Fraser chum estimate of 1.23 million opens Lower Mainland tributaries Oct. 17

A Fraser River chum return large enough for sport fishing will open several Lower Mainland tributaries this weekend. Fisheries and Oceans Canada fishery notice FN1122, sent Oct. 15, 2026, says the preliminary in-season estimate for the Fraser chum return is 1,231,000 fish. That figure, the notice says, is enough to allow recreational fishing in some Region 2 tributaries. The notice follows the department’s Oct. 15 Fraser update, FN1119.

From Oct. 17 through Nov. 30, the daily limit is two chum in the waters the notice lists. Those reaches are the Alouette from the Allco Park boundary signs down to the Pitt, including the stretch below the 216th Street Bridge; the Chehalis below the logging bridge 2.4 kilometres downstream of Chehalis Lake, including tributaries; the Chilliwack/Vedder from 100 metres below the Slesse Creek confluence downstream, plus the listed portion of the Sumas; the Harrison from the lake outlet to the Fraser; Nicomen and Dewdney Slough from the Highway 7 bridge at Dewdney to the Fraser; the Serpentine below 168th Street at Bothwell Park; and the Stave from the BC Hydro dam to the CPR bridge.

The Stave exception is the Ruskin spawning channel, on the east bank of the BC Hydro park from the inlet near the dam down to the boat-ramp crossing, where salmon fishing is not allowed. Barbless hooks are required for salmon in British Columbia tidal and non-tidal waters. Foul-hooked salmon in a lake or stream, including the tidal parts of coastal streams, have to be released. Anglers need a non-tidal licence. The variation orders are 2026-RFQ-468 and 2026-RCT-469. The notice also bars fishing within 100 metres of a government fish-counting, fish-passage, or rearing facility.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada — FN1122, Region 2 Lower Mainland chum opening (sent Oct. 15, 2026).