For the past 52 years,commercial fisherman Tom Nimbley has witnessed the ebb and flow of fish stocks from runs that made a splash to the sea-sickening low of last year's dismal salmon returns.

Docked in British Columbia's quaint fishing village of Steveston in Richmond, he waits excitedly for fleets of vessels to come back Wednesday loaded with freshly-caught Fraser River sockeye scooped during a 32-hour fishery window on what's been billed as the largest run in a century.

"You can see all the activity in the harbour, it's like a new world, like the way it used to be years ago," says the 78-year-old from Surrey, B.C., who will be packing the catch. "People are working and they're happy, doing their thing."

But his sailor's delight wanes and he casts frustration at the federal government.

"My philosophy is they screwed up the East Coast fishery and they've done a good job doing the same thing here," he says.

As the gillnetters let out their nets and chug across the sparkling waters south of Vancouver under clear blue skies, that cynicism is about as abundant as this year's salmon.

"It's great having the fish, but the federal Fisheries couldn't manage a kindergarten class," says Keith Thomas, of Courteney, B.C., before heading out in his boat. "I'm a third generation fisherman and these guys don't have a clue what's going on."

The Pacific Salmon Commission, a joint Canadian-U.S. body which advises the federal Fisheries Department, is predicting a return of 25 million fish this year. That's been welcome but startling news for everyone from fishermen to government officials, who had to contend with only 1.5 million salmon swimming up the Fraser River in 2009 when 10 million fish were expected.

Now, fishermen are complaining Fisheries is slow off the mark again, not adequately changing the rules so the crews can haul in a bigger catch.

"It's like working for wages," says 78-year-old Bill Campbell of the quota regulations, which he blames on the government and a few large corporations that own huge portions of the industry. "I don't like it because you can't get lucky and make a fortune anymore."

There's also widespread concern the current restrictions will result in sockeye overspawning, in which too many fish compete for too few resources and many die before being harvested.

Prices are dropping too, with the fishermen at the Steveston wharf expecting to reel in salmon worth as low as $1 per pound -- down from the meagre $1.50 and $1.25 they had been earning. Consumers will likely still pay upwards of $40 per fish at the grocery store, Campbell says.

Those unwilling to let the opportunity sail away say they won't wait for the few remaining canneries to buy their product.

"We'll just catch what we can, then we'll sell them ourselves," Thomas says. "I've got freezer space on Vancouver Island where I live and we'll just try to do our best to make a little bit of money."

The sensational yields have again underscored just how little scientists and fishermen know about the four-year sockeye journey, a question that could be addressed by a public inquiry into last year's fishery collapse.

Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said it will take time to understand what's happened.

"There has to be some science done and all the conditions will have to be reviewed over the last four years," she said in an interview Tuesday.

"No one expected such a bad return last year and this is why we've established the Cohen inquiry because what's important is the long-term sustainability of the fishery."

Officials with the Fisheries Department didn't return calls for comment Wednesday.

The inquiry is set to begin evidentiary hearings next month, but most of the fishermen interviewed Wednesday aren't putting stock in it.

Nimbley suspects this year's incredible Fraser River run will ease necessary pressure on the government.

"Success always helps, it clears up a lot of the nastiness, the grudges," he said. "It'll get them off the hook, that's for sure."