The newsletter for stewards of salmonids and their habitat • Volume 18 • Number 2 • Fall 2011 After the deluge Gathering fish stock data in the Atnarko/Bella Coola watershed by Sandie MacLaurin There was a major flood in the Atnarko/ Bella Coola watershed in September of 2010 – estimated to be a one-in-two-hundred- year event. About 300 mm of rain fell in a 36-hour period, causing scouring and bedload movement that damaged all the tributaries and the mainstem of the Atnarko/Bella Coola River system. In addition, there were significant impacts to spawning grounds in the lower Bella Coola tributaries of Thorsen, Snootli and Nooklikonnik (feeds the Airport Side Channel) due to gravel removal and flood prevention projects that had to occur during the salmon egg incubation period for pink and chum. All this after a year when escapement was well below target for Croydon Lansdowne and a student from Sir Alexander Mackenzie High School identify a fry. chum, pink, chinook and sockeye. Discouraging as the numbers were, the project was an important learning opportunity for local The Nuxalk First Nation asked students. Photo: Sara Germain. for support from DFO to conduct a The downstream trapping program as weather, time of day, water clarity, level downstream trapping program to better started on March 7 and ended on April 29. and temperature was also collected. qualify concerns over fry production, and I There were five trap sites in the Bella The data from all traps indicated was glad to help out. The project was also Coola River and tributaries and one in (as expected) that pink and chum fry supported by the Central Coast Fisherman’s the Atnarko River. Trap size, location and production from the 2010 brood was Protective Association and the Bella Coola set duration were as similar as possible to extremely poor and the early catches of Watershed Conservation Society. Together those used in the past so comparisons could chinook in the Atnarko were well below we gathered sufficient funds, equipment be made. normal. The difference in the average daily and staff to conduct a program during the catch between 2011 (fry from 2010) and normal peak of chum migration in the Set duration was approximately 24 hours. other years was dramatic and the project lower river and of pink migration in the Daily catch was counted by species and lead technician Croydon Lansdowne Atnarko. where there was more than one brood year represented (as determined by relative size highlights this fact by noting that while an for coho, chinook and sockeye), this was average daily pink catch for the Atnarko also recorded. 2011 hatchery chum and trap should be about 10,000, in 2011 InIn thisthis issue:issue: chinook were recorded separately. Normally, the highest daily catch was 318. In two One Mile Lake Nature Centre...... 2 the recorded catch would be hatchery and of the lower Bella Coola tributaries no pink were captured at all. Since pink Workshop queries ...... 3 wild combined; however, the hatchery and chum are an important food source Citizen science...... 4 numbers overwhelmed the wild catch so in the spring for larger salmonids, other Didymo alert...... 5 much that they were kept separate so as not to skew the results. Information such fish species, mammals and birds – not to Cleanup at Lake Errock...... 6 mention the role returning adults would Pinks return to Britannia Creek.....7 ...continued on page 2 New nature centre is already winning awards

by Veronica Woodruff Stewardship Pemberton began an ambitious endeavour in 2006 to develop the One Mile Lake Nature Centre after there was irreparable flood damage to the Birkenhead Hatchery. Our vision became a reality in 2010 with a significant grant from the Pacific Salmon Foundation. Partner funding was provided by the Village of Pemberton, BC Hydro, Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, North Shore Credit Union/Pemberton Supermarket, Mountain Glass and The building is completely off-grid, featuring solar power, composting toilets and many others. rainwater catchment. Photo: Veronica Woodruff. The Nature Centre is located Although the nature centre will be involved in the program from the early at the trailhead to One Mile Lake our educational hub, we expect it to be visioning sessions. Municipal Park. Every effort was only one component in our hands-on This is a timely development for made to maintain the natural setting, environmental programming, which Pemberton. There were significant with limited vegetation removal, re- will focus on the surrounding rivers, trail and salmon habitat upgrades vegetation with native shrubs and wetlands and lakes. completed in the park in 2010 which integration into the existing trail One Mile Lake and its associated has increased park users exponentially. system. The centre will house a small stream and wetland complex are We expect to expand on these upgrades educational hatchery and aquarium, important habitat for coho and for both trails and salmon habitat an indoor gathering place and a sockeye salmon as well as freshwater in 2011. Also in light of the large covered outdoor learning area. species such as cutthroat, lamprey, landslide in the upper Lillooet River chub and other minnows. The park valley, interest in our watershed has The Village of Pemberton received a area provides awesome outdoor increased and we intend to harness this Community Excellence Award for the One learning opportunities with easily momentum by uniting stakeholders Mile Lake Nature Centre at the Union of BC accessible spawning beds as well through a watershed planning process Municipalities Breakfast on September 27. as great birding and other wildlife we are embarking on early this year. The award, for leadership and innovation, viewing. There are several culturally We are looking forward to a recognizes ideas that rise above challenges significant sites located in and around successful inaugural year engaging using vision, creativity and teamwork. the park, and Lil’wat Nation has been people in all the wonders of our beautiful watershed.

