Interior Fraser steelhead face extinction, warn B.C. fishing, conservation groups
Fishery and conservation groups in British Columbia warn a unique species of ocean-going trout faces a “severe conservation crisis” and must be added to Canada's Species at Risk Act.
Fifteen groups, including the BC Wildlife Federation and the Steelhead Society of BC, have written to the federal environment and fisheries ministers urging immediate action on behalf of dwindling stocks of Interior Fraser steelhead, a variety of rainbow trout.
The species, a member of the salmon family, migrates to the ocean for much of its life but hatches and spawns in B.C.'s Thompson and Chilcotin rivers.
The letter, also signed by Eric Taylor, the former chair of the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, says numbers of the fish have been on a “precipitous decline” for the last decade.
In 2018, the steelhead were rejected for an emergency listing on the Species At Risk Act and a second recommendation in 2020 still awaits ministerial consideration, even though the groups say last year's spawning populations hit their lowest levels since records have been kept.
The letter urges the ministers to act, saying current plans offered by the Fisheries Act are not designed to recover fish populations at risk of extinction and have not stopped the steelhead's decline.
“The (Interior Fraser steelhead) situation is the most severe conservation crisis for any wild sea-run fish in British Columbia,” the letter says.
Fewer than 15 fish returned per tributary last fall, which the letter says is far lower than the numbers that prompted the two earlier recommendations for species protection.
It predicts an “imminent threat to survival” if an immediate recovery strategy and action plan is not created for the fish, which groups describe as “arguably once the most revered groups of steelhead trout in British Columbia and beyond.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, Ontario police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.