Fewer grizzly bears were spotted along B.C.'s central coast this year, according to the results of an annual provincial survey.

Provincial officials say it's too early to say whether this actually signifies a decline in the grizzly population. But some conservation groups are sounding the alarm.

The helicopter survey was conducted over a few days in September and was concentrated in the Kimsquit River north of Bella Coola. It was the eleventh consecutive year the survey has been done.

On average, 38 bears are spotted. This year, there were 20, said Tom Ethier, director of the B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch.

Similarly, the average number of sows with cubs spotted is 20. This year, there were only seven.

Ethier said wildlife populations do fluctuate. And the drop off could simply mean that the bears are elsewhere foraging for food.

However, the low number of mothers with their cubs is worrying, he said.

"Cub production may have been off because of poor salmon returns last year or because we had a really late and harsh winter so bears didn't come out of hibernation in same condition they normally would," Ethier said.

Derek Kyostia, a salmon biologist, who gives tours of the Glendale Cove area on B.C.'s central coast, said he and other guides saw something disturbing last year: mother bears eating their own cubs.

He said they estimate the bear population has fallen 20 to 30 percent due to last year's dismal salmon run.

The head of Western Canada Wilderness Committee said Saturday there is no time to waste.

Joe Foy said he believes there is a clear correlation between low salmon returns and declining bear sightings.

"People up and down the coast are asking for two things: that there not be a bear hunt and that the commercial fishery lay off the chum salmon," he said.

"I'd say it's time for action."