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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.