B.C. landslide 'dramatically' impacts salmon spawn but conditions improve: task force

Debris is seen flowing down the Chilcotin River and into the Fraser River following a landslide near Williams Lake, B.C., in a Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, handout photo. bridge over British Columbia's Chilcotin River is closed to traffic until further notice after new cracks were discovered near where a massive landslide blocked river flow for almost one week before a breach sent torrents of water and debris downstream to the Fraser River. (Tsilhqot'in National Government / Handout / The Canadian Press)

The Tsilhqot'in National Government says river conditions are "slowly improving" after the massive landslide that temporarily dammed the Chilcotin River last month, but salmon spawning activity is being delayed.

An update from the Tsilhqot'in emergency salmon task force says debris and sediment from the slide are "dramatically" impacting sockeye and Chinook salmon spawning runs.

The task force's latest situation report says observations from a helicopter show the river flow is "evening out," and murky conditions are getting better, though the flow is still much higher than normal.

The report says the improving conditions are only part of a "complex puzzle," and fish likely still lack an "unimpeded" path at the slide site.

It says fish monitoring equipment has only detected 31 Chinook and 16 sockeye passing through the slide site at a time when thousands of sockeye should be moving through.

The task force says some fish populations made it through to their spawning grounds before the slide, and others make their runs later in the year.

It says it's hoped fish make it past the slide zone without intervention "unless absolutely necessary."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2024