The Salmon run

 

People buying salmon from fishermen at the Wharf.

The sockeyes we bought at the Wharf. They look small but actually big.

Every summer, sockeyes return to B.C.’s rivers to spawn after staying for one to four years in the deep ocean. This summer, the salmon returning to Fraser River is on record high. Reports of an estimated 34 million sockeyes have returned to B.C.’s waters to spawn, the largest run in 100 years. Apparently , more are still coming in from the sea, and the stunning turn out baffled if not worried authorities because such a massive run will also have its consequences, it has been said. With so much salmon to can, B.C. canneries have been sourcing out production simply because they cannot cope up with the demand.

Prized for its juicy, bright orange meat, sockeye salmon normally costs higher than any other salmon in the market. My family doesn’t buy any kind of salmon, unless it’s sockeye. The first time I was around in B.C. I could not understand why they go gaga over sockeyes when summer comes. But when I tried it the first time, I found out how good it was. It can be cooked in many ways, but a hit in the family is cooking it in soup, with lots of green vegetables, and spiced with lemon juice and lots of ginger. (In Filipino, it’s the traditional “sinigang”). It`s so yummy, and instantly I got hooked.

With millions of sockeyes literally flooding the Fraser River, fishermen are on a frenzy hauling catch and selling them fast. For the second time last week, we went to the Fisherman’s Wharf in Richmond to buy sockeye. The second time we went, the boats were not yet in when we arrived so we decided to wait. But it turned out we were not the only ones who decided to stay put. After a while, the wharf started to fill with people, and a long line began to snake up the bridge starting from the dock. After waiting under the sun (thank God, the breeze was cool enough to prevent us getting a head ache) for almost two hours, the fishing boat arrived, followed by another half an hour later.

A little bit of research gave me some interesting facts regarding sockeye. Like all Pacific salmon, sockeyes are born in fresh water. That’s precisely the reason why they return back to B.C. waters to spawn. It’s said that they stay in their freshwater habitat for up to three years more than any other species of salmon before venturing into the deep ocean. They grow rapidly once in the deep and stay there for up to four years before returning back to their natural habitat to spawn and die few weeks after spawning.

Very interesting piece of knowledge, indeed. But what would be more interesting for me is to see the Fraser River up close, which according to one scientist who has gone upriver, is “boiling” with millions of sockeyes. That would indeed be an interesting sight to behold.