Fisheries Presentation to The CEAA Panel On the Prosperity Project April 27, 2010 20+20=20+20= 4040 By: Richard Holmes MSc. RPBio. QEP WildWild SalmonSalmon PolicyPolicy (Photo by Peter Essick) ConservationConservation UnitsUnits sockeye-lake 218 sockeye-river 24 chinook 68† coho 43 chum 38† pink-even 13 pink-odd 19 Sub-total 423 FishFish SpeciesSpecies KnownKnown toto InhabitInhabit TasekoTaseko RiverRiver ¾ BullBull TroutTrout ¾ DollyDolly VardenVarden ¾ LongnoseLongnose SuckerSucker ¾ MountainMountain WhitefishWhitefish ¾ RainbowRainbow TroutTrout ¾ SockeyeSockeye SalmonSalmon ¾ ChinookChinook SalmonSalmon ¾ SteelheadSteelhead ¾ WhitefishWhitefish (General)(General) TasekoTaseko RiverRiver SockeyeSockeye EscapementEscapement 19491949--20092009 ¾¾ EscapementEscapement == thosethose returningreturning toto spawnspawn ¾¾ 19631963 == 31,66731,667 ¾¾ 19881988 == 11,13811,138 ¾¾ 2009=2009= 4040 ¾¾ Sorry,Sorry, butbut II’’mm notnot convincedconvinced whatsoeverwhatsoever thatthat thingsthings areare simplysimply goinggoing toto bebe okok inin thethe TasekoTaseko RiverRiver watershedwatershed shouldshould thisthis minemine bebe grantedgranted approvalapproval toto proceedproceed Lake Sockeye CUs in Pacific/Yukon 218 CUs • notable diversity: NC CC, NVI, SFj Diversity = Production Lake Sockeye CUs in Pacific/Yukon 218 CUs • notable diversity: NC CC, NVI, SFj Diversity = Production Year Population Peak of Spawn Total Males Females Jacks 1948 Taseko Lake 0000 1949 Taseko Lake 100 62 38 0 1950 Taseko Lake 500 250 250 0 1951 Taseko Lake 500 250 250 0 1952 Taseko Lake Sep 6-9 3647 1715 1932 0 1953 Taseko Lake Aug 30-Sep 4 4422 1447 2975 0 1954 Taseko Lake 3500 1750 1750 0 1955 Taseko Lake Aug 31-Sep 4 4400 1584 2816 0 1956 Taseko Lake Aug 26-29 1995 647 1347 1 1957 Taseko Lake Aug 28-Sep 1 3667 1466 2181 20 1958 Taseko Lake Sep 3-6 7538 3199 4314 25 1959 Taseko Lake 16410 7175 9145 90 1960 Taseko Lake Aug 31-Sep 15 2726 1118 1608 0 1961 Taseko Lake 80 40 40 0 1962 Taseko Lake Aug 27-29 657 320 329 8 1963 Taseko Lake Aug 25-28 31667 14080 17554 33 1964 Taseko Lake Aug 27-Sep 3 433 189 244 0 1965 Taseko Lake 0000 1966 Taseko Lake Aug 28-Sep 1 353 160 193 0 1967 Taseko Lake Aug 25-28 5700 2550 3150 0 1968 Taseko Lake 0000 1969 Taseko Lake 0000 1970 Taseko Lake 0000 1971 Taseko Lake Aug 30-Sep 1 10500 4830 5670 0 1972 Taseko Lake Aug 30-Sep 3 2287 959 1326 2 1973 Taseko Lake 0000 1974 Taseko Lake 0000 1975 Taseko Lake Aug 29-Sep 2 4394 2443 1951 0 1976 Taseko Lake Mid Sep 634 255 375 4 1977 Taseko Lake 0000 1979 Taseko Lake 0000 1980 Taseko Lake Mid Sep 679 290 389 0 1983 Taseko Lake Sep 5-10 1630 702 928 0 1984 Taseko Lake Sep 8-12 2771 1141 1630 0 1985 Taseko Lake 0000 1987 Taseko Lake Sep 8-12 3592 1834 1737 21 1988 Taseko Lake Sep 8-12 11138 4845 6293 0 1989 Taseko Lake Sep 8-12 65 19 46 0 1992 Taseko Lake 970 230 740 0 1994 Taseko Lake 270 170 100 0 1995 Taseko Lake 1840 773 1067 0 1996 Taseko Lake 1470 690 780 0 1997 Taseko Lake 325 195 130 0 1998 Taseko Lake Early Sep. 400 120 280 0 1999 Taseko Lake 1160 592 568 0 2000 Taseko Lake 3000 1262 1738 0 2001 Taseko Lake 1000 353 647 0 2002 Taseko Lake 1300 570 730 0 2003 Taseko Lake 380 225 155 0 2004 Taseko Lake 320 71 249 0 2005 Taseko Lake 520 260 260 0 2006 Taseko Lake 2140 757 1383 0 2007 Taseko Lake 233 148 85 0 2008 Taseko Lake 60 39 21 0 2009 Taseko Lake 40 20 20 0 Aerial Counts of Steelhead on the Chilko River and Population estimates for years 1964 and 1972-2004 Year Day Total Population Estimate Count Chilko System 1964 6 May 31 136 149 1972 26 May 200 880 960 1973 28 May 299 1316 1435 1974 24 May 141 620 677 1975 28 May 121 532 581 1976 21 May 213 937 1022 1977 25 May 103 453 494 1978 28 May 240 1056 1152 1979 25 May 149 656 715 1980 21 May 186 818 893 1981 25 May 122 537 586 1982 28 May 195 858 936 1983 13 May 319 1404 1531 1984 18 May 236 1038 1133 1985 30 May 656 2886 3149 1986 22 May 415 1826 1992 1987 21 May 485 2134 2328 1988 24 May 488 2147 2342 1989 23 May 127 559 610 1990 23 May 84 370 403 1991 22 May 97 427 466 1992 20 May 113 497 542 1993 25 May 322 1417 1546 1994 20-May 191 840 917 1995 25-May 173 761 830 1996 5-Jun 108 475 518 1996 25-May 103 453 494 1997 22-May 286 1258 1373 1998 12-May 49 