2006 ADAMS
LAKE INDIAN BAND CATCH SURVEYING & ON-BOARD OBSERVER NARRATIVE
REPORT
A C T I V I T I E S
Streams Monitored:
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# Visits/Site
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# Catch Reports
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Scotch Creek Sockeye Weir
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2
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0
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Little Shuswap Lake
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30
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30
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R
E P O R T
 In
June of 2006 a draft communal fisheries plan was developed and
submitted to Chief & Council for review. The draft plan was
also e-mailed to Elmer Fast at DFO, and the SFC. Fishing
commenced in mid-August under the still draft fishing plan.
In July of 2006 a communal fisheries notice was delivered to each Adams
Lake Band household, posted in obvious places, and e-mailed to the
neighbouring Bands. An updated notice was sent out again in August
delaying communal fisheries due to a conservation concern over Upper
Adams River Sockeye.
The Adams Lake Band major communal fisheries commenced in late August,
2006. Initial harvests from Scotch Creek in early August were
minimal, and intended primarily for the First Fish Ceremony. Some
sockeye from Scotch Creek were also harvested as meals for a week long
Esketmc youth camp visit to the Adams Lake Band fish camp. CHBC
News from Kelowna produced a television segment on August 30th
profiling the ALB communal fisheries and Esketmc youth visit.
The Adams Lake Band hosted the Lakes Secwepemc First Fish Ceremony on
Sunday August 13th. Representatives from the Adams Lake,
Neskonlith, and Little Shuswap Bands were present to accept the
ceremonial bundle from the Kamloops Band. John Jules from KIB
prayed over the bundle, explained the significance of it, and then
presented the blanket wrapped bundle to the ALB Fisheries
Manager. Another item will be put in the bundle and then passed
on too a different Lakes Secwepmec Band in August of 2007. After
a prayer from Elder Ann Michel, in Secwepemcstin, a salmon was cooked
over the open fire and each person at the ceremony ate a piece, then
the bones were given back to the water from which they came.
The ALB communal fishery supports many other Secwepemc Bands when their
access to salmon is limited. The Bands which visited the communal
fishery in 2006 included the following:
1.Esketmc
2.Neskonlith
3.Little Shuswap
4.Kamloops
5.Splatsin
6.Bonaparte
7.Shuswap
Even some non-native friends and spouses of First Nation fishers proved
to be valuable helpers. A few fish were set aside for the
non-native volunteers. Letters were sent to the Village of Chase
inviting them to view our communal fisheries. One member, Bob
Gibbs, accepted our offer and put in a full day of hard work along side
our fishers.
The Adams Lake Band communal fishery again utilized a commercial style
aluminum gill net boat equipped with 600 foot long by 40 feet deep
nets. Both 5 1/4 and 8 inch mesh gill nets were
used. The gill nets were left in overnight and picked the next
morning. The catch would then be counted and brought to the fish camp
for cleaning and distribution. As in past years, harvested salmon
are first put into the ALB communal food cache before volunteers
receive their share. The food cache then provides salmon, elk,
moose, and deer to community functions throughout the year. Dip
netting and hand fishing were used at the Scotch Creek fish weir on a
couple of evenings.
In the past few years the ALB communal fisheries has strived to become
a conservation minded near-terminal fishery. Our plans to move
from a communal fishery to a commercial fishery in 2006 were cancelled
when we received word that the Lower Adams River Sockeye run was
returning well below the estimated escapement. We choose not to
harvest our 3,000 piece commercial allocation due to this conservation
concern. This only goes to prove how effective inland fisheries
can be at timely saving more salmon for the spawning grounds. Also, due
to a continual conservation issue over the Interior Fraser Coho all
communal fishing terminated when the first Coho was caught on October
5th, 2006.
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FISHERIES REPORT
 Prepared by: Greg Witzky
Prepared For: Secwepemc
Fisheries Commission
SFC File #: SFC 06-332
Date:From August 1 - October
5, 2006
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