Stock Assessment of Early Run Skeena River Coho Salmon and Recommendations

Concerns have previously been expressed for the stock status of early run Skeena River coho salmon because of declining escapement levels. Available data on spawning escapements and subsequent recruitment were analyzed using a Ricker model under various assumptions about fishery interception rates to derive maximum sustainable yield (MSY) escapement levels. A key feature of this analysis was the use of a test fishing index, collected in a consistent manner since 1956, to derive the escapement to the river-mouth, rather than the usual visual observations made on the spawning grounds. The major weakness of the analysis was the number of assumptions that had to be made about the catch distribution of the stock.