Thousands of salmon are headed up river to their home systems along the Skeena River to spawn and, despite a favourable run this year, salmon populations overall are still depressed.
But research in the Bulkley and Morice River systems, home streams of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, has been on-going for decades. Now, a new study into the shift in distribution of Morice sockeye is shedding light on their future.
Morice River sockeye populations have been depressed for years. But an electronic tagging program conducted by Wet’suwet’en Fisheries at the Witset Canyon north of Smithers is helping track where Morice sockeye are spawning, which could help Wet’suwet’en Fisheries better understand what new habitats these fish are populating and how to protect them.
“We don’t have many fishers left that can pass the knowledge down,” said Sam Vincent, fisheries technician with Wet’suwet’en Fisheries. “The tagging program is helping us understand the health of the salmon better, but it’s also brining old and and young fishers together to learn and keep the traditions alive.”
