We propose to maintain increased coded-wire tagging (CWT) for nine Chinook indicator stocks in B.C. that contribute to Northern and Southern Boundary Area fisheries. This proposal will fund incremental tagging beyond the base level provided by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in order to meet standards derived by the PSC CWT work group to account for survival rate, fishery sampling rate, exploitation rate, and an 80% probability of attaining a minimum standard of observed CWT recoveries. This work has been funded through the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) Coded Wire Tag Improvement Fund from 2009-2013, and the PSC Northern Endowment Fund and as a Very High Priority Chinook project in 2014-2016. This project proposes to maintain the increased tagging rates on the highest priority indicator stocks through to 2018, until which time CWTs will be the primary fishery assessment tool for Chinook salmon. This proposal addresses several priorities for implementation of the PST and will improve the ability to better manage the Chinook stocks and fisheries of relevance to the PST.

This proposal is for stocks providing the majority of benefits, based on total fishing mortality distribution, to Northern and Southern Boundary Area fisheries. This proposal addresses nine stock groups represented by CWT indicator programs on Robertson (WCVI), Quinsam (Upper Georgia Strait), Lower Shuswap and Nicola (Fraser Early), Atnarko (Central Coast), Kitsumkalum (North Coast), Harrison and Chilliwack (Fraser Late), and Cowichan (lower Georgia Strait) populations. When these stocks are healthy and abundant they can be large contributors to Southeast Alaska (SEAK), Northern British Columbia (NBC) and West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) fisheries.

This project consists of the collection and analyses of genetic samples of Chinook salmon caught by the Northern British Columbia Troll fishery each season. The troll fishery typically has the largest annual catch of Chinook salmon in Northern British Columbia, and is managed within the aggregate abundance based management (AABM) regime described in the Pacific Salmon Treaty (1999). The Haida Gwaii (QCI) sport fishery is included within the regime. The sport fishery receives a priority allocation, but the troll fishery typically harvests more Chinook salmon than the sport fishery when operating in the absence of domestic constraints. Genetic samples of Northern BC Troll Chinook catch are a key component of Canada’s domestic fishery management to avoid stocks of concern. Genetic analyses of tissues collected from this fishery allow for estimates of stock specific impacts and comparison to coded wire tag estimates of stock contributions to this fishery. These data are useful to the assignment of Chinook mortalities for the purposes of specific stock management (e.g. WCVI Chinook or local concerns for Yakoun River or Kwinamass River Chinook) and for accounting of Nisga’a Treaty entitlements. The data are also used to generate escapement and terminal run size estimates for stocks or stock groups with representative coded wire tagged components.