| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Guided angler data in annual guide reports provide information on angler demographics, effort and catch for waters and over time. Angling guide reports for the Skeena watershed submitted for the 2007/2008 licence year were entered in the Angling Guide Management System (AGMS), a database developed by BC Environment which contained historical angling guide reports for the 1990/1991 to the 2001/2002 licence years. Data for the 2002/2003 to 2006/2007 and the 2008/2009 licence years are intended to be entered in future years. This report provides a general summary of the 2007/2008 angling guide reports, with some comparisons to historical data contained in AGMS. A total of 38 angling guides reported operations in the Skeena watershed in 2007/2008, with eight guides operating in only unclassified waters, 11 guides operating in only classified waters, and 19 guides operating in both classified and unclassified waters. Angling guides reported 11,066 guided angling days for the Skeena watershed (rivers and lakes) in 2007/2008, the fifth highest number of guided rod days for the 13 licence years in AGMS. Fishing in classified waters accounted for most of the guided angling days (60.7%) in 2007/2008 with most guided angling days in the Babine and Skeena section 2. Guided angling days in unclassified waters were predominantly in the Skeena mainstem section 3, Babine (outside the classified waters period), and unclassified Skeena tributaries. Historically, guided angling effort in AGMS exhibited a bi-modal distribution with an early peak between weeks 27 and 31 (July 15th to August 18th), and a later peak between weeks 37 and 31 (September 23rd to October 26th). However, in 2007/2008 guided angling effort exhibits a unimodal distribution with a broader peak between weeks 28 and 43 (July 22nd to November 10th). This shift from a bimodal to unimodal distribution of guided angling effort appears to be due to a shift of guided angling to unclassified Skeena section 3 in weeks 31 to 37. Overall, 14,380 fish were reported captured by guided anglers in 2007/2008, including steelhead (4,239), pink salmon (3,297), rainbow trout (2,708), sockeye (1,550), coho (1,200), chinook (581), cutthroat trout (380), bull trout (211), Dolly Varden (29), lake trout (18), chum (15), and whitefish (1). The classified waters period in most Skeena waters coincides with time periods when steelhead are expected to be present, except for classified waters that remain classified year round, and Skeena River mainstem sections which has an earlier classified waters period to bracket steelhead and pacific salmon migration times. Over half of the guided angler effort in 2007/2008 were spent in classified waters (6719 days, 61%), which was the eighth highest of the 13 years in the AGMS database and resulted in the capture of 87% of steelhead. 80% of pink salmon, 76% of sockeye salmon and 71% of chinook salmon reported by guided anglers in 2007/2008. Guided angling effort in classified waters was concentrated primarily Skeena River section 2 (classified from July 1st to September 30th) for pacific salmon, and the Babine (classified from September 1st to October 31st) for steelhead. In addition to the Skeena River section 2 and the Babine, guided angler effort in the classified periods in the Bulkley, Sustut and Kitsumkalum were also significant, and accounted for 30% of guided angling effort, with steelhead appearing to be the main target species. Guided angler effort for the Kitsumkalum in the spring (weeks 10 to 21) has increased in recent years, was higher in 2007/2008 than in previous years, and resulted in the capture of both winter run steelhead as well as bull trout (68% of total catch). In 2007/2008, steelhead CPUE was highest in the Babine and Bulkley classified waters, which is consistent with historic information in AGMS. In 2007/2008, guided anglers were reported to spend 4,347 days angling in unclassified waters in the Skeena watershed, based on angling guide reports, and captured primarily rainbow trout and coho salmon. Guided angler effort Skeena River section 3 was highest for all unclassified waters, and resulted primarily in the capture of pink, sockeye and coho salmon. Guided fishing effort in the Babine was second highest for unclassified waters and resulted primarily in the catch of rainbow trout, with some sockeye. Unclassified Skeena River tributaries had the third highest guided fishing effort in 2007/2008, with primarily coho and rainbow trout captured. Guided fishing effort in unclassified waters accounted for 39% of the total guided angling effort, and resulted in the capture of 99.9% of rainbow trout, 60.8% of coho, and 24% of sockeye salmon. Guided angling effort in unclassified waters peaked between weeks 21 to 39 (May 21st to October 13th), in the 2007/2008 licence year. The majority of guided angling in unclassified waters was accounted for by guided angling in Skeena section 3 in weeks 26 to 39 (June 25th to October 13th). Guided angling effort in unclassified in the Babine peaked between weeks 21 and 31 (May 21st to August 18th) and appeared to target rainbow trout. Guided angler effort in unclassified waters in 2007/2008 was within the range reported for these waterbodies in historical AGMS data, except for Skeena mainstem sections 1 and 3, which showed a marked increase in guided angling effort in 2007/2008 over historical levels. Most of the guided anglers in 2007/2008 in the Skeena watershed were non-resident aliens, with some non-resident anglers, and few BC resident anglers, which is consistent with historical information in AGMS for the 1998/1999 to 2001/2002 licence years. Annually, non-resident alien guided angler days accounted for an average of 79.3% of the total guided angler days, with a low of 73.6 in 1999/2000, and a high of 87.9% in 2007/2008. The proportion of angler days by non-resident alien anglers in classified waters was higher than the proportion of non-resident alien anglers among all Skeena waters, averaging 91 % of the total guided angler days, with a high of 94% in the 2001/2002 licence year, and a low of 87% in the 1998/1999 licence year. Half of the guided angling effort of non-resident anglers, and 93% of the guided angling effort of BC anglers were spent in unclassified waters, while 38% of non-resident alien guided angler days were spent in unclassified waters. Compared to historical information on angler residence in AGMS, more of the non-resident alien anglers fished in unclassified waters than in previous years, and this apparent shift of some non-resident alien anglers toward unclassified waters particularly in Skeena section 3 to target pacific salmon coincides with increased guided angling effort in weeks 33 to 36, resulting in a unimodal distribution of weekly angler effort in 2007/2008 compared to the historically bimodal distribution of weekly angling effort. |
