For the first time in years, a sockeye salmon run has caused a rush of fishing boats on the Fraser River.

From Brae Island in Fort Langley, at least half a dozen boats were visible Wednesday and Thursday, as the largest sockeye salmon run since 1913 moved into the Lower Fraser.

An estimated 25 million sockeye are now expected.

"It's an awesome, awesome summer," said Les Antone, a Kwantlen First Nation band councillor.

The commercial fishery began on Wednesday at noon and ended Thursday evening.

On Friday, a trio of First Nations fisheries were to begin, and Langley's Kwantlen were getting ready to take to the water.

Every family on the reserve in Fort Langley is involved in the fishing, said Antone, and the boats are filled with everyone from children to elders.

Between 20 and 30 boats have taken part in some brief, early food fishery openings, and now the biggest openings of the year are scheduled.

"The community is buzzing," Antone said.

The sockeye run is in stark contrast to last year, when there was no commercial fishery and only a brief First Nations opening. In fact, the runs last year were so low that it was feared the fishery had collapsed completely.

Antone's brother is the last Kwantlen band member with a commercial fishing licence.

In the 1960s and '70s, Antone said, there were between 10 and 12 commercial licences held by band members, but they were given up one by one through sales or buy-backs as the fishery dwindled.

"They thought it was all over," Antone said.

The same situation has seen the overall number of commercial fishermen, native and non-native, dwindle from thousands to about 300 on the Fraser River.

Although there has been some animosity in the past between First Nations and non-native commercial fishermen, Antone said, there doesn't seem to be any bad blood on the water this year.

"They're in the same boat as us," he said. For once, there are plenty of fish.

Because the Kwantlen have signed a sales agreement with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans this year, a little more than half their catch this weekend may be sold commercially.

The band already has a contract with a local processor. Antone noted that, with so many fish coming out of the river after such a long dry spell, local processors are stretched to the limit.

So are the Kwantlen fishermen, he said. Everyone has been busy with the previous food fishery openings and with getting boats and nets ready.

"We've increased our [Rub] A535 budget," he joked, saying that everyone was sore and tired.

However, it means a huge economic boon for the entire community. People are doing their back-to-school shopping for their children already, he said.

They are also looking forward to a lot of salmon on the menu. Freezers will be full, and there will be quite a few barbecues in the days and weeks to come, Antone said.

mclaxton@langleyadvance.com