Roundtables-Region 02-Northern Interior and North Coast

Jan Lemon-North Coast

SEHAB Member: Janet Lemon

Area: North Coast

Community Advisor:  Rob Dams

Meeting Date: Feb. 24-26

 

 

Possible change to SEHAB contract/role as described by Adam and Tina at last meeting.  Please describe how you see SEHAB now and where would you like to it go in the future.

See SEHAB, as the voice of the volunteer, s as a board that is able to bring the big picture province wide into focus and flesh out the issues that are key in most areas.  The board needs to continue to follow our vision statement and mandate, it needs more funding to be able to ensure all the areas are fully represented. and it needs to continue to work unfettered by political or bureaucratic agendas a shared commitment of ensuring functioning ecosystems supporting viable,

Letter to Minister LeBlanc re: Fisheries Act Review.  Please provide specific examples of failure of the new Act or things you would like to see changed. 

The Fisheries Act is a complex document and one that I need to study in depth to be able to comment.

CA Staffing. Please provide input as to relative importance of CAs to community groups in your area, their priority in terms of SEP funding constraints, and whether your area h ensuring functioning ecosystems supporting viable, genetically diverse and abundant indigenous fish

Our CA plays a huge role on the North Coast area  He  keeps  us informed, supplied with expertise and help if we require it.  He has been able to keep us abreast of changes in the funding and its constraints.  Our CA is familiar with all the areas and constantly advocates genetically diverse and abundant indigenous fish populations while helping to do long term planning.  The Skeena River Watershed is one of the things our CA spends a great deal of time ensuring that groups understand the complexities and solutions to  ensure that it remains a functioning ecosystem

 

 

 

 

 

Issues that  you or your community would like SEHAB to take to DFO?

Issue

Where should SEHAB direct this concern?

Actions already taken by Community or DFO?

Possible solutions?

SEHAB opportunity and Work Plan fit?

Issue 1:

Funding for SEP and habitat  groups are shrinking and requirements are more stringent

 

 

To the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans

 

Government either needs to pick up the pieces and do the work at the watershed level or else ensure that groups have the necessary core funding to do the work

Continue to push for better communication between community and the Government

Advocate for more resources for the groups that are now doing the work

Issue 2:

Wid Salmon Policy and Cohen Commission recommendations do not seem to be happening

 

 

When and how will this happen and will it ever be implemented or is it just being swept away like so many other commission reports

 

Continue to communicate with personal in DFO who are dedicated to  WSP

Issue 3:

Development of big industrial projects can have serious impact on North Coast salmon runs and the entire environment

 

Conservation and environmental organizations are continuing the pressure to ensure the future of salmon and their ecosystems

 

Continue as a board to look at the big picture and use the collective wisdom to find some solutions to offer to provincial and federal ministrieswho are caretakers of the land,  resources, air, fish and oceans

Topic/Issue:

Ongoing controversy regarding energy development footprints in the North (Kitimat and Rupert LNG, Port Expansion, increased train and highway traffic along the Skeena)

Successes:

Groups involved in negotiations and planning are fully aware of the environmental issues and want a win win situation

Challenges:

Talk is easy but will the large companies doing the development actually do what they say they will   .  Al governmental bodies need to hold industries  feet to the fire with contracts that ensure development while maintaining environmental integrity

Topic/Issue: Terrace Rod and Gun and other groups  continue to manage fish passage problems due to active beaver dams on local streams

 Challenges:

Can groups continue to get enough volunteers to do this type of work.  DFO has fallen short of its obligations to beaver control

Feb. 2017 Updates from North Coast Groups :

Oldfield:  New Coanda intake now finished.  To be installed by a fabricator in March 2017.Cold weather has given volunteers a huge job to keep everything going.

A  fish health course-  (with Paige from PBS)  for North Coast  Volunteers is in the planning stage and will be held  at Deep Creek Hatchery in Jan 2018.

Our Community Advisor, Rob Dams, is organizing a  Volunteer Appreciation award dinner in Aug 2017 at Lakelse Lake.  Hope to have PSF reps present.

