Salmon fishermen thinking about casting their lines in the Babine River west of Prince George will have to rethink those plans.
High water temperatures and low river flows have increased stress levels of the fish as they approach their spawning grounds in Babine Lake tributaries and that’s convinced the Lake Babine Nation to close the Babine River recreational fishery between Tse Tesli (Babine) counting fence and the Nilkitwa River until further notice.
“Salmon are our life, but wild salmon populations are in decline,” said Lake Babine Nation chief Murphy Abraham. “Over 90 per cent of the wild salmon coming up the Skeena spawn in the Babine Lake tributaries, and we need to make sure that they make it so there can be the next generation of fish.”
The recreational fishery for anglers on the shores of Babine Lake remains open.
With drought conditions persisting in the area there is less food available for bears and they are approaching the Babine River, raising the potential for more contact with humans.
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has utilized the Tse Tesli counting fence to measure salmon stocks against the Tyee Test Fishery since the since the 1990s.
“Lake Babine Fisheries takes conservation science very seriously,” said Donna MacIntyre, director of Lake Babine Fisheries. “An accurate count is essential for forecasting future runs and maintaining healthy stocks.”
For more information on closures and allowable catch limits for salmon in the Skeena watershed, go to the website.
https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=286339&ID=all
