This project will support DNA analysis of samples collected in the Victoria area fishery. The objective is to estimate stock composition of the catch of chinook salmon in the Victoria area sport fishery with a specific focus on estimating fishery related mortality in this fishery of spring and summer 52 chinook returning to the Fraser River as well as other chinook stocks of concern such as Nooksack.
This project consists of 1) additional sampling effort within the existing creel survey to increase probability of achieving a minimum 100 DNA samples per month from April-September, and 2) DNA lab analysis of the tissue sample, and 3) reporting to the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Southern Fund and fishery stakeholders. A priority is placed on June and July sampling coinciding with peak migration timing of spring and summer 52 Fraser chinook – but sampling May to August will be addressed in this proposal.
Note there are no CWT indicators for the Fraser spring and summer 52 chinook. Since exploitation is primarily in the Fraser and Juan de Fuca, the exploitation can be approximated using the run reconstruction of Fraser River chinook salmon, which provides estimates of total return to the mouth of the Fraser. Information related to mortality of other stock groups may also be used in chinook FRAM and in Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation.