(Kamloops) Low water levels caused by years of drought and a lack of snow cover are threatening salmon reproduction in British Columbia, a federal Fisheries and Oceans official warns.
Researchers are trying to understand the impact of last year’s wildfires in British Columbia on the lives of salmon.
Salmon need a steady flow of cool water to survive and reach their spawning grounds, but Murray Manson, acting area leader of the Centre of Expertise for Habitat Restoration, said he expects some will move into rivers with low water levels.
“We are trying to prepare for some of the problems that might arise,” he said.
Concerns persist despite the cold spring B.C. has endured, leaving the province in a better position than expected, Manson added. “We’re doing well so far in terms of drought and its impacts on fish.”
Some areas, such as the Fraser River basin, where a very poor salmon spawning season had been predicted, have instead been put on hold.
“They’re swimming toward drought conditions that exist upstream,” Manson said. “It’s early days, things are evolving.”
The ministry is concerned that dry, hot weather is hurting salmon reproduction in British Columbia this year. It says low water levels are preventing fish from reaching their spawning grounds and exposing them to predators. Warm water is also hurting reproduction and making salmon vulnerable to disease.
In the Kamloops area, the Habitat Restoration Centre of Expertise is working with First Nations, conservation groups and academics to mitigate the effects of drought on salmon runs in rivers.
On the Adams River, home to one of the largest sockeye salmon runs on the continent, researchers are trying to determine the impact of the Bush Creek East fire on wildlife.
“Our salmon habitat restoration team combines historical imagery and maps with high-resolution, real-time data to understand how conditions are affecting fish habitat, including impacts on reproduction,” reads a statement from the ministry.
Manson said the centre is currently trying to mitigate the effects of the drought, including dozens of habitat restoration projects. The ministry is also asking people to avoid entering dry waterbeds because they could disrupt delicate ecosystem features.
Mr. Manson said they are also being asked not to move any fish that have stranded in a dry part of a waterway. Instead, they must notify the department through a 24-hour hotline.
“Maybe we are already aware of the situation and have started to take measures. We can, in some cases, move adult fish, but we have equipment designed for this purpose so as not to cause them greater harm.”