Fraser River slide: Salmon passing through site, officials considering permanent fix
Officials say thousands of migrating salmon are making their way past an area of British Columbia's Fraser River where a waterway was restructured following a massive rock slide more than two years ago.
Gwil Roberts, the Fisheries Department's director for the Big Bar landslide response, says 79,000 sockeye and chinook salmon have been counted passing through the site and sonar systems are not detecting delays of migrating salmon.
He says the design of a less treacherous route through the slide zone and low river levels this summer are helping salmon get to their upstream spawning grounds, but finding a permanent solution for the fish to navigate the area is now on hold.
The survival of valuable Fraser River salmon runs was threatened when a slide of more than 85,000 cubic metres of rock ended up in the river and created a five-metre waterfall that trapped the fish below.
Roberts says this year's completion of a protected fishway at the slide site is allowing salmon to make it upstream on their own after earlier efforts to truck them past the area or propel them in a tube with a so-called fish cannon.
He says plans to install a permanent fishway at the slide site by next May have been delayed due to safety and weather issues, while the provincial government as well as local Indigenous groups consider a long-term solution.
“We have passage this year,” Roberts told a news conference. “That's a tremendously good sign.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.