Wetlands to Waves: ...from page 1 sustainability through stewardship play – the implications for food web Thankfully, the DFO major facility planning for 2012 (when pinks from and ecosystem impacts are significant. Snootli Hatchery is located in the the 2010 brood would be returning) Coho adults were in the Atnarko/ valley and had eggs from over 4.5 and beyond. The project itself was an Bella Coola during the flood but little million chum, 2 million chinook and excellent opportunity for educational or no spawning had occurred and 65 thousand sockeye from the 2010 activities linked to the Salmonids in stream walks later in the fall reported brood (the sockeye with help from the Classroom program and science spawning success (saved by a different Nuxalkmc Fisheries program) and this classes from the local schools came 2 timing!). However, 2009 brood coho, production will ensure there are adults out to learn about fry identification trout and other rearing juveniles did returning to rebuild. and juvenile assessment techniques. suffer losses from displacement and While the results from the trapping The project also exemplified how stranding, the extent of which is program were not good, they will a collaborative approach to design, impossible to quantify. serve a very positive purpose for funding and implementation can be fisheries management and watershed essential to success. Protecting an ecosystem piece by piece by Barry Booth Since 1999, The Land Conservancy (TLC) has been protecting valuable fish and wildlife habitat in the Horsefly River valley by acquiring and managing land along the middle sections of the river. Up to this point, we have purchased approximately 400 hectares of land, including some of the best spawning habitat for sockeye salmon in the entire Horsefly River system. As a land trust, we are continuously looking for opportunities to further our work. We are most successful when we are able to acquire and manage a property that builds on previous efforts. Even more valuable Bears and salmon need plenty of room to live out their lives and thrive. Every hectare from a conservation perspective is if helps. Photo: C. Iwan. that new acquisition becomes part of a larger conservation area. It’s like strategic value for wildlife and salmon This type of purchase is in doing a puzzle, but instead of placing conservation. many ways the most valuable type individual pieces on a blank table, one By buying this land, TLC of acquisition. It is not a piece of exchanges unprotected pieces with eliminates the possible threat of future land that is isolated from other protected ones, thereby building a development along this section of the conservation lands, but rather is picture that shows an ever-increasing river. In addition, we improve the directly connected to them. With area of high-value protected lands. conservation value of the HRRCA by this acquisition we are continuing to TLC’s campaign to purchase a increasing its overall size, linking it to fill in the pieces of the conservation 22-hectare parcel in the Horsefly River Crown land that has been designated puzzle in the Horsefly River, one of valley is just this type of project. We as a key wetland for moose and to B.C.’s most important wild salmon are working to acquire the last piece an Old-Growth Forest Management rivers. For more information about of the old Kroener Ranch that is Area. In essence, the protected area this project, please visit: http://blog. immediately adjacent to the Horsefly of riparian habitat in the valley conservancy.bc.ca/get-involved- River Riparian Conservation Area would effectively be extended by a with-tlc/campaigns/horsefly-river- (HRRCA). This new property of further 2 km on the north side of the expansion-project/. young mixed-wood forest, wetlands, Horsefly River and by an additional and intact riparian habitat is of 56 hectares. SEP Community Workshop 2011 What did you think? And who will host 2013? If the photos Paul Cipywnyk has posted on Flickr are Check out the photos at http://www.flickr.com/ any indication, Campbell River’s “Wetlands to Waves: photos/82399097@N00/sets/72157626977955349/ Sustainability Through Stewardship” was a workshop NOW... is your group up for hosting the next one to remember. We want to know how it was for you. in May of 2013? If you think your part of B.C. or 3 What did you learn? Who inspired you? What would Yukon is the very best salmon-enhancing-habitat- you change for next time? Which sessions would you restoring-hard-working-community-inspiring chunk of recommend, and have you ideas for more? Please write country there is, we challenge you to step up and prove to Joanne Day at [email protected] or at it! Contact Joanne to find out what’s involved. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Suite 200, 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3S4. Citizen science, a work in progress by Zo Ann Morten bank of information about our salmon Module Updates stocks. We are no longer satisfied with As I sit at my desk staring The Pacific Streamkeepers only an escapement number. We now at a blank computer screen, Federation is working with DFO are curious as to the size and condition the winds kick up. Without community advisors to update of the fish, the egg counts, and the thinking I know it’s cold out Streamkeeper Modules 9, 10 and 12 Streamkeepers spawning success. It is this curiosity there. Quick deduction – it’s this year. The Streamkeepers program and concern for the waterways and November, there was frost connects citizens to the natural world the life within them that will assist Update on the truck this morning, and collects data that highlights scientists, developers and fellow I have a sweater on, and I’m inside. I changes to our watersheds – changes Streamkeepers to keep our natural remember reading about frozen guides that are instant and those that can world in the news, inspiring others on a fishing rod from a November only be seen over time. Many thanks to be curious, to care, and to protect. post on Fishing with Rod; a coyote to all who contribute to the success Thank you to Curious George’s “man that came up out of our ravine last of the program, and to the wonderful in the yellow hat” who taught us month with a thick beautiful coat; volunteers across B.C. and the frantic activity of squirrels all to be inquisitive creatures full of and birds over the past few weeks as enthusiasm. And bundle up! It looks they stockpile seeds and leftover corn like it’ll be a cold one (not based on from the garden. I think it will be a science, just on connecting the dots). long cold winter. Citizen science can mean anything from citizens Have a stewardship story to share? observing natural events and characteristics to a genuine revolution in ‘science’ that democratizes the important social role of learning about the by Joanne Day world around us. Citizen science can be seen as DFO’s Stream to Sea Education a way ‘real scientists’ leverage the labor of large Program is proud to promote a numbers of people distributed widely, or a way partnership with Science World’s to leverage the brains, experience, and insights BC Green Games, a program that Visit the website at of the world’s people to advance understanding. encourages students in grades K www.bcgreengames.ca to be inspired to 12 to document and share their (from the Citizen Science Toolkit Conference) by the more than 350 previously environmental action stories. submitted projects and find more I think of citizen science and how Why not enter your projects information. Science World will the collection of data in a standardized involving Salmonids in the award $24,000 to winning schools. format helps to inform others who Classroom, Storm Drain Marking, Projects can be submitted as video or can’t get outside to see the wonders and Streamkeepers activities? photo-essay, PowerPoint or a series of of nature first hand. It adds to their photos and text. Youth will enjoy the knowledge banks the tidbits of 2011 winners include Salt Spring technological part of capturing and information that help connect the Elementary School, where in 2009 sharing the story. Registration begins dots toward a bigger, clearer picture. one class began a series of studies now with project submission between I love the curiosity gene we and activities around the salmon- February 1 and March 1, 2012. have, and it is common among bearing Ganges Creek. They learned This is a terrific opportunity for Streamkeeper volunteers. “Why?” – a and achieved so much about stream groups to submit information on their simple word stated often that sends stewardship, and communicated their people scrambling to the internet, excitement so well, that in 2010 the projects in order to share successes and scouring over reports, and talking to whole school took on the theme challenges with other schools and to friends and neighbours until they are of water and became Guardians of inspire others to take on a project to satisfied they have enough knowledge Ganges Creek. help the environment. to ask another question on the subject. Another winning school, Dover Bay Streamkeepers and education 4 Reviewing listserve traffic this fall I Secondary in Nanaimo, concentrates coordinators may also be involved see that many ask the questions, “Why on habitat restoration, including in BC Green Games by participating are our chum smaller? Why do they cleanup, monitoring, replacement of as judges. Contact Kate Henderson have fewer eggs in them? Will their invasive plants with native plantings, at [email protected] for more offspring be smaller as well?” Spawner and enhancement of a local coho information. surveys are proving to be an invaluable population. Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Chase River chum get a lift Ltd., logistics and installation by BC by Harry Allen McLeod The second phase involved raising Conservation Foundation, and the Chum salmon ascending the Chase the water level in the pool. Boulders local office of DFO brought all the River in southern Nanaimo this fall were winched into a gap at the organizations together. The Island will have another seven kilometres of downstream end, creating a somewhat Corridor Foundation, owners of the spawning grounds thanks to a recently porous dam that we hope will elevate E&N Railway, gave us permission to completed SEP project. Up until now, the pool when flows are greater and work on their property and delivered they had gathered in a pool just below allow chum to make it into the tunnel the baffles to the site. a 64.5-metre-long cement tunnel without jumping. Holes were drilled Now it’s up to the salmon! under a railway, but went no further. into boulders and a short loop of We think that this was because of cable was cemented high-speed seasonal water flows and a in place overnight. drop between the tunnel and the pool. This SEP-funded Chum are not good jumpers. project was made To reduce the flow speed, 11 half- possible with the help inch steel baffles were installed at of many. Planning, regular intervals at right angles to the volunteer assistance current on one side of the tunnel. and accounting were Each baffle is about 1.5 m long, 0.3 provided by Island m high, and extends from the middle Waters Fly Fishers. of the tunnel to within 0.25 m of the The Friends of cement wall. The gap will allow fish the Millstone and to get around the baffle. The baffles Vancouver Island were installed on only one side of the University provided tunnel to allow debris to slip by. Four additional volunteers. bolts on each side held them in place, Engineering services Baffle installation requires the correct ratio of workers to supervisors. cemented in with epoxy resin. were supplied by Photo: Harry McLeod.

the invertebrates that fish If you can’t change field gear: eat, can irritate or clog • Remove all obvious clumps. fish gills, and may affect DidymoDidymo the flow of water and AND alertalert oxygen to eggs and fry in • Submerge all gear in hot water (45C spawning gravel. During – uncomfortable to the touch) for advanced blooms it also at least 20 minutes, and scrub with makes fishing difficult by soap. Not recommended for felts. catching on hooks with OR each cast. • freeze all gear until solid at lower than 2C (felts for at least five The algae travel easily hours). by attaching to hip waders, Check, clean and dry your gear to stop Didymo’s OR fishing gear and boats. • place in a two per cent spread. Photo: Chris Williams. household bleach solution and Didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) The following best- soak for 15 minutes. practice procedures should be is a large diatomateous algae now • OR dry all gear completely (felt invading freshwater systems across followed when moving within and between infected and uninfected soles can take up to five days to dry North America. It has been identified thoroughly). in the Cowichan and Somass rivers on systems, and should be considered Educate yourself about what Vancouver Island; the Bulkley River when moving between systems even when no detections have been made. Didymo looks like with Google in the Skeena River watershed; the images. If you observe a suspected Ideally: 5 Adams, Middle Shuswap and South Didymo infection, please scoop a Thompson rivers in the Southern • Discontinue use of felt-soled small mass with some water into Interior; and the Kettle, Columbia and waders. any sealed container, refrigerate Kootenay rivers in southeastern B.C. • During the same day trip, use it, and contact your nearest DFO Its dense mats may reduce habitat different field gear for different office. Collected samples should in and food sources for young salmon systems and work from upstream no circumstances be discarded back and trout. It can negatively impact to downstream when at all possible. into any waterbody or waste system without first treating as above. Cleanup at Lake Errock by Lea Ricketts Elizabeth Pellizzari, a south Lake Actively Creating an Exceptional Lake Errock is a small jewel located Errock resident, supplied burlap bags Society (ACES) and this group of east of Mission on the north side of for the garbage so that we contributed community volunteers want to do our the Fraser River. October 1 marked less plastic to the landfill. part to protect, conserve, and restore the first of five watershed stewardship Why is this project important? this wild habitat. The answer is simple. The Lake Despite the grey clouds and drizzle, Errock watershed, consisting of the the team bundled up