Lakelse Watershed Society are continuing with baseline water quality and sockeye monitoring around the Lakelse watershed (includes live stream underwater camera on Scully Creek)

Eby St Hatchery: 

 First Zymchord Coded Wire Tags coho returns in the fall of 2016.  Adult sampling indicated a 22% mark rate in 100 fish sampled.  Prelim tag returns showing more than 150 fish harvested in SE Alaska in 2016.  Canadian catch not yet available.

Although 2016 coastal coho returns were much better than 2015, they were still poor overall.  2016 Skeena test fishery indicated chinook returns were the second worse in ~60 years

Smithers CA – Natalie Newman was recently hired to replace Brenda which is great news for our area as we were worried Rob would have to fill in part time.

Kitimat Rod and Gun working on Duck Creek and plan on  more riparian planting for  spring 2017

Kitimat Naturalists plan to complete habitat signage for local stream crossings

Terrace Rotary Club completed the Skeena River Clean-up on Rivers Day 2016 and again were amazed at the amount of garbage left after the sport fishing season was over.

BC Steelhead Society plans to reconstruct Simpson Creek chinook spawning platforms

SEHAB Roundtable for November 2016 meeting

SEHAB Member: Janet Lemon

Area: Northcoast

Community Advisor: Rob Dams

Date: September 22, 2016

Key Issues:

  1. PNW LNG just got approved by cabinet, even though the risks to juvenile salmon and other forage fishes in the area haven’t been quantified or addressed. Huge concerns about accumulative effects, of industrial developments on Northcoast
  2. Funding reductions to regional DFO, affecting salmon science, stock assessment etc.
  3. Drastically low pink returns to northcoast streams especially area four and five. Are stocks being managed properly?

Stories:

A few examples of successes, failures, challenges.

At one time this fall, we faced a 25% cut to stock assessment, some of which got reversed with emergency funding which has maintained basic stream enumeration programs. However, almost all coho stock assessment activities have been dropped (ie charter patrols left before coho had even arrived in many systems). This is concerning as there is no longer sufficient data to assess status of stocks, let alone success of enhancement or habitat restoration projects in the area.

Oldfield Creek Hatchery’s new project manager Lorellen Sunduk  is doing well and the Kloya River Chinook egg take was successful. They are working towards getting the new intake in to the water supply but will continue to use old one as back up

 Coho at Eby Street Hatchery were coded Wire Tag marked again this year. There are Indications of mark returns from previous years efforts  with the  antidotal report that out of five fish caught two had tags.

Increased industrial activities such as mining have brought concerns.  A New mine in Stewart, B. C.  is having issues with the  causeway cutting  off the estuary

There is Increased logging due to high cedar prices in the Kitimat and Prince Rupert area adding extra pressure on watersheds and habitat.

Hartley Bay did their first chum egg take this year and are planning  phase two the new facility. So far they have a huge post and beam rearing shed, new storage shed, smokehouse on site to offer tourists a taste of salmon and a new board walk to the lake.  This walk is spectacular and unique.

A number of years ago a large impassable (or mostly impassable) rock slide was discovered by Nisga’a Fisheries Staff on the lower Kwinageese River.  It is a tributary of the Upper Nass River above the Bell-irving River confluence.  And yes the Bell-Irving River was named after Rob Bell-Irivings relative.  The site is very remote and only accessible via helicopter. There was a dramatic decline in Kwinageese River chinook and sockeye escapements.  In 2014, Community Advisor and Department  helped the Nisga’a Lisims Government (NLG) and LGL Biologists access some HSP funding from Environment Canada and the PSC Northern Fund.  The contractor used a professional faller to build a heli-pad at the site.  They then lowered a generator down, and drilled both of the rocks by hand removing them by December of 2015.   The blasting works succeeded in removing the entire obstruction and salmon have been moving through to the spawning grounds this fall. My Community Advisor has a film clip on a USB that I will bring to the fall meeting for anyone interested.

