Coded-wire tag outreach
Fisheries and Oceans Canada runs a Coded Wire Tag (CWT) program for Pacific salmon, primarily targeting Chinook and Coho species. This program involves injecting tiny coded wire tags into the nose cartilage of juvenile salmon before their release from hatcheries, with the adipose fin removed for identification.
When tagged salmon are caught, their heads are collected at recovery depots, and the tags are decoded to provide information about the fish's origin, age, and migration patterns. Annually, DFO applies about 5.5 million tags, contributing to a broader North American effort of over 50 million tagged juvenile salmon. The long-term data collected is crucial for understanding salmon abundance and ensuring sustainable fisheries management on the Pacific coast.
LFFA supports the CWT program by doing outreach to member Nations and their fishers. The goal is to ensure that fishers are familiar with the tags – why they’re important and how they work – and to encourage fishers to keep fish heads that may have CWTs.
LFFA staff collect these heads and bring them to a designated collection site.
Outreach is done on the water, usually during Food Social and Ceremonial fishery openings from mid-August to mid-November.
The team spends most of their outreach time in the Mission to Hope region and speaks to approximately 40 fishers over 15 days every season.
