Salmon Enhancement And Habitat Advisory Board (SEHAB) Roundtable
Date Feb. 20, 2009
Area North coast
RepresentativeJan Lemon
Community Advisor: Rob Dams
Challenges/Issues and Opportunities/Successes of the Volunteer Aquatic Stewards
One of the biggest issuesin our area this winter has been the weather: high water flows in the fall and then colder than usual temperatures and heavy snow fall.Another major issue is the recession with the prospects of Funding Partners being unable to contribute to the groups and an anticipatedgeneral decreases in donations.
(Fisheries Management)
Enforcement (Conservation and Protection
Habitat - Freshwater (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement) OldOldfield Creek Hatchery is working on spawning platforms and riparian planting along Oldfield Creek
Habitat - Oceans, Estuaries and Marine (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement) WWF - Prince Rupert - Active partner with OldfieldCreek Hatchery. Working on eel grass transplant (using hatchery facility and aquarium) also conducts various outreach projects.
Bear River Society
Starting to regroup for the 2009 season. Plan to start with Oceans Day beach clean-up and Eulachon surveys in the Bear River.
Salmon Enhancement (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)
Lakelse Watershed Society - Working on recovery plan. Will release another 300 sockeye fry into Williams Creek in spring (reared at Snootly Hatchery) Added spawning gravel into Scully North channel during the summer.
On the project front last year this grouptook on year 3 of the 4 year sockeye fry outplant but this year theyare concerned about funding for this final phaseasthey have deep concerns about PSC Funding support for the 09/10 brood. .
Ian Maxwell was able to attend the recent international State of the Salmon conference . Also, there was a meeting of the Skeena Watershed Congress in Terrace on 16 February which hewill attend. His interest and active participation is greatly appreciated.
Oldfield Hatchery is very active in its revitalization of the facility and its programes. In -
2008 eggtakes they took 15 K Kloiya Chinook, 20 K Oldfeild coho and 20 K Dianna coho with ~98% survival to eyed stage
Hatchery and water supply is now renovated - most upgrades completed
.
In 2009 theyplan to reach full egg targets for chinook and coho. Also hope to start a Silver Creek chum transplant from the Toon River (pending transplant approval).
. May run an adult fence on Hays Creek to measure escapements and collect brood
Eby Street Hatchery
2008 brood
35 K coho from Zymachord River - egg to alevin survival at 98 %.
Working on a serviced bathroom and dry lab area at the hatchery
Oona River Resources Association has continued to work on the Kumeleon River Chum project for Area 5,This is the third season for this project and August 2008 saw the lowest returns of chum to this system since they started enhancement three years ago,only 2000 eggs were secured and 900 fry emerged in earlyJanuary..These will be marked and released at the beginning of March. In Novemeber 2008,4200 coho eggs were taken form the Oona River for theirPublic Awareness and education programme. The 2000 coho smolts which they have successfully reared over winter will be released in early May. , and to date have had no mortalities.
Stewardship & Community Involvement (Stewardship & Community
Oldfiled Creeek Hatchery plans to continue with SmoltFest again this year (its now in the community events calendar). In 2007 they had 300-400 people from the community attend with very little advertising. Also started a smolt marking program this year.
Terrace Rotary Club :Skeena River (Rivers Day) clean-up continues to expand. Nearly covers the entire Skeena below Terrace
Oona River Resources Association: They are continuing in their education and outreach programmes and had a very successful schoolfield trip from the Kitkatla(Gitaxala Nation) school group last fall.The schoolwill have a classroom incubation project and will return the fry to Oona on another filed trip in May or early June. The Septemberannual Northwest Community CollegeField trip was a success. Last Octoberthey hosted a five day event for 20 Canada World Youth Group memberswho were participating from theUkraine and across Canada.
Lakelse Watershed Society have persuaded the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine to partner with us in funding a trial lake coordinator for Lakelse. The contract went to Margaret Kujat with whom we worked for a number of years on our sockeye fry outplant and other projects. This is modeled on the Christina lake coordinator and is intended to pull together the many independent interests (government and others) in the watershed.
Terrace Beautification Society -
This is a new partner that is working on Howe Creek nature trail upgrades and fish / fish Habitat signage. Also small habitat improvement projects along the stream (problem culverts and riparian planting).
Science, Canadian Hydrographic Service (Science and Research)
Kitimat Rod & Gunis still working on fish passage assessments in the lower Kitimat Valley.
High water flows this fall made it difficult on the coastal streams to do adequate fish counts and the shortened contracts with theFOC Streamwalkersdidn’t help
Consultations: Acts, Regulations, Policy, Program Development and Implementation, Capacity, and Partnerships (Consultations)
Treaty & Aboriginal Programs (Treaty & Aboriginal Programs)
Safe and Accessible Waters (Canadian Coast Guard, Navigable Waters,Small Craft Harbours)
Hartley Bay CEDP - going well - took all 500K Coho eggs last fall
Kincolith CEDP - major ice jam and flood in Jan 2009. Waiting for ice to melt before full damage assessment can be done. Large ice flow entered outdoor rearing ponds with 70,000 juvenile chinook. Received funding support to rebuild their gravity feed water supply - planned for the summer of 2009.