Oona River had a very successful summer with tours and Rivers Day celebration.  They hosted an overnight First Nation’s  Canoe Journey in August as well as two German Exchange students  who spent two weeks at Oona River Hatchery as part of their environmental education  placement. Coho returns are looking good but pink escapement was drastic with only 300 returns counted.  Normal runs are from 4500 to 15000

A concern:  If Northcoast Community Advisor is asked to take on Upper Skeena position the work load will be overwhelming and he will burn out.  Getting around Northcoast is load enough as it often takes two day and a float plane ride to get to some of the areas.

Concerns about the P.I. P. collaborative agreement method.  If this is to have groups be able to use funding for wages then our area needs to ask the question why?  In 34 years we have never received enough funding to even allow for wages. 

Issues Specific to SEHAB’s Work Plan:

SEHAB Work Plan

Local Issue, Specific  Examples

Actions by Community or DFO

SEHAB Opportunity

Wild Salmon Policy (Stock Assessment, Habitat)

Climate change issues

Fishery management issues

Stock assessment issues

 

Stress to DFO the need to compile ocean science so we can prepare  for effects on salmon in the future

Aquaculture or fish production in DFO PIP hatcheries

Decreases in funding and unclear as to what direction small hatcheries role is. Should they be increasing  production

 

 

Capacity & Core Funding

Need to more  scientific data on salmon and forage fish migration routes,  to prepare for industry increase

 

Community groups continuing to join forces to hire professional persons to set the base lines

Stress the importance to Fisheries and Oceans keep the science going

Stewardship and Education

 

Salmon Enhancement And Habitat Advisory Board (SEHAB) Roundtable

Date January 29, 2011 North Vancouver

Area: North coast

Representative:Jan Lemon

Community Advisor: Rob Dams

Challenges/Issues

New aqua culture licensing has been presented by CA Rob Dams to the groups.Rob felt it was process that in the end would work out and he would be available to get it started and to help where needed.

Resource Restoration

Most of the groups in this area continueworking with the habitat issues for their particular projects.

In Terrace the Rod and Gun Club continues to work on Hurly Creek which isa small urban stream.

 

Habitat - Oceans, Estuaries and Marine (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement

1.Fish Hatcheries

Salmon Enhancement (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)

1.Oldfield creek (Prince Rupert Salmon Enhancement Society)continues to work on all their enhancement projects. They have a good group of young volunteers manly from the college and their push this year will be to make the facility into an interretive centre as well as a hatchery.

2) The Lakelse Watershed Societycontinue to do good works and the results from the pilot project which .  Ian Maxwell and CA Rob Dams did last fall when they set-up an adult fence and viewing camera in Scully Creek last fall was very positive.Plans to continue and acquire different and better DVR system this year is coming together nicely

 

3.Oona River experienced a 100 year flood in late summer which was very unusual.Piles of rock covered the Hatcherywater intake and it was decided that since the water supply was compromised it would be best to not take brood stock as part of the public awareness and education programme. Efforts to remove the rock will happen as soon as water temperatures and low flows over the weir occur, probably first thing this spring. Oona River Resources Association completed their chum survey of Kumeleon and the report can be viewed on the pacific Salom Commission web site

Stewardship & Community Involvement

1.The new group in Alice Arm continues their plans in a small scale Area 3 chum enhancement or habitat restoration projects. This an interesting area and has much potential

 

2. The Terrace Rod and Gun Club continue enthiusiatically working on Hurley Creek, a small urban coho/cutthroat stream in the Thornhill

3.Bear River Society in Stewart is now running an interruptive centre.

Representative:Jan Lemon

Community Advisor: Rob Dams

Challenges/Issues and Opportunities/Successes of the Volunteer Aquatic Steward

1.Tension has been building between First Nations and Sport Fishermen over the lack of enforcement of daily limits and no accounting of sport caught salmon.

2.Pending pipeline and mining development along the Skeena Watershed continues to pose serious concerns to all volunteer groups

3.Further cutbacks to time and funding allotted for Fisheries and Ocean’s charter Patrolmen poses huge concerns as there is less data being collected and no time for creek walks when the coho runs are returning

Habitat - Freshwater (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)

Most of the groups in this area continueworking with the habitat issues for their particular projects,.

