The number of sockeye salmon returning to the Fraser River in 2009 was the lowest in 50 years, fuelling fears that the stock was rapidly collapsing.
The following year, however, saw a salmon bonanza, with huge numbers of returning fish.
How can one year separate the worst and the best salmon returns? To find out what scientists think is causing such swings in salmon populations, attend the Oct. 11 meeting of the Burke Mountain Naturalists, where professor John Reynolds from SFU will present a slideshow on the ups and downs of Fraser River sockeye.
Reynolds is an expert on fisheries and risks of extinction, and has served as an advisor on these issues to federal and provincial governments. He co-chairs the marine fish section of the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and has testified as an expert witness at the ongoing Cohen Commission of Enquiry into Fraser Sockeye Salmon.
The BMN meeting will be held next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the hall of Como Lake United Church (on the corner of Marmont Street and King Albert Avenue in Coquitlam). Non-members are welcome to attend.
For further information, call 604-936-4108 or 604-461-3864, or visit www.bmn.bc.ca.
