Right now, somewhere in the Fraser River is a massive school of pink salmon preparing to head to sea, with many potentially bound for Sooke.  

This year the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has predicted what may be a generational run as they forecast a median return of 27 million.  

鈥淲hen you get an abundance of any fish coming by and there's an opportunity for the public, it's always good news. So, it's sort of a celebration,鈥� said Chris Bos, a director of the Public Fishery Alliance, who is heavily engaged in the Sport Fishing Advisory Board.  

While Bos assures the massive run is not a guarantee, with many factors such as survival rates affecting the fish as they make their way down the coast, the prediction is a good sign.  

鈥淚f you say they split 50/50, and there's no saying they will, between the outside and the inside of the Island when they're coming back, that means 15 million could pass through the waterfront of Sooke and Victoria,鈥� said Bos.  

The predictions far exceed DFO鈥檚 escapement goal of 8.1 million 鈥� essentially the desired population level that should be left after fishing activities 鈥� meaning there will likely be an opportunity for a large harvest.  

鈥淚f the run returns at 20 million or higher, then the maximum harvest rate will be set at 70 per cent,鈥� said Lara Sloan, a DFO communications advisor. This may be possible due to the record number of new fish being born.  

鈥淭he brood year fry abundance of 1.35 billion is the highest on record and well above the long-term average fry abundance of 460 million from 1968-2024,鈥� said Sloan.  

Longtime anglers know that pink is not the Ferrari of salmon; it's held in considerably less esteem than the Chinook, or even Coho species. If the pink were a car it may be better equated to that of a used Honda. But much like an old Civic, they are very easy to find.  

鈥淭he good thing about pink salmon is they鈥檙e quite easy to catch. So, you get people coming fishing that would not generally be going out on the water,鈥� said Bos. He explained that the abundance of fish along with their accessibility may bring a lot of what he referred to as 鈥渨eekend warriors鈥� out on the water.   

It鈥檚 good news not only for fishermen since more fish means more fishing and more fishing means more business, he added.

鈥淎nybody in the business of supplying tackle, allowing boat launches, repairs, gas, food-related, or the fishing community is going to do well this year because there鈥檚 going to be an increase in activity,鈥� said Bos.  

鈥淧ink salmon has that father and son or family opportunity.鈥�  

For towns like Sooke 鈥� 鈥� it brings an opportunity for local tourism, especially as Canadians struggle with tariffs and look to vacation above the 49th parallel.  

鈥淔rom an international perspective not so much, but from a local boost in activity of residents and people coming to the area when the pink salmon are there 鈥� yes, there will be an opportunity to see greater revenues for people in the business,鈥� said Bos.  

However, while the potential return bodes well for fishermen and local businesses, tariffs could once again prove a wild car for the economic impacts. 

鈥淚f you have people who lose their jobs, they鈥檙e not going to be wanting to spend 1000s of dollars on their boat 鈥� it's true, that鈥檚 logical,鈥� he said. But, he added, the opposite could also be true. 

鈥淵ou might have been planning to go to Europe for a holiday as a family, but now you're going to dust off the boat and take it out and have a fishing experience. It鈥檒l be a lot cheaper, and you bring something home for the freezer.鈥�  

While the results of the return and its impacts won鈥檛 truly be known until anglers get on the water in July, the energy in the air is still palpable, Bos said. 鈥淓verybody is really excited.鈥