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Okanagan Nation Scrapping Fish Harvest over Dramatically Reduced Salmon Returns
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, JUL 19 – Discussions focused on Indigenous rights, fisheries governance, and economic reconciliation with Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation leaders highlighting challenges and traditional stewardship practices.
- The Okanagan Nation Alliance announced it will not coordinate a sockeye salmon harvest this year due to low fish returns predicted in 2025.
- This decision follows forecasts of reduced sockeye numbers caused by warm river temperatures exceeding 22°C and drought conditions lowering snowpack and river flow.
- Fisheries manager Chad Fuller said that although 50,000 sockeye passed Wells Dam by mid-July, the thermal barrier delaying migration and low survival raise concerns about harvest sustainability.
- Fuller highlighted that fewer eggs have been deposited in the river and cautioned that if mortality reaches half the population, achieving the target number may be at risk, stressing the importance of strict harvest limits this season.
- ONA is requesting that fishers only take what they need to maximize spawning success, aiming to restore the species and protect Syilx families dependent on the fishery amid ongoing management challenges.
17 Articles
17 Articles
The Record
‘Please only take what you need’: ONA warns of low sockeye returns, asks fishers to limit catch
The fisheries department of the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) is warning the community of a limited harvesting season of sc̓win (sockeye salmon) in the coming weeks, due to a forecast predicting low fish returns.
GNN welcomes fisheries minister for talks on governance, economic reconciliation
The Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation (GNN) welcomed Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson, for a familiarization visit focused on fisheries governance, Indigenous rights, and pathways to economic reconciliation.
‘Please only take what you need’: ONA warns of low sockeye returns, asks fishers to limit catch - The Turtle Island News
By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews The fisheries department of the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) is warning the community of a limited harvesting season of sc̓win (sockeye salmon) in the coming weeks, due to a forecast predicting low fish returns. Although the alliance is not asking its syilx Nation members to stop fishing for sc̓win entirely during the upcoming season, they are asking fishers to limit harvesting …
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