BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Oncorhynchus nerka pop. 8
Sockeye Salmon - Sakinaw Lake Population
| Scientific Name: | Oncorhynchus nerka pop. 8 |
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| English Name: | Sockeye Salmon - Sakinaw Lake Population |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S1 |
| Date Status Assigned: | January 31, 2020 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | January 31, 2020 |
| Reasons: | Sakinaw Sockeye Salmon are anadromous; returning from the Pacific Ocean to spawn within a single lake, Sakinaw Lake. They face significant threats in both in both ocean and in their freshwater environment. The population became extirpated in 2009; however smolts from a captive breeding program (which began in 2002) continue to be introduced and a small number of adults have been returning to the lake. The rank will remain Extirpated until it is confirmed that offspring have succeeded in returning to the lake to spawn again. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | F = 20,000-200,000 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | >20,000 |
| Range Extent Comments: | Sakinaw Sockeye Salmon are anadromous; returning from the Pacific Ocean to spawn within a single lake, Sakinaw Lake, on the Sechelt Peninsula in the Straight of Georgia, BC. The extent of occurrence exceeds 20,000 km2 (COSEWIC 2016l). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | A = 1 |
| Area of Occupancy Estimate (km2): | 4 |
| Linear Distance of Occupancy: | A = 1-4 |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | Sakinaw Sockeye have been seen spawning on as many as 5 beaches in Sakinaw Lake. However, recent spawning has been confined to only one beach, Shanon?s Beach, in recent years. Assuming one spawning beach exists in one COSEWIC 2km x 2km grid, the Index Area of Occupancy was historically 20 km2 while it is currently 4 km2 (COSEWIC 2016l). |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | A = 1 - 5 |
| Comments: | Sawkinaw Lake |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | A = None (zero) |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | B = 50 - 250 individuals |
| Comments: |
There are less than 250 returning, wild-bred adults (COSEWIC 2016l). From COSEWIC (2016l): "From 1947 to 1987, the estimated number of maturing adults entering Sakinaw Lake averaged about 4,500 individuals (range 750 to 16,000) with no declining trend. From 1987 to 2005, numbers declined dramatically and from 2006 to 2009 there were zero or one adult Sockeye counted entering the lake and the population became extirpated in the wild. A captive-breeding program began in 2002 and it has preserved the population. Adult Sockeye Salmon from the hatchery releases began returning to Sakinaw Lake in 2010, with a total of 29 spawners counted at the fishway. Between 2011 and 2014, an annual average of 351 (range 114 to 555) captively bred adult fish returned to the lake. Some of these fish were observed spawning on historical beaches. It is too early to determine if their offspring have succeeded in returning to the lake to spawn again." |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | A = Very high |
| Comments: | The Sakinaw Sockeye population is threatened by mortalilty in the marine environment and degredation of freshwater habitat; Sockeye continue to be killed in fisheries which, given their low numbers, threatens the viability of the population. A catastrophic event at the captive breeding hatchery would likely render the population extinct (COSEWIC 2016l). |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | A = Decline of >90% |
| Comments: | This population became exitrpated in the wild in 2009; wild adult returns declined by 100% over the past 3 generations (COSEWIC 2016i). |
| Long-Term Trend: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | AB=Highly to moderately vulnerable. |
| Comments: | From COSEWIC 2016l: "Sockeye Salmon have a high fecundity (2,000 - 5,200) and small egg size (5.3-6.6 mm in diameter) relative to other salmon species of the same size (Burgner 1991). Adult size and fecundity in the Sakinaw Lake population is at the lower end of the range for Sockeye Salmon (see Murray and Wood 2002, Gustafson et al. 1997). Sakinaw Sockeye may have evolved the size and return timing in response to Sakinaw Lake?s unique location and hydrology with short migration and access only during specific water flow conditions." |
| Environmental Specificity: | A=Very narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements scarce. |
| Comments: | Sakinaw Sockeye are anadromous, returning from the sea to a single lake to spawn. They may have evolved the size and return timing in response to the lake's unique location and hydrology with short migration and access only during specific water flow conditions. Within the lake, they rely on incubation habitat, typically along the shoreline in areas of upwelling water near alluvial fans (COSEWIC 2016l). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
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| Version | |
| Author: | Gelling, L. |
| Date: | June 27, 2018 |
| References | |
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COSEWIC. 2016l. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, Sakinaw population, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xii + 39 pp
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COSEWIC. 2016z. Emergency Assessment of the Sakinaw population of Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka.Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 2 pp
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COSEWIC. 2017d. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, 24 Designatable Units in the Fraser River Drainage Basin, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xli + 179 pp.
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Sakinaw Sockeye Recovery Team. 2005. Conservation Strategy for Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), Sakinaw Lake Population, in British Columbia. Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife (RENEW). Ottawa, Ontario, 61 pp.
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Withler, R., D. O'Brien, N.M. Watson and K. J. Supernault. 2014. Maintenance of genetic diversity in natural spawning of captively-reared endangered sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka. Diversity. 6:354-379.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2018. Conservation Status Report: Oncorhynchus nerka pop. 8. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jan 24, 2025).