Long season, weak prices

摘要

Salmon fishermen in British Columbia have experienced something this year they haven't seen in decades: a year-round fishery. With area licensing, however, only trollers licensed for B.C.'s North Coast have been fishing since January. South Coast trollers had an early chinook fishery off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and net fishermen started their salmon season in June. North Coast trollers have been permitted to fish since October 2001, but effort was low until late spring of 2002. The fishery was closed June 8 because of West Coast of Vancouver Island chinook concerns, but up to that point, over 70,000 chinook were caught. The fishery was rescheduled to open August 1 for coho, pink, and chum, and on September 8 for chinook again.