Effects of Angling on Chinook Salmon for the Nicola River, British Columbia, 1996–2002

Abstract

AbstractTo sustain viable fish populations, protect stocks of wild salmon Oncorhynchus spp., and successfully manage the Pacific salmon fishery, all sources of fishing mortality need to be understood. The fishery targeting Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha is an important component of the commercial, recreational, and First Nations fisheries in British Columbia. A mark–recovery study was used to investigate the effect of angling on both the immediate hooking mortality and subsequent spawning success of Chinook salmon in the Nicola River, British Columbia, from 1996 to 2002. The immediate hooking mortality rate was lower than mortality rates reported for marine and other freshwater fisheries. Higher hooking mortality rates were found for fish hooked in critical locations, which were associated with heavy bleeding. However, increased bleeding did not translate into reduced spawning success for those fish that survived. Conclusions regarding hook size and its association with hooking mortality rate and spawning success remain unclear. Using optimal techniques and under the right conditions, catch‐and‐release angling can be an effective conservation and management tool.