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DFO Opens 11-Day Fraser River Sockeye Fishery With Two-Fish Limit

The short window follows a forecast of roughly 9.6 million returning sockeye, the biggest Fraser run since 2018.

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Commercial fishermen Neil Kershaw and Mick Ries on the Fraser River as a major and unexpected surge of sockeye salmon has the Department of Fisheries and Oceans opening access that many say is too limited for the amount of fish that is available.

Overview

  • Recreational retention runs Aug. 22 to Sept. 1 on the non-tidal Fraser from the Mission bridge to Hope, with a daily limit of two sockeye per angler.
  • The opening is the first opportunity for Fraser River sockeye retention since September 2022.
  • The Pacific Salmon Commission projects about 9.6 million sockeye returning, the largest Fraser forecast since 2018 and the biggest outside dominant-cycle years since 1997.
  • Local guide Dean Werk welcomed the decision but criticized the short notice and called for a higher bag limit of four fish and an earlier start.
  • An open letter from fishing and community groups argued a broader opening would have minimal impact on late-run fish and could generate $17–$31 million in local spending and added conservation funding.