Brawl breaks out during sockeye fishery on Fraser River: ‘Not sportsmanship’

The banks of the Fraser River were packed with anglers on Labour Day, hoping to take advantage of the final day of a rare recreational sockeye fishery.

There were plenty of smiling faces among the crowd in Chilliwack as they hauled their catch from the water and planned out whether to cook, freeze or share their bounty.

But just 24 hours earlier it was a different story: the celebratory mood descended into violence when a brawl broke out between several men, leaving at least one of them covered in blood.

2:57 Rare opening for recreational sockeye anglers on Fraser River

The altercation was captured on camera and shared on social media.

Whatever the reason for the fisticuffs, anglers Global News spoke with on Monday took a dim view of the incident.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“People need to respect the environment that they’re in and there’s no tolerance for that. When you see stuff like that, it’s only going to ruin future openings,” said Nathan Connor.

4:08 B.C. fishing industry concerned about larger than expected salmon run

“When I saw it online, it really made me doubt whether I was going to come down this morning or not,” added Aaron van Beest.

“It was a big turn off. That’s not what fishing’s about. That’s not what the fishery is about. It’s not sportsmanship.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "It was a big turn off. That's not what fishing's about. That's not what the fishery is about. It's not sportsmanship."

The last time the river was open to recreational sockeye fishing was in 2022. A bumper return of up to 10 million of the fish led Fisheries and Oceans Canada to allow the rare opening.