Conserving Kispiox Fish Populations and their Habitat Kispiox Watershed Fish Sustainability Plan Stage II Briefing Backgrounder Ken A. Rabnett, Allen Gottesfeld, and Peter Hall Skeena Fisheries Commission March 2003 Conserving Kispiox Fish Populations and their Habitat Table of Contents Kispiox Watershed Fish Sustainability Plan.................................................................. 1 Preamble ......................................................................................................................... 1 Skeena WFSP Process .................................................................................................... 2 Kispiox WFS Plan........................................................................................................... 3 Kispiox Watershed Environmental Setting.................................................................... 6 Location ...................................................................................................................... 6 Hydrology ................................................................................................................... 6 Water Quality.............................................................................................................. 8 Stream Channels ....................................................................................................... 11 Geography................................................................................................................. 13 Geology..................................................................................................................... 14 Forests....................................................................................................................... 16 Access ....................................................................................................................... 17 Fish Values....................................................................................................................... 18 Chinook..................................................................................................................... 19 Pink Salmon.............................................................................................................. 21 Chum Salmon............................................................................................................ 22 Sockeye..................................................................................................................... 23 Coho.......................................................................................................................... 27 Steelhead................................................................................................................... 29 Indigenous Freshwater Fish ...................................................................................... 31 Salmon and Habitat Enhancement............................................................................ 37 Fisheries ........................................................................................................................... 40 Gitxsan Fishery ......................................................................................................... 40 Recreational Fisheries............................................................................................... 45 Land Use and Development Activities .......................................................................... 46 Forest Resource Development .................................................................................. 46 Mineral Resource Development ............................................................................... 48 Transportation and Utilities ...................................................................................... 49 Population and Settlement ........................................................................................ 49 Cumulative Effects.................................................................................................... 50 Kispiox Watershed Management Issues ....................................................................... 51 References Cited.............................................................................................................. 52 Glossary and Acronyms ................................................................................................. 64 Skeena Fisheries Commission March 2003 ii Kispiox Watershed Fish Sustainability Plan Preamble This backgrounder is designed for the use of the Kispiox Watershed-based Fish Sustainability Plan (KWFSP) planning table. It briefly describes the origin, purpose, and benefits of Watershed-based Fish Sustainability Planning (WFSP), a four-stage planning sequence that governments, organizations, and individuals with an interest in fish conservation can use now to effectively promote the long-term health of fish and fish habitat and provides background information on the biophysical characteristics of the Kispiox Watershed and its fish populations. In 1997, the federal and provincial governments signed the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on the Management of Pacific Salmon Fishery Issues. The agreement included a commitment to “work jointly in watershed fish production, planning, and processes”. The purpose of this agreement was to create a partnership for conserving and managing west coast salmon populations and their habitat. As a result of this agreement, the Watershed-based Fish Sustainability Planning process was developed. This four-stage process is intended to involve communities and stakeholders through the development of a fish sustainability plan for prioritized watersheds. Stage I for the Skeena Watershed was completed in 2002 and is presented in the report “Conserving Skeena Fish Populations and Their Habitat” (Gottesfeld et al, 2002). This report provides a biophysical profile of the Skeena Basin as well as an assessment of eleven tributary sub-basins. The watershed overview describes environmental issues, cumulative effects, anthropogenic factors, Skeena fish and community values, and a ranking of productive sub- basins. The Kispiox, Lakelse, and Morice Watersheds were identified as priority Stage II candidates. Skeena Fisheries Commission March 2003 1 Conserving Kispiox Fish Populations and their Habitat Skeena WFSP Process The WFSP process focuses on sustainability. The intention is to sponsor projects that create or maintain aquatic environments and fish populations that can carry on by themselves. In most cases it is simpler to prevent damage to fish populations and habitats in the first place than it is to restore them once damage has occurred. For this reason, WFSP places a strong emphasis on the protection of fish, fish habitat, and natural ecosystem processes. It promotes restoration of priority fish populations and/or habitat that have been adversely affected by past activities. It promotes enhancement only to supplement these other approaches (BC Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2001). The WFSP takes a “fish first” approach. WFSP places a stronger emphasis on the needs of fish than on other interests. This means that management efforts will be directed to sites that have important fish populations and valuable fish habitat. Planning takes place in the natural landscape units – watersheds. Streams carry water and sediments downstream and affect downstream natural processes. Protection of riverine fish resources requires concern for activities upstream and upslope. Similarly, the continuation or maintenance of First Nations, commercial, and sports fishing opportunities requires conservation of upstream water quality in spawning and rearing areas. The Skeena WFSP is based on the standard WFSP four-stage planning sequence. Stage I – Produces a biophysical and sociopolitical profile of a region and identifies watersheds within the region that are the highest priorities for further planning. Stage II – Produces a biophysical and sociopolitical profile of each of the priority watershed planning units identified in Stage I and identifies objectives, strategies, and targets that must be met to achieve fish sustainability within these watersheds. Stage III – Produces a detailed fish sustainability action plan that spells out how these objectives, strategies, and targets will be met and by whom. Stage IV – Implements and monitors the plan effectiveness. Stage I of this planning sequence addressed and identified priority sub-basins at the Skeena Watershed level. Stages II to IV address priorities within smaller tributary watersheds. governments, First Nations, fish conservation and stewardship groups can use this planning sequence to identify those fish populations and habitats that most urgently require attention, and particularly those that are most likely to benefit from such attention. Skeena Fisheries Commission March 2003 2 Conserving Kispiox Fish Populations and their Habitat Kispiox WFS Plan Stage II lays the foundation for the development of detailed WFSP action plans to maintain or restore the productive capacity of the Kispiox Watershed. Parties with an interest in the Kispiox Watershed Plan: develop a working protocol or terms of reference that describes the responsibilities of the planning team, develop a strategic overview of local values, establish the overall direction for management, establish specific management targets, objectives, and strategies, bring