The Effect of reduction of Predaceous Fish on survival of young Sockeye Salmon at Cultus Lake

Abstract

By persistent gill-netting in Cultus lake, British Columbia, the predaceous fish which feed on young sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) have been considerably, though unevenly, reduced in numbers. The populations of squawfish and char, of lengths greater than 200 millimetres, were reduced in three years to about 1/10 of their original numbers. The abundance of trout and coho salmon have been much less affected by netting, if at all, though a considerable number have been killed. From the first year of control operations the survival rate of young sockeye salmon was considerably increased. In the three years which have been tested, the mean survival rate has been increased three and a third times over average conditions prior to control. In absolute figures, this represents 3,800,000 migrants saved, which are expected to yield 380,000 adult sockeye. Even disregarding the important cumulative future increase, the immediate return from the work is a quantity of sockeye whose value is many times greater than the cost of control work.