‘Troubling News’: Only 1% of sockeye salmon coming into US waters from Pacific — Lowest rate ever recorded, yet record high numbers were expected – Chinook salmon numbers ‘very low’, concern about pink salmon next year

– ‘Troubling News’: Only 1% of sockeye salmon coming into US waters from Pacific — Lowest rate ever recorded, yet record high numbers were expected — Scientist suspects ‘warm blob’ off West Coast to blame — Chinook salmon numbers ‘very low’, concern about pink salmon next year (ENENews, Aug 25, 2014):

The Olympian (Washington), Aug 24, 2014:

• ‘Warm blob’ keeps possible record sockeye run away from U.S. waters
• A development that has left local fishermen scratching their heads
• Data from the Pacific Salmon Commission [shows] about 99 percent of the sockeye salmon has gone through the Johnstone Strait around the northern part of Vancouver Island
• About 50 percent of the run [typically goes through] U.S. waters
• Nearly 2.9 million sockeye salmon have been caught in Canadian waters, while the U.S. fishermen had caught around 98,000
• This year’s diversion rate is unusual…, it would be the highest diversion rate on record, with data dating back to 1953… That would be troubling news
• Fishermen Pete Granger: “It could be one of the worst seasons we’ve had in a long time”
• Nick Bond, a research scientist for the University of Washington [is looking at] a “warm blob” that developed last winter [off the coast and] believes the development of the warm blob is…  a fluke
• The warm blob could be around… well into 2015
• It is particularly frustrating [since] fishermen were gearing up for what was expected to be a record run [as it] consists of the offspring from the 2010 run, which was one of the largest ever recorded
• The forecast run for this year is around 22.8 million fish
• Granger’s… concerned about next year’s pink salmon run

Vancouver Sun, Aug 19, 2014: An estimated 99 per cent of sockeye are migrating… through Johnstone Strait instead of the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Issaquah Press (Washington), Aug 5, 2014: Shallow sockeye numbers may hint at light salmon return […] Sadly, at least for sockeye salmon, the number through the fish ladder has dipped very low. “Unfortunately, we aren’t getting the number we had hoped for in this sockeye run,” said Dani Kendall, program assistant to the Cedar River Salmon Journey… Department of Fish and Wildlife predicted 167,000… would make their way in from the Pacific… only 50,000 have come through… “It’s unfortunate, considering the high projection.” As for why the prediction fell so short of the mark, Kendall said… “I wish I had an answer, but I don’t”… chinook numbers are low as well… Department of Fish and Wildlife forecasted 4,703 of the species will show up… So far, that’s not the case.

See also: TV: “Mysterious die off of young salmon” in Pacific Northwest — “Healthy… and then they die” heading out to sea — “Far less plankton than normal… There are too many questions” — Researchers now testing for plankton and Fukushima contamination off West Coast (VIDEO)