Fraser River sockeye fishery shuts down after low early returns

The Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery will remain closed for now, the Pacific Salmon Commission's Fraser River Panel decided Tuesday, after lower than expected returns from two early runs, reports CBC News.

“The initial testing we've been doing and assessments are indicating [returns are] not very good at all," said Mike Lapointe, chief biologist of the Pacific Salmon Commission.

So far, only the early Stuart and early summer Fraser River sockeye runs have been assessed, which represent only a small fraction of all the sockeye expected to return to the Fraser this summer.