216 235 1998 19-May 140 616 672 1998 26-May 65 286 312 1999 14-May 27 119 130 1999 21-May 80 352 384 1999 28-May 155 682 744 1999 4-Jun 80 352 384 2000 18-May 107 471 514 2000 24-May 154 678 739 2000 30-May 77 339 370 2001 17-May 108 475 518 2001 22-May 213 937 1022 2001 25-May 262 1153 1258 2001 29-May 184 810 883 2002 16-May 97 427 466 2002 23-May 205 902 984 2002 27-May 232 1021 1114 2002 31-May 194 854 931 2002 10-Jun 87 383 418 2003 12-May 63 277 302 2003 18-May 169 744 811 2003 23-May 191 840 917 2003 29-May 147 647 706 2004 9-May 20 88 96 2004 17-May 39 172 187 2004 24-May 53 233 254 2004 28-May 16 70 77 2005 6-May 44 194 211 2005 13-May 79 348 379 2005 20-May 80 352 384 2005 27-May 49 216 235 2006 8-May 12 53 58 2006 18-May 84 370 403 2006 25-May 115 506 552 2006 30-May 73 321 350 2007 12-May 11 48 53 2007 18-May 29 128 139 2007 24-May 78 343 374 2007 30-May 66 290 317 2008 15-May 12 53 58 2008 22-May 27 119 130 2008 30-May 33 145 158 2008 5-Jun 17 75 82 2009 14-May 22 97 106 2009 21-May 38 167 182 2009 28-May 68.0 299 326 2009 4-Jun 73.0 321 350 2009 11-Jun 15 66 72 Slide 1: Good morning (afternoon). My name is Richard Holmes and I am a Registered Professional Biologist in the Province of British Columbia. I have been working on fisheries related projects in the Cariboo/Chilcotin for 30 years with a primary focus on salmon. I own a small environmental consulting company based in Likely and I also manage a research station there for the University of Northern British Columbia. My consulting work has allowed me to work with First Nations, the Canadian government, the Province of British Columbia, regional districts, cities, universities, non governmental organizations, industry….including the mining and forest industries, ranchers and individuals. I advise people that I don’t really work for them, but that I work for the fish. I’d like to thank the Panel Chair and the Panel members for providing us all with this forum to speak on this project with its high negative impacts to the lakes, streams and rivers in the Chilko and Taseko River watersheds. And once again I appreciate the opportunity to speak on behalf of the sockeye salmon and the other fish species that will be impacted should this project be granted approval. This title slide photo on the right shows 3 members of our Xeni Gwet’in Fisheries Crew on the shores of Taseko Lake taking a break from fish habitat assessments conducted in the area in 2007.We have worked extensively with the Xeni Gwet’in in recent years on numerous fisheries and watershed projects. Aside from these assessments we provide and undertake with the communities watershed restoration work as well. Slide 2: The Elders, Chiefs, Councilors and people of the Chilcotin Nation have presented their concerns to you over the last several weeks and strongly voiced their opposition to this project. In reviewing the records of this hearing process, one can easily sense their anger over the lack of respect shown to Teztan Biny and the Taseko and Chilko River watersheds, including the fish that inhabit this lake and great river system. We have a lot in common and I share their anger as a fisheries biologist. In my presentation to you on April 13th at Anaham I let it be known that a cloud of doubt surrounds the Environmental Impact Assessment provided by Taseko Mines Ltd. This is not solely a concern of mine, but shared by many professionals in a variety of fields. Of particular concern to me at the time of my last presentation was the obvious lack of agreement among professionals relating to the potential for acid rock drainage to impact the Taseko River and ultimately the Chilko and Fraser River water quality and resident fish stocks. The Taseko Mines Ltd. proposal has drawn considerable attention from Stratus Consulting Ltd. as can be gathered from the documentation on the Canadian Environmental Assessment website and by their presence here at the hearings and this is indeed a concern. Not that they are here to present and defend their findings, rather we should all be concerned that this mine plan is poised to negatively impact the headwaters of a great tributary of the Fraser River, one of the greatest salmon rivers in the world.