Saanich police are investigating after salmon were stolen from a Colquitz River fish trap operated by a conservation group.
At least three coho weighing up to six kilograms were taken, said Chris Bos, president of the Colquitz Salmonid Stewardship & Education Society.
“There was lots of fish guts and blood, indicating that people had been in there taking fish from the trap.”
It was an illegal act of poaching, Bos said, as no one can interfere with federally sanctioned fish-counting fences or weirs. Fish in the trap are counted and then released at least once daily.
Volunteers arriving at the river Saturday afternoon saw three men on a bridge in the area, he said. One man had a gaff used to bring in fish, and at least one of the others had equipment such as hooks on lines.
The volunteers saw signs of suspicious activity at the trap.
“When they were counting fish, they noticed that some of the fish that they were counting had scar marks on them, severe scar marks,” Bos said. “They made the observation that they felt some of those fish may not survive.”
They locked the trap and left about 7 p.m., returning at 8 a.m. Sunday. The locks had been forcibly broken open, and the fish were gone.
Despite the theft, Bos said, the recently begun counting process indicates this will be an excellent year, with about 375 salmon already tallied — likely about one-third of the 2016 run.
Bos said the society has run into similar issues in the past.
“I’ve been involved in the project for 15 years, and we’ve replaced the locks probably half a dozen times, but a couple of times there’s been no fish when they’ve come through to get them.”
Saanich police are investigating, said Const. Damian Kowalewich, adding that the case “is not our typical call.”
“Saanich police have been in communication with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,” he said.
The federal department is responsible for investigating fish-related occurrences.
“They’ve advised me that this type of an investigation would fall under the Fisheries Act, specifically fishing within 100 metres radius of a facility that counts fish and/or has fish passing through it.”
