– The fish have started to stir, says general manager of Vestre Jakobselv hunting and fishing association (VJJFF), Vidar Isaksen. After a long wait, the infamous humpback salmon is seriously on its way up the river in the east of Finnmark. VJJFF already set up traps at the end of June to stop the unwanted fish species. But Isaksen explains that it is only now that the conditions are right for the fish to move. – The combination of the puddles filling up and the warm weather causes the fish to move up the river. Vidar Isaksen of the Vestre Jakobselv hunting and fishing association estimates that the association caught around 1,300 humpback salmon during Wednesday. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Already taken 8,000 The salmon invasion is noticeable by the fact that it takes a long time to empty the trap. Between four and six people work around the clock to smoke it. – Yesterday we started at nine o’clock and continued until four o’clock last night. We started again around eight thirty today and they are still going, says Isaksen. He estimates that the trap farmers took out 1,300 humpback salmon during Wednesday evening. In total for the season they have taken approximately 8,000 individuals. It is not far below the total of 10,000 individuals that were caught in 2021. – Will there be more humpback salmon this year than before? – We expect an insight for another two or three weeks, so it is difficult to say where we will end up. But it’s nothing less than in 2021, that’s for sure. Talk about days In Sør-Varanger, they do not experience as large an influx of humpback salmon as on the north side of the Varangerfjord. Thursday morning’s fishing yielded over 300 humpback salmon in the trap in Munkelva. Photo: Øystein Hansen – We know that there will be a blow at one point or another. We just don’t know when, says project manager of the Sør-Varanger hunting and fishing association, Øystein Hansen. The association is responsible for three rivers in the municipality. In the Karpelva and Klokkerelva, where they previously had quite a few humpback salmon, none have arrived yet. – But in Munkelva, around 3,200 pieces have seeped in during this period. It seeps in there steadily all the time. In 2021, 13,000 humpback salmon were caught in Munkelva and 3,000 in Karpelva. Therefore, Hansen is anxiously waiting to see if there will be a major breakthrough soon. Øystein Hansen in the Sør-Varanger hunting and fishing association guesses that they will see a large influx of humpback salmon into their rivers in a short time. Photo: Frida Ravna Rømo / news – We see that there is a lot of activity outside the estuary. So it may be getting ready to go on the river, he says. He believes a change in weather could lead to more activity among the fish. That’s why Hansen is looking forward to the weekend, when rain is expected. – I think it is only a matter of days before we have full steam in both Karpelva and Klokkerelva. Because the fish is in the fjord, we know that, and it has to go up the river to spawn. Trap watch around the clock – We have had to smoke the trap three to four times a day to get everything out. Sometimes we get a couple of hundred humpback salmon in one smoke, says deputy chairman of the Vest-Finnmark hunting and fishing association, Stig Ole Pedersen. In the Repparfjordelva they have enjoyed wild salmon and other fish, and the traps must be smoked often. Photo: Allan Klo / news He is responsible for the humpback salmon trap in the Repparfjord river in Hammerfest municipality. The amount of humpback salmon in the river has varied from day to day, but according to Pedersen, on average between 100 and 200 individuals are caught a day. – Humpback salmon do not stand around waiting. He comes at all times of the day. That’s why we have to smoke it when he comes, so that it doesn’t get too full in the cage. Although the trap fills up quickly, other measures are also being considered to stop humpback salmon. – We see that there are a lot of humpback salmon below the trap. Therefore, we will see if we can get them out with nets before they come all the way up, says Pedersen. Isaksen is happy about the collaboration with Vardøbruket, which receives the humpback salmon that is caught and makes food from it. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news
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– Coming at all times of the day – news Troms and Finnmark
