Kitwanga Sockeye Recovery Plan Backgrounder

Kitwanga sockeye abundance has been in decline for the last five decades. Constraints to sockeye production are not well understood; it is thought they stem from a combination of problems that include high harvest rates in the management of the Skeena River mixed stock fishery and the alteration of critical spawning and rearing habitat. This backgrounder has been prepared for the Kitwanga Sockeye Recovery Plan (KSRP) planning table, a Gitanyow Fisheries Authority (GFA) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) initiative. It presents a brief profile of biophysical characteristics, a description of the fisheries resource, and known anthropogenic effects on habitats in the Kitwanga Watershed.