Conservationists fear for Vancouver Island salmon amid drought-like conditions
As summer-like conditions creep into early October, water levels on the Nanaimo River are low. That is bad news for spawning Chinook salmon.
"Most of them are stuck down in the deep pools in the lower river where they can’t get up and get to their spawning grounds," said Brian Banks, manager of the Nanaimo River Hatchery.
On Wednesday, the City of Nanaimo released water from its reservoir into the Nanaimo River. It is the first time a release has been needed in five years.
"This water release is going to help the Chinook mostly get up to their spawning grounds," said Banks.
On the South Island, the Colquitz River is extremely low as well.
"The salmon have been seen jumping and holding in Portage Inlet," said Dorothy Chambers, with local environmental group Salmon in the City.
Waiting for rain, those Coho salmon will stay put in the inlet until the rains come. The problem is, seals have moved into the area feasting on those waiting salmon.
"We need to have a very good rainfall, which is called the flush," said Chambers.
The first rains will flush the urban storm drains of their toxins, like oil from roads.
Many storm drains run into the Colquitz River and those toxins have been proven fatal to Coho salmon.
There is a weir at Beaver Lake that can feed the Colquitz River when it gets low.
"I don’t want to see water released quite yet because we haven’t had that first flush," said Chambers.
Nicolette Watson, stock assessment technician with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, agrees that rainfall is needed in the region.
"We very much need rain all around the coast right now," she said. "It’s very dry."
MASS DIE-OFF
A graphic example of what prolonged summer weather can do to salmon populations was recorded in Bella Bella, B.C. last week.
Tens of thousands of salmon were seen lying dead in a dried up riverbed in Bella Bella.
"It’s unheard of," said William Housty, conservation manager with Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department.
"Nobody in the community has ever seen anything like this before."
Tens of thousands of dead salmon are pictured in Bella Bella, B.C.
The mass die-off is part of a growing problem that salmon experts say we're going to see more of in the future.
"As global warming continues at the pace that it’s at," said Lina Azeez with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society.
In the Comox Valley, BC Hydro has redirected the water flows from the Comox Lake Reservoir into the Putledge River because the river is getting low.
On Tuesday, flows were also reduced on the Cowichan River to conserve water due to a dry forecast.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, rains are expected to arrive on Monday, but only about five millimetres, which is still not enough to make a difference on our thirsty rivers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.