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> years.While the productivity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Bristol Bay sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> populati<strong>on</strong>s has varied over the past20 years, catches over this period have typically exceeded l<strong>on</strong>g-term averages (Eggers andIrvine 2007). In c<strong>on</strong>trast, the productivity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> utilizing habitats within the<strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin has declined markedly over the past 20 years (Figure 1.1). C<strong>on</strong>cernsover the productivity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> intensified in 2007 and 2008, whenlow returns severely curtailed the fisheries <strong>on</strong> this species (McKinnell et al. 2011). Thereturn <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>ly 1.5 milli<strong>on</strong> adult sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> in 2009 - the lowest number since 1947,about 10% <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the pre-seas<strong>on</strong> forecast <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 10.5 milli<strong>on</strong> fish (Peterman et al. 2010) -reinforced these c<strong>on</strong>cerns and prompted the Governor General in Council to establish aCommissi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Inquiry into the Decline <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Sockeye</strong> Salm<strong>on</strong> in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> (i.e.,Cohen Commissi<strong>on</strong>). In accordance with its terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reference, the Cohen Commissi<strong>on</strong> isrequired to:• C<strong>on</strong>sider the policies and practices <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Fisheries and Oceans Canada withrespect to the sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> fishery in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong>;• Evaluate the causes for the decline <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>;• Investigate the current state <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> and the l<strong>on</strong>g-termprojecti<strong>on</strong>s for those stocks; and,• Develop recommendati<strong>on</strong>s for improving the future sustainability <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> thesockeye salm<strong>on</strong> fishery in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong>.1

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