and walked lake and its several in-fed and out-fed the creeks, rivers and lakeside. We fish-bearing streams, both natural scoured the area, cleaning up pop and channelized, is home to a breath- cans, abandoned car tires, broken taking, strong, yet fragile aquatic glass, plastic bags, old carpet, plastic ecosystem. Cutthroat trout, coho cigar tips, summer sandals, chip bags, salmon, rainbow trout, steelhead, and car air-fresheners and many, many the threatened freshwater mussel and cigarette butts. We all were amazed red-legged frog live here. at how much garbage is strewn on This is also a vibrant habitat of the sides of the roads and even down the bald eagle, great blue heron, beside pristine riverside trails. Thanks to Kurt Langmann for taking all the Even the smallest piece of trash is unwelcome here. and several species of wetland birds. Photo: Lea Ricketts. The watershed is a massive salmon garbage to the dump. projects planned to clean up its spawning ground and community A big thanks for this year-long shoreline. Folks gathered from the members and lake residents are in project funded by the Community neighbourhood and met up at the awe of this beautiful watershed and Salmon Program of the Pacific north beach for an info session. its impressive population of spawning Salmon Foundation. Also thanks Shelley Stefan talked about the value salmon each year. Lake Errock is a very to ACES, whose mandate is “to of salmon habitat, how to protect special place. In support of the mandate protect with integrity the natural our streams and waterways, and of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and environment that sustains all life.” showed us new signage from DFO. the Salmonid Enhancement Program, Visit http://acessociety.com

Let’s all grow and buy Salmon-Safe A new eco-certification program bottoms beside rivers, lakes, streams Northern California that encourages B.C. ranchers, farmers and wetlands that are essential fish and now British and winemakers to adopt practices habitats. Farmers and farmland have Columbia. that protect salmon and their habitat an important role in protecting and Salmon-Safe launched in October. preserving fish and wildlife habitat. piloting in British Salmon require clean, cool rivers The demand for Salmon-Safe in Columbia took to thrive and spawn. Poorly managed British Columbia came from B.C. place in 2010/11 farms can have a major impact on farmers and volunteers who work with financial support from the RBC water quality and habitat. For example, on watershed conservation. Farmers Blue Water initiative and Fraser silt from erosion and runoff affects and landowners who were already Salmon and Watershed Program, a spawning gravels. Chemicals cause employing practices that protected joint initiative of the Pacific Salmon pollution, and excessive irrigation Pacific salmon habitat needed a Foundation and Fraser Basin Council. can deplete streams and rivers. Lack mechanism to differentiate their To date, 22 farms in B.C. have of vegetation along the banks can products in local food markets, as well achieved Salmon-Safe certification. 6 increase stream temperature and as to encourage other farms to adopt Look for the symbol on local deplete oxygen, affecting salmon positive agricultural practices. products. Visit www.salmonsafe.org to eggs and fry as well as other fish and Salmon-Safe was founded by the find out how to apply for certification, wildlife. Dams obstruct the movement Oregon-based Pacific Rivers Council and for a list of Salmon-Safe certified of fish between freshwater and ocean. in 1997, and has since spun off as a farms in B.C. Much of British Columbia’s separate non-profit organization that agricultural land is located in valley is active in Oregon, Washington, Celebration in Britannia Beach At long last, the pinks are back! by Rob Bell-Irving Who would have thought that a special Rivers Day event would ever be staged here? Britannia Beach was once one of the most contaminated locations in North America. A gigantic copper mine opened in 1904, and over the decades its waste products, including sulphuric acid and dissolved heavy metals, effectively killed all life in Britannia Creek and adjacent areas of Howe Sound. But this September, contagious excitement took over as numerous pink salmon returned unexpectedly Rivers Day was appropriately wet, but that didn’t stop plenty of supporters from to Britannia. This momentous return coming out. Photo: Edith Tobe. came after earlier verification that trout had begun to reside in both operation in 2005. Its purpose is to Mandatory Notification of Britannia Creek and nearby Thistle collect all the waterfront surface water, Reportable Aquatic Animal Diseases Creek starting in 2009, and that including streams potentially entering natural marine productivity along Howe Sound, and treat it to remove