SEHAB Roundtable Template––November 2017

SEHAB Member:  Elizabeth Hardy

Area: West Vancouver- Howe Sound- Pemberton

Community Advisor:   Rob Bell-Irving

Meeting Date:  November 3 to 5, 2017

Identify up to 3 succinct issues related to SEP that  you or your community would like SEHAB to take to DFO?

*SEHAB Work Plan/Sub Committees are: Wild Salmon Policy (Stock Assessment, Habitat), Aquaculture, and Capacity & Core Funding

Identify up to 3 succinct issues not related to SEP that you or your community would like SEHAB to take to DFO?

*SEHAB Work Plan/Sub Committees are: Wild Salmon Policy (Stock Assessment, Habitat), Aquaculture, and Capacity & Core Funding

Submissions and Comments from Community Groups:

Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Club

1. Secondary Hatchery Water Supply:

Maintenance of water intake screen and internal hatchery control valves.

Planning with BIM and Metro Van Parks of location and re-routing of underground pipe from intake to Hatchery building

2. Monitoring & planning for coho fry release in streams that now have small or no flow during recent dry summer months.

Decision with Community Advisor and Metro Parks Planning to cease release of coho to a once productive stream that has now dried 3 consecutive summers.

3. Meetings & site visit with DFO Habitat Engineers to review required Bridal Veil Falls salmon ladder upgrades. Conclusion that minor upgrades would provide only short term benefit and replacement would require a major re-design and expensive construction. A business case will be prepared after more costing and detailed analysis of habitat that would be serviced.

North Shore Wetland Partners

• Negative impacts of salmon farming on wild salmon
• NEB ability to overrule the Fisheries Act is discouraging and places energy ahead of the environment.  Policy came in with last government and has not been removed by present government
• dog walkers, mountain bikers, other recreation activities impacting riparian zones, causing erosion, introducing invasives, and impacting water quality with feces
• Increasing number of homeless living along urban creeks, causing erosion and pollution in watersheds
• lack of enforcement, no way to charge, protection is guidelines only
• little change in enforcement over the years, priority is given to recreation and development over environment
• volunteers feeling burnt out and hopeless

West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society

Eagle Creek Culvert Upgrade Project

Background:  Creek is low gradient salmon bearing stream with chum and coho annually and occasionally pink salmon

Culvert near the mouth of the creek is 6’ corrugated metal, is deformed and eroded with separating seams.  Baffles were installed about 20 years ago.

Pool at mouth of culvert used as staging and spawning area by adult salmon, as habitat by juvenile salmon, trout and sculpin. 

Recent upstream salmon enhancement projects by the District to support spawning and rearing salmon in this watershed include; natural bottomed culvert under Marine Drive, 100 m of baffles in main tributary (Wood Creek) and complexing in an upstream park

Project:  District of West Van hired contractor to line culvert with shotcrete and baffles were removed and not replaced.  Several loose rocks placed in culvert to act as baffles.  Lack of baffles was discovered by Streamkeepers in mid-October.

Pool at the mouth of the culvert was filled in to form a rock “V” with small boulders.  Banks were denuded of vegetation and undercuts were lost.

Reaction:  Streamkeeper notified CA, Rob Bell-Irving, and phoned ORR.  Streamkeepers phoned director of Engineering and set up site visit, resulting in decision to install baffles immediately.  District sent notice to Province and DFO of emergency work.  Baffles installed in two days.  An attempt was made to restore the pond but not effective

Problems outlined by this experience:

• District did not communicate effectively with West Vancouver Streamkeepers, despite meeting monthly. Streamkeepers were not shown plans in advance, or notified of work being done
• Internally, the WV Engineering Department did not notify their Environmental Manager or the Planning Department of the project either before or during the work

Positives resulting from this experience:

• DFO was most helpful – at the local CA level for immediate action and from RRU with recommendations for the baffle design and securing them to the shotcrete base and walls
• ORR was interested in the problems of baffle removal and habitat loss and seemed to be attentive to the details. ORR phoned Streamkeepers back two weeks later (after new baffles were installed) and were planning to follow up on the case with WV District staff and CA with regard to both baffles and loss of pond habitat.