Salmon Enhancementand Habitat Advisory Board
Roundtable Report

SEHAB MemberDianne Ramage AreaFraser River, North Side, Burnaby to Mission Community AdvisorMaurice Coulter Boisvert DateJanuary 29, 2011
SEP Program Activity Areas	Community Activity Areas	Issues or Successes	Actions Taken	Next Steps
Fish Hatcheries	Salmon Enhancement   or   Stock Assessment   or     Salmon in the wild	Chinook- Returns to Coquitlam River increasing – estimated 3000   Chum- very poor return observed in many local streams   Coho- all report very goodreturn, observations seem to indicate maybe best in 10+ years   Pink- not a pink year for Fraser, 13 did return to Coquitlam fish trap though, expect 50 million back 2011   Sockeye - fabulous year for some stocks, Alouette - 100 Coquitlam had 3 return   Cutthroat – fewer and fewer observed in Maple Creek   Steelhead/Rainbow- BC Hydro WUP Monitoring and rec angler reports indicates winter numbers in Coquitlam River increasing
	Fisheries Management	Asked about changes to plans regarding poor chum returns	Contacted DFO	Ask again in April
Resource Restoration	Habitat Projects, Planned, In Progress, Completed, Needed	Maple Creek has funds from City of Port Coquitlam to do two habitat projects in 2011	Meeting with DFO	Find suitable locations for both
	Habitat Conservation and Protection	Called DFO ORR line frequently about Coquitlam River, Really bad on Jan 21 so also called Lower Fraser Office   Received Response from DFO C& P regarding ORR line in Lower Fraser and Pacific Region   Grave concern about of national review of 1986 habitat policy , limited consultations Minister told ASF volunteer at Christmas that FA will be reintroduced into parliament in February, with recommendation to move to committee after 1st reading	DFO sent a Fisheries Biologist to take samples	Call them in 30 days to see what happened         Good information sharing, encourage SEHAB to have next forum on habitat
Stewardship and Education	Government Activity Areas	Process; Coquitlam Roundtable moving forward $25,000 from DFO for next year   Coquitlam and Alouette fish passage projects ongoing   Coquitlam public participants and FN want a fish ladder   MCISMP begun		Check on new fish access in BC at hydro facilities – check Interior South area
	Your Group Activity	Stream of Dreams management change   Challenge by Joan to SEP community and others to keep abreast of technological and management changes in the resource sector as we react or respond to CEAA or EAA reviews	New ED and Pres	Check PSkF message board
		Lobbying – regional and national Canadian lobby association- John Manley and salmon farming industry in BC

Please provide details:

Direct from groups:

Kanaka Environmental Education Partnerships Society, Newsletter

Speaking of returning salmon, the trend toward low chum escapements reported on last

month has continued, and it now appears that the chum return is much lower than

average. Despite this, hatchery staff had been able to collect 84,000 chum salmon eggs at

the time of this writing. Coho salmon returns have been another story. This species began

to arrive weeks earlier than normal, and in pleasing numbers. Many other Lower Fraser

streams have also been reporting good coho numbers. This widespread trend would

suggest that marine conditions are at least partly responsible. Closer to home, local

stream conditions were close to ideal during October, with none of the extreme water

level fluctuations that can occur at this time of year.

http://www.keeps.org/

 

Mossom Creek Salmon Enhancement Society

Although our chum run in Mossom was pitiful, we have had quite a few coho spawners and they have turned up earlier than in other years.  After more than 15 years of enhancing coho, it looks like we may have something.

http://www.pbsco.com/nonprofit/mossom.html

 

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers are sad to report that it appears that we've had yet another total, or near-total, kill in our creek.

The source appears to have been runoff from a house fire. Of course we cannot question the bravery and performance of our firefighters. Community safety is paramount. Just a sad unfolding of events for the residents of the house... and the creek.