Effective January 19, 2011, the Canadian the Britannia Beach shoreline and heavy metals and other toxins. Food Inspection Agency has issued a directive to people who care for, control or possess live finfish, adjacent Minaty Bay is showing a With these measures in place, molluscs and crustaceans. In the event of suspicion massive increase. local stewardship groups could take or detection of a reportable aquatic animal disease, This encouraging news follows on habitat restoration with renewed they must notify their nearest Veterinary Inspector in on 30 years of environmental energy. Their efforts have been richly a Canadian Food Inspection Agency Animal Health activism and lobbying, and 10 years rewarded. Office. For example, Salmonid Enhancement of committed government- and I think that to B.C. stewardship Program hatchery staff, researchers and their industry-funded remediation work. volunteers it sends a strong message: no technical staff, and veterinarians or aquatic animal health specialists who are analyzing animal In 2001, UBC engineers installed watershed is hopeless. With properly specimens for disease, are required to comply with a plug in the mine to divert some funded, well-applied fieldwork, the directive. of the acid runoff away from the volunteers can make a measurable creek, but it was still finding its way and positive difference when trying Further details can be found at http://www. inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/aqua/aquae. into the ocean. Government and to restore even the most damaged shtml. If you have any specific questions, please industry then committed funds for habitats. The story of the remediation contact Dr. Kim Klotins at 613-221-1398, or a water treatment plant, which began of Britannia Beach is just beginning. [email protected]. Salmon and trout have returned to talking about here is the restoration the watersheds, of an entire typical B.C. coastal and herring, ecosystem, complete with the salmon killer whales, that provide building-block nutrients. baleen whales, And when the Britannia Mine 7 sea lions, otters, Museum, the Outdoor Recreation seals, dolphins, Council of BC and the Squamish crabs, prawns River Watershed Society hosted a and smelts are special BC Rivers Day celebration, once again seen pink salmon were there as well in the in Howe Sound. lower reaches of Britannia Creek for Britannia Creek’s most welcome visitors. Photo: John Buchanan. What we are all to see and celebrate. Help us save trees and postage. Receive StreamTalk by e-mail. Please contact Joanne Day at [email protected], with the subject line “StreamTalk by e-mail.” www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/habitat/ StreamTalk index-eng.htm is published collaboratively by Fisheries Working Near Water in B.C. and Yukon is a new and Oceans Canada and stewardship, DFO web page with information for landowners, enhancement, education and Streamkeepers groups in B.C. and the governments, industry, and consultants planning Yukon that care for salmon activities such as shoreline stabilization, channel and their habitat. modifications, building bridges or docks. It has interactive tools to help you find out: For more information or to submit an article, please contact • what you need to know and do when planning and Joanne Day conducting a project; Stewardship and Community Involvement • how to get information on project environmental Fisheries and Oceans Canada assessments, or report fish or fish habitat damage; Suite 200, 401 Burrard Street • how you can get involved in community projects. Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6C 3S4 Phone: 604-666-6614 If you are planning an activity in or near marine, Fax: 604-666-0417 intertidal or freshwater fish habitat, check here first! E-mail: [email protected] Editing, design and layout: Jennifer McKim Stone Opinions expressed in StreamTalk are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent Notes From the Field those of Fisheries and Oceans Canada or of other organizations that contribute to the newsletter. Postal No. 40063830

Billy Johnson is working his pectoral muscles, lifting this handsome guy from the Wannock River. Photo: Heather Bettger.

Sandie MacLaurin, community advisor for the North Central Coast, writes, “We finished the Wannock chinook eggtake just two days after the first spawning. On this one there were several big females (42, 44, 48 pounds) and the 44-pound girl had over 10 pounds of eggs! One and a half buckets and likely 10,000 eggs. We have an estimated 326,000 eggs on hand and the recirculation system is up and running – warming the water a couple of degrees to move up the ponding date and allow for additional rearing and bigger fish at release. There certainly seemed to be lots of fish around and the regular brood crew figure the run is better than last year.”