The estimate of broodstock at Medvejie/Bear Cove as of Wednesday morning is 45,000 chum. The estimate at Deep Inlet, head of bay only is 5,000 to 10,000 and somewhat scattered. I am sure there are more fish at Deep Inlet THA but we need them to concentrate at the head end in order to capture and roll into net pens. We will continue to monitor numbers at both locations daily.
The working plan is to accumulate 90,000 fish between Deep Inlet and Medvejie before we reopen the fisheries. This will be the largest eggtake at Medvejie by a large margin – 85,000,000 eggs (include new Crawfish program and increase for Deep Inlet). We expect to tow about 30,000 fish from Deep Inlet, perhaps more. We have contracted with a seiner to capture the fish which can happen as early as this weekend.
Once the broodstock is secure we will open with a troll day, followed by a seine day and then by gillnet. We will attempt to open on the existing published schedule but we are not locked into that. If it makes more sense to open with troll on a Monday, we will do so. The only regulatory requirement is the gillnet/seine time ratio per week is 1:1, and therefore we may need to go to a 15 hour opening for each to keep it even. Following that, we would move back into the published schedule.
The earliest Deep Inlet will open is likely to be next Tuesday or Wednesday, August 26/27. We will give at least 24 hours notice to the troll opening. Other gears would have more notice.
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