Fisheries and Oceans Canada has announced it will not schedule a commercial gillnet fishery for chinook salmon before the Port Alberni Salmon Festival, which takes place from Sept. 2 through 5. The first commercial opening is now scheduled for 8 p.m. Sept. 5.

Sportfishing representatives at the weekly multi-sector fisheries round table meeting had expressed their concerns that allowing a net fishery prior to the annual salmon derby would have a major negative impact on the festival and on tourism for the Alberni Valley.

On Thursday, Tseshaht First Nation fisheries manager Andy Olsen said the First Nations gillnet fleet has agreed to stand down until after the derby.
"Our commercial gillnet fishery closed down on Wednesday midnight, and we planned to have a small food fishery tonight, then that's it until after the derby," Olson said. "We don't want to impact the derby. Many of our people like to participate as well."

On Wednesday morning, veteran Tseshaht fisherman Tom Watts said chinook and coho had both begun to arrive in the harbour and in the Somass River.