 

Habitat - Oceans, Estuaries and Marine (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement

1.The Kitimat Naturalist Club is helping with the Pine Creek protective areas and their eelgrass restoration works seem to be going well.Hatchery signage is in the works and will probably be done next year.

 

Salmon Enhancement (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)

1.Oldfield creek (Prince Rupert Salmon Enhancement Society)continues to work on all their enhancement projects. They were not successful in getting any chum eggs from the Toon River in Aug for Silver Creek  - too many Grizzly bears on the spawning grounds.  They hope to change to the Lachmach River next summer.

2) The Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Plan (with the LWS and other partner groups) is moving forward again.  They took 300K sockeye eggs this Aug.  Adult sockeye escapements seem to be up somewhat in Williams Creek.  Based on initial reports, it sounds like their past enhancement efforts have had some positive results.  Ian Maxwell and CA Rob Dams set-up an adult fence and viewing camera in Scully Creek this fall.  It's a pilot experiment for collecting escapement and hatchery return data.  The project looks positive so far - but the DVR computer program is giving them  headaches with regards to data retrieval.  Plans are to purchase a different DVR system next year - and return the one that they borrowed back to Smithers.

3) The Gitnayow have the best sockeye return to the Kitwanga River since they installed their adult fence.  Initial reports suggest somewhere around 15K adults, with a decent number of hatchery returns.  Mark Cleveland is the best contact for more details.

 

3.Oona River Resources Association returned to the Kumeleon River this summer and began the assessment of chum salmon returns, beginning theevaluation of the effects of the enhancement which was done for the last four years. A completed report will be coming outlater this fall.The coho fry used for the Public Awareness Education program were released successfully and in early November the group plans to do a small egg take to have fry on hand for next year’s program.Coho returns to Oona look good and the Salt lagoon River Road is giving them good access to that river to do stock assessments

 

Stewardship & Community Involvement

1.New group in Alice Arm - interested in small scale Area 3 chum enhancement or habitat restoration projects (return site visit planned next month)  They are presently collecting baseline escapement data.

 

2. The Terrace Rod and Gun Club are starting work on a small urban coho/cutthroat stream in Thornhill called Hurley Creek.

3.The Kitimat Rod and Gun Club are still making Kiosks and now working in Sumgas Creek (another small urban stream in Kitimat)

4.Bear River Society in Stewart is now running an interruptive centre

5.Oona River Resources Association continues their education and outreach programmes. The Summer Students took the initiative to study and record Western tailed Frogs when they came across a pond containing toad tadpoles while clearing atrail.Although toads have little relationship to salmon the resulting report has given us a starting point to begin to include toad activities as part of our overall picture of watching for trends and changes in climate and environment.Toads have been on the decline for some time in our watershed and it was encouraging to see the significant increase

6.  The Prince Rupert Salmon Enhancement Society are looking at renovations for an interpretive centre at the hatchery.

Salmon Enhancement And Habitat Advisory Board (SEHAB) Roundtable

Date June 28, 2010

Area: North coast

Representative:Jan Lemon

Community Advisor: Rob Dams

Challenges/Issues and Opportunities/Successes of the Volunteer Aquatic Steward

1.All groups continue to struggle with reduced funding, however the economic climate is beginning to pick up again and with that will come more public support.

2.Pending pipeline and mining development along the Skeena Watershed continues to pose serious concerns to all volunteer groups

 

3.Cutbacks to Federal and Provincail departments continue to spin-off to the local levels with less effort for proction, monitoring, assessment and enforcement.

 

Habitat - Freshwater (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)

Most of he groups in this area continueworking with the habitat issues for their particular projects,.

1.Terrace Rotary Club
Skeena River (Rivers Day) clean-up continues to expand.  Now covers most of the Skeena Below Terrace

 

Habitat - Oceans, Estuaries and Marine (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement

1.WWF - Prince Rupert
Active partner with Oldfield Hatchery.  Working on Eelgrass transplants also conducts various outreach projects.

2.