One of our members knows one of the residents, and as need is confirmed, our group will collect items to support them at our Dec. 9 Xmas Party. Initial report and photos on my blog: More info http://www.cipywnyk.net/mtblog/archives/001183.html

 

Byrne Creek spawner returns this year were the second-lowest since Streamkeepers began regularly processing morts and collecting data:

 

First spawner (chum) observed Oct. 24, last processed (f. coho) Dec. 6

2 female chum both spawned; 3 male chum all likely spawned

5 female coho, 1 spawned; 3 male coho, all jacks, all not spawned

Grand total only 13 fish, compared to our best year of 67 chum and 24 coho (total 91) back in 2004.

http://www.byrnecreek.org/

 

Maple Creek Watershed Streamkeepers Society

Watershed news:Our Integrated –(not comprehensive) Watershed Management Planning Process has begun after a long wait- we are happy and excited about what this could mean.

Developing a land owner contact letter to deliver with our brochure to all properties backing on to creek, we just couldn’t get it happening to deliver to all watershed residents, 9700 households.

 

Habitat: we were offered $10,000 by the City of Port Coquitlam for pavingup to 0.5 metres from our creek with a sidewalk- only on one side of the road- the creek side: we are asking them to undertake a habitat project themselves as compensation for this impact rather than give us money and transfer the responsibility and liability to our volunteer group to mitigate damage the city did.

 

The Coquitlam River has been a mess again, we intend to nominate for the Endangered Rivers list where is has been with other sad rivers since this annual list was created (in 1996?)

A debris pile in Hastings Street has been removed

 

Stock Assessment: We observed 2 chum 6-8 coho adults this year.We had all but pink salmon in our stream this year as juveniles.

 

We are very concerned about our declining chum numbers so wrote to DFO stock assessment to see if we were observing a watershed or region wide trend and if so what changes did DFO make to fisheries harvest or stock enhancement plans to responds to this, here is the response:

 

“Fraser Stock Assessment spawning ground assessments (and other NGO assessments as well) for Chum in the LFA are ongoing so I can not comment on 2010 yet as it relates to Chum stock's under my jurisdiction.  So I can not help you regarding results from 2010 affecting fisheries management plans into the future other than to say that my shop feeds Fraser Chum information into Resource Management's annual Salmon Stock Outlook document (draft version of the 2011 Outlook attached; this version usually gets updated once new info becomes available).

 

Regarding enhancement or science plans to "address this" I can not say because I have not come to any conclusion on the results of Chum escapement to the LFA in 2010.  Obviously I have heard reports of decreased Chum returns to other parts of southern BC in 2010; however, it should be noted that Chum return at different ages (similar to fall-run Fraser Chinook) and annual abundances can fluctuate "significantly" due to natural influences that may or may not be known; significant reaction to one year may not be prudent.  Trends are another matter but determining future trends for Chum is not possible at this time.  Again, the responsibility for providing stock assessment information on non-Fraser River southern BC Chum stocks would rest with South Coast Area Stock Assessment staff (i.e. Pieter Van Will)

 

I suppose one of the reasons you have no information is because the 2010 season for Chum is not quite complete and it takes significant effort/time to roll-up information collected from a multitude of sources (both catch and escapement information), conduct any analysis that needs to be conducted, and report these 2010 results (and any analysis) through the appropriate channels (e.g. Salmon Stock Outlook document, Integrated Fisheries Management Plans etc.).”

http://sites.google.com/site/bcinyou/maplecreekstreamkeepers

 

Stream of Dreams Mural Society

Joan Carne, the Executive Director & Co-founder, has decided after 10 years and 100,000 dream fish, to resign.Everyone will truly miss her.They have posted her position to the Streamkeepers Message Board.The President Paul, after seven years of leading the boardis stepping down late March to encourage some younger, more energetic folks to carry the flag. So they will be looking for new board members as well.

http://www.streamofdreams.org/index.php?pgid=2

 

 

 

Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club

 

Fish Hatcheries:

Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club (PCDHFC) enthusiastically supports the efforts and the objectives of the SEP.  PCDHFC, through its member volunteers, has operated the Al Grist Memorial Hatchery on the Coquitlam River for over 30 years.  Our hatchery was established after salmonid stocks crashed due to a number of conditions, that still exist, and it is the oldest and the largest stewardship hatchery on the river.  Over the years, pink, chum coho and spring salmon and steelhead have all been raised during various time periods.  Production from this hatchery has been instrumental in the successful restoration, preservation and enhancement of salmonid stocks in the river.  For most of the last decade annual production has been approximately 50,000 coho and 100,000 springs.  In the last five years the hatchery has contributed coho and chum smolts for experiments in Coquitlam River Watershed, above the dam, that will, hopefully, lead to restoration of sockeye salmon runs that were wiped out after the dam was closed in 1904.

