Fearing that recent droughts are stressing out fish, the B.C. government is proposing fishing closures in several rivers on the South Island.
The province says it wants to implement an extended fishing closure in the Koksilah and Chemainus River watersheds from July 1 to September 30 next year "to reflect the increased severity and duration of conditions typically experienced in those systems."
Rivers including Big Qualicum, Puntledge, Quinsam, Oyster and Nitinat would be exempt from the closures.
In the Cowichan River, fly fishing would only be permitted upstream of the Mile 66 railway trestle between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15, and no fishing would be permitted downstream for those dates.
The closures would help balance out fish populations during periods of stressful conditions, such as when flow levels are near or below five per cent mean annual discharge or when stream temperatures are greater than 20 degrees, according to the province.
"The cumulative impacts of elevated water temperatures and severely reduced stream flows generate additional stress on fish populations by reducing stream energy and insect drift," the province said in its rationale for the proposed closures.
That ends up disrupting patterns of movement into and out of sanctuaries like rivers and increasing metabolic stress, especially in places where fish are "angled to exhaustion" by fishermen.
While not finalized, the province is seeking feedback from the public on the proposed closures until Jan. 11, 2019.
