Salmon talk?

[naden 136]

Some people say the kam used to have a good run of chinook, I’ve also read that it was never really that good. Not sure which is correct as I never really fished the kam until recently. My understanding is the omnrf has allowed the hatchery to continue on a wait and see basis as the kam never had much potential anyways. Powley, how many of those fish were hatchery fish?

 

As for the Nipigon, boat traffic seems to have increased, every salmon caught is kept and opg seems to reduce flow every fall now, can’t be good for spawning fish!

[Powley9 4]

8 minutes ago, naden said:

Some people say the kam used to have a good run of chinook, I’ve also read that it was never really that good. Not sure which is correct as I never really fished the kam until recently. My understanding is the omnrf has allowed the hatchery to continue on a wait and see basis as the kam never had much potential anyways. Powley, how many of those fish were hatchery fish?

 

As for the Nipigon, boat traffic seems to have increased, every salmon caught is kept and opg seems to reduce flow every fall now, can’t be good for spawning fish!

I believe it was 6 

[Some Old Guy 968]

I remember that you could pick and chose your salmon in the Kam. You would see them. Standing on the Harstone bridge and looking down would make your jaw drop. 

 

When fishing and wading in the whitefish river 10-20 pound salmon would beach themselves!! 

 

 I am no expert and salmon I’m saying this before I say when I’m going to say. Please correct me if I’m wrong. 

 

 Once the salmon establish themselves in a river they become genetically modified to return to that river. From my understanding there will be stray fish that will use other rivers to spawn. With this being said constantly taking fish roe and milt from the nipigon in river and forcing them into the Kam river is defeating the purpose of established spawners. 

 

I think we also have to look at diversification. The fish theyre grabbing from the nipigon river are all basically just a small group and creating inbred’s. To me if you’re going to stock the Kam river with salmon you need to take the salmon from the Kam river water shed and use those salmon as your stocking stock.

 

Roger

[Spectre 21]

Be great if someone from the salmon association would comment on it but I can't believe that the percent of fish that hatch from spawning naturally and survive to the level that they are released from the hatchery is a lot lower than the percent that survive in the hatchery? 

 

I can't imagine it was all planned and allowed to happen by the Ministry on a whim...

[naden 136]

7 hours ago, Some Old Guy said:

I remember that you could pick and chose your salmon in the Kam. You would see them. Standing on the Harstone bridge and looking down would make your jaw drop. 

 

When fishing and wading in the whitefish river 10-20 pound salmon would beach themselves!! 

 

 I am no expert and salmon I’m saying this before I say when I’m going to say. Please correct me if I’m wrong. 

 

 Once the salmon establish themselves in a river they become genetically modified to return to that river. From my understanding there will be stray fish that will use other rivers to spawn. With this being said constantly taking fish roe and milt from the nipigon in river and forcing them into the Kam river is defeating the purpose of established spawners. 

 

I think we also have to look at diversification. The fish theyre grabbing from the nipigon river are all basically just a small group and creating inbred’s. To me if you’re going to stock the Kam river with salmon you need to take the salmon from the Kam river water shed and use those salmon as your stocking stock.

 

Roger

How long ago was that Roger? Was the hatchery operating then?

[Mossberg81 16]

8 hours ago, Some Old Guy said:

I remember that you could pick and chose your salmon in the Kam. You would see them. Standing on the Harstone bridge and looking down would make your jaw drop. 

 

When fishing and wading in the whitefish river 10-20 pound salmon would beach themselves!! 

 

 I am no expert and salmon I’m saying this before I say when I’m going to say. Please correct me if I’m wrong. 

 

 Once the salmon establish themselves in a river they become genetically modified to return to that river. From my understanding there will be stray fish that will use other rivers to spawn. With this being said constantly taking fish roe and milt from the nipigon in river and forcing them into the Kam river is defeating the purpose of established spawners. 

 

I think we also have to look at diversification. The fish theyre grabbing from the nipigon river are all basically just a small group and creating inbred’s. To me if you’re going to stock the Kam river with salmon you need to take the salmon from the Kam river water shed and use those salmon as your stocking stock.

 

Roger

Yeah roger growing up as a kid the salmon in the kam wer crazy nd in the whitefish river

[Some Old Guy 968]

I’m gonna say around 1993-4 I think it was. 

 

And it was crazy!! My buddies dad was also blown away. Take a look at the salmon on the walls at the Stanley hotel. Those fish were from that era. 

 

 

Roger

[naden 136]

2 hours ago, Some Old Guy said:

I’m gonna say around 1993-4 I think it was. 

 

And it was crazy!! My buddies dad was also blown away. Take a look at the salmon on the walls at the Stanley hotel. Those fish were from that era. 

 

 

Roger

so what happened?

[fishman1 164]

Hatchery fish are not genetically as strong as wild fish, they have little survival instincts. It's been proven in the past, 

kind of like raising moose in a pen, then releasing them up the boreal road the day before opener.

[pastor norm 125]

Hatchery fish as just as strong as a natural fish, individually speaking. 

Once they grow up and survived predation and environmental challenges,

they will have proven themselves as fit as a natural fish. The "weakness" of 

a hatchery fish is not in the individual fish but in the population as a whole.

THey lack genetic variety and are therefore more suseptable to disease, etc.

If we choke our rivers with hatchery fish, you water down the genetic variety

and  pressure the natural population by sheer numbers.

 

Imprinting the fry with the smells of their nursery river is what naturals

do just like the hatchery fry.  They follow that scent back home to spawn,

however, some fish end up in rivers that are not the waters that incubated them.

And it's a good thing because all the salmon in the world would exist in 

one river if they never strayed from home..  When these "rover" fish spawn , the majority of 

their offspring will either be eaten or spawn in the same river, with some 

minor adaptations (shorter snout, perhaps, a broader caudal fin, etc -- ever seen the

chinooks south of Thunder Bay?    big tails).  When these 

offspring spawn, they will more likely prefer a partner similar to themselves, which 

is sexual selection.  A minority of the fry from those rover salmon will themselves be 

rovers and find themselves in other rivers different than their native stream.

 

It's this pattern that developed all the various salmon stocks around the world.

From Pinks to Chinooks. 

[fishman1 164]

[pastor norm 125]

here's an easy to understand article from 2016.  It's a little more balanced.  However, whenever a commercial fisherman gets a chance to give his point of view, all it seems to matter to them is more tonnage of fish flesh for the market.  No concern for the genetic quality at all.

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/scientists-question-whether-bc-fish-hatcheries-do-more-harm-thangood/article31939725/

[Jelly Belly 86]

From the few fish I've caught the last 6 years. I have not ever caught one with a clipped fin. Wasnt on the board posting this year but did good catching salmon this year. Here is a few of the catches.

[Barrski 24]

The salmon association use to run a post site that allowed you to enter ur fish on a regular basis, 

the spread sheet allowed you to enter information which included weight and clipped or not clipped 

hasn’t been active for over 5 yrs but it was good info