Fishing remains slow, chum returns ‘extremely poor’

Poor chum salmon returns combined with an uncertain sockeye run have gillnetters concerned.

“It’s disastrous,” fisherman Norm Hughes said this week.

He said he’s catching about the same amount every week, and not seeing the run build to a peak.

“It’s very humbling,” Hughes said. “I’d like to think I’m smarter than the fish, but maybe they’re smarter than me or maybe they’re just not around.”

According to Douglas Island Pink and Chum (DIPAC) executive…