Low water levels affecting salmon migration in B.C. streams: DFO
Low water levels brought on by years of severe drought, paired with meagre snowpack and rainfall, are leaving B.C.'s salmon in a compromising position during their spawning migration, a fisheries expert warns.
Researchers are also trying to understand the effects of last year's devastating wildfires in B.C.
Salmon need a steady stream of cool, fresh water to survive and reach their spawning grounds, but Murray Manson, the section head of the Fisheries Department's Habitat Restoration Centre of Expertise, told a briefing Friday that he is expecting fish to start appearing in some low-water areas.
"We're trying to be prepared for some of the issues that might arise," he said.
Concerns persist despite a cool spring that left B.C. in a more "fortunate" position than expected, Manson noted.
"We've gotten off easy so far, I would say, in terms of the drought and its impacts on fish," he said.
Some regions, like the Fraser River basin, that were predicted to see historically low salmon runs are currently in a state of "wait and see," Manson said.
"They're still swimming into the drought conditions which exist upstream," he said of the salmon. "(But) it's early. Things are still developing."
The department said in a statement that drought and heat can have a range of negative effects that are likely to hit salmon survival in B.C. this year.
It said low water levels can block salmon from spawning areas and expose them to predators while hot water can harm fish health, reducing spawning ability and make salmon vulnerable to illness.
In the Kamloops region, the Fisheries Department said the habitat restoration centre, which works closely with First Nations, stewardship groups, academics and salmon advocates, is aiming to mitigate effects of drought on its salmon runs.
For example, on the Deadman River, its salmon restoration team is working to restore black cottonwood riverbank zones "so that these ecosystems might once again regulate water temperatures and provide cool refugia for fish."
On the Adams River, which the department said is home to one of the largest sockeye salmon runs on the continent, researchers are assessing how the 2023 Bush Creek East Wildfire affected the river and its vegetation.
"Our salmon habitat restoration team is pairing historical imagery and maps with real-time, high-resolution field data collection to understand how and where the post-fire conditions are affecting fish habitat, including the impacts on spawning conditions for salmon," the department said in a news release.
Manson said they are working on dozens of restoration projects and testing them to see what works, hoping to apply them more broadly across the landscape.
He said that while each project could be considered a drop in the bucket, developing techniques that can eventually be used widely can "actually make a difference."
In the meantime, the Fisheries Department is asking people to avoid entering dry streams as they may disrupt "sensitive features."
Manson said people should act as if those streams are "still productive" fish habitats to ensure vegetation is not disturbed.
People are also asked to manage water use, particularly during drought periods.
Lastly, Manson said the department is instructing people not to move any fish they may find stranded due to low water levels, or any fish that may be caught below a dry section of a stream. Instead, they want people to inform the Fisheries Department via its report line.
"There may be people that are already aware of the situation that are there trying to take action," he said of fisheries staff. "We might be able to, in some cases, move adult fish, but we would have the proper equipment to do it without causing them more harm."
About 40 per cent of B.C. is experiencing drought conditions where economic or environmental impacts are likely or almost certain, with such outcomes possible in a further 21 per cent of the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives to push non-confidence motion against Trudeau government
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party will put forward a non-confidence motion when Parliament resumes 'at the earliest possible opportunity' with the aim of triggering an early federal election.
An iconic Winston Churchill photograph, once stolen and replaced with a fake in Ottawa, has been found
Ottawa's Chateau Laurier hotel says authorities have recovered an iconic photograph of Winston Churchill after it was stolen and replaced with a fake nearly three years ago.
Carnival cruise ship collides with iceberg
The words 'Titanic moment' are possibly the last thing you want to hear on a boat – but that was the phrase used by one passenger on board the Carnival Spirit cruise ship last week, after the vessel unexpectedly struck an iceberg.
'I'm gobsmacked': Reactions to N.B. premier's pledge to halt approval of more safe injection sites
The head of New Brunswick's only safe injection site said she's very concerned after Premier Blaine Higgs pledged to not approve any more safe injection sites and to consult with communities about existing sites, if re-elected.
Harris's poised performance, Trump's aggression: Experts look at body language in U.S. presidential debate
The highly anticipated debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was a heated matchup that revealed plenty about their plans for America's future, if elected. Here's what experts who analyzed the exchange had to say.
'Buy nothing': PSAC wants federal workers to boycott downtown Ottawa businesses
A union representing federal employees is asking its members to bring their own lunch to work, in an apparent retaliation against downtown Ottawa businesses as new return-to-office protocols begin.
Justin Timberlake to enter plea to lesser charge in DWI case
Justin Timberlake is expected to enter a plea to a driving while intoxicated charge related to his June arrest in Sag Harbor, N.Y., according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
Parents fight for change after 13-year-old girl dies in B.C. homeless camp
Brianna McDonald's death was caused by a suspected overdose, according to her family. And her grieving parents are urging change so other families don’t have to face what they are going though.
FACT CHECK: A look at the false and misleading claims made during the Trump-Harris debate
In their first and perhaps only debate, former U.S. president Donald Trump and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in starkly different terms. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones.