Fraser River Pink Salmon Returns Blow Past Forecast
October 3, 2023 | 1 min to read
This year’s pre-season forecast for Fraser River sockeye salmon was accurate at 1.6 million, while the actual count of pink salmon surprised scientists by exceeding the forecast of 6.1 million, reaching 10.3 million. Experts studying Pacific salmon populations note that the ongoing success of pink salmon correlates with the continued challenges faced by sockeye salmon, highlighting a complex relationship within the species.
The pre-season forecast for this year’s Fraser River sockeye returns — 1.6 million – turns out to have been pretty much spot-on. The big surprise this year was pink salmon.
The pre-season forecast for Fraser River pink salmon was 6.1 million, but as of Wednesday, the tally was 10.3 million, according to the Pacific Salmon Commission.
To the scientists who have been studying Pacific salmon abundance, however, it’s not that surprising that sockeye continue to do so poorly when pink salmon are doing so well.
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