 

The success of the SEP efforts on the Coquitlam River is demonstrated by the documented increases in run sizes for all salmonid species except steelhead.  PCDHFC's hatchery operations have received and continue to receive significant financial, technical and operations support from the SEP and the DFO personnel involved in it.  This hatchery can not continue to operate without this support.  While efforts have been directed to mitigate and to some extent alleviate the conditions that almost eliminated salmon stocks from the Coquitlam River, these conditions do still exist.  Without the ongoing support and the fish production realized from the SEP efforts, there isn't any real protection against Coquitlam River salmon stocks being severely depleted again.

 

Resource Restoration:

While hatchery production and habitat improvement efforts have increased salmon stocks in many areas, much of the spawning and rearing habitat that has been lost due to economic growth and development can not be restored and, given expected economic growth in B. C., it is unlikely that existing habitat crucial to salmon production can be totally protected.  One solution to this dilemma would be to find suitable new habitat, that is not now accessible to salmon, that could be accessed at minimal cost.  Many opportunities to do this exist in most of the salmon bearing watersheds in B. C.  At present there are locations where large numbers of salmon literally jump themselves to death trying to climb insurmountable, natural barriers (falls or steep chutes less than 30 metres elevation difference) on some streams where enormous areas of habitat and lengths of accessible tributary streams are available just above the barrier.  The upper Fraser River and North Thompson areas are only two of the larger streams where this occurs every year.  On other streams, dams have cut off fish passage where suitable habitat exists on tributary streams above the dam or above falls on these smaller streams (the Coquitlam River Watershed is only one example of this circumstance).  Construction of low cost fish passage structures in appropriate locations, in my opinion, would have the potential to establish large salmon populations in these presently inaccessible, remote areas.  While we understand that the provincial and the federal governments would have to agree to work together to realize these opportunities, we can cite the upper Adams River and the Bonaparte River as at least two locations where this has already occurred.  It should be worthwhile to include this topic on an agenda for a SEHAB meeting.

http://www.pcdhfc.com/

 

From the Community Advisor:

We lost an incredible person and volunteer Jennifer Atchison

SFU begins construction of state of art salt management facility and new management plan

3 sockeye return to Coquitlam but best year ever for Alouette at over 110 adults successfully captured, transported and liberated

Largest return of Chinook to Coquitlam since dam construction at est. 3000+

Ongoing studies by BC hydro re: fish passage for Sockeye at Alouette and Coquitlam watersheds

New Whonnock creek fishway nearly completed thanks to CP rail

New fish access for adults into a Kanaka tributary thanks to Maple Ridge and Western Diversification

DFO CA helping new CAs - Participation in Sooke and Pemberton Stewardship Centres project development

Near miss to get Western Diversification funds via PSF – WED for Kanaka Watershed Stewardship Center and hatchery rebuild

We had the best return of coho...large coho this year (2010) since I can remember circa 1990

Chum escapement was as bad as I can remember (circa 1990)

Have been working to develop the components for a mini incubation hatchery combining recirculation, UV sterilization, chilling for approx. $2500 without Heath trays. Call MCB for details

Anticipate 5-10%budget reductions to DFO and CA's? remains to be seen

Production planning and aquaculture licenses planning underway

Maple Creek IWMP underway

Coho spawners in upper Maple Creek after ? Years...Hooray

Coquitlam Gravel Mines continue unrestricted deposition of sediment with impunity

Coquitlam Watershed Initiative approaching another milestone and closer than ever to the possibility of full time watershed coordinator

Stream of Dreams president burnt out and taking a break?

MCB piloting new strategy for Salmonids in the Classroom using new filter and chiller combo for 1/2 cost of a chiller alone. Report to follow

All these things and more because of community participation and commitment

Happy 2011

MCB604 690-1870