Fishers are soaking into high gear as the much anticipated late sockeye salmon run is en route to hit the Fraser River as it passes through Johnstone Strait along north Vancouver Island.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has declared a fourth commercial gillnet sockeye opening for Wednesday, just a day after the first 24-hour opening in four years.
Fishers will be able to cast their corks for 12 hours starting at 8 a.m.
"In river test fisheries have remained strong," reported DFO on its website.
To date, 3.95 million sockeye have passed by Mission, including all four runs: the early Stuart, early summer, summer, and late summer runs.
There were about 225,000 early Stuart sockeye and it's estimated there will be 2.0 million early summer and 6.0 summer run sockeye.
The summer run estimates have fluctuated between six and seven million.
DFO has yet to estimate how many late summer sockeye there are but that's the run that is causing all the hoopla as — for the most part — those are the offspring of the 30 million 2010 Adams River batch.
It's believed the fish are along north Vancouver Island right now. Pre-season estimates put the total salmon run between seven and 73 million.
DFO reported good news for the health of the run in the river as temperatures are now down to 18.4 degrees, just 1.2 degrees Celsius above the average. Last week the river's temperature was 20.1 degrees Celsius.
Water levels do remain low, however, as discharge is about 17 per cent below historic averages.
During the fishery retention of chinook, chum and pink salmon is permitted.
Recreation anglers are allowed to keep four salmon along the river, before Mission.
The next Fraser River Panel meeting is Friday.
