Biologists continue to monitor the salmon run in Okanagan River in Oliver. It has been noted that the Kokanee have begun spawning a month earlier this year. (File photo)
Something seems to have convinced the Okanagan’s Kokanee salmon to begin spawning almost a month earlier than most years.
Okanagan Nation Alliance fish biologist Howie Wright said atypical habits have been recorded, and they could be a reaction to cooler temperatures this summer, or an adaptation to changing climate patterns. But until enough time passes, it’s too early to know if the new migration timeline will be beneficial or not.
However, he said it is possible the Kokanee’s migration didn’t actually begin earlier than normal, but rather it could have simply been noticed sooner.
“It might be that they’ve always spawned at this time but nobody’s ever looked at them,” he said. “But there was about 200-300 in the creek there.”
It’s also possible that only a percentage of the Kokanee have begun migration, with more still to come in the future.
“If it’s just a portion of the population out of Deep Creek doing it, it’s always good to have diversity within the population itself.”
The Okanagan Nation Alliance first reported the Kokanee migration was underway after following up on a tip from the public.
“If we hear there is something happening outside of the normal timing, that’s when we send out staffers to investigate.”
Wright said the Kokanee live in Okanagan Lake, and they spawn between Deep Creek/Hardy Falls and Antler’s Beach, travelling into Peachland from the south.
“It’s not long, maybe 100-200 metres of spawning area,” he said.
The landlocked Kokanee can weigh up to three-to-four pounds he said, which is a little leaner than their four-to-five pound saltwater Sockeye ancestors.
The Kokanee became available for recreational fishermen to catch on July 29, and there’s a limit of two fish per day. Wright said there were over 100 boats out on Lake Osoyoos on the opening day. He said it usually takes 30-60 minutes to reach the limit.
To coincide with the spawning season, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen opens an interpretive summer in Hardy Falls every September, but since the spawning has already begun, the office is now open – staffers have been called upon early and the interpretive walk-throughs are now in session, and the Welcome the Kokanee Salmon Festival took place at Hardy Falls Regional Park in Peachland on Aug. 7, and that event was pushed ahead by three weeks in response to the early return of the spawning Kokanee. Last month, the Okanagan Nation Alliance reported that Sockeye salmon stocks were being recorded at three-to-four times greater than the expected rate, but Wright said the health of Sockeye and Kokanee populations don’t have very much effect on one another.
DAN WALTON
Oliver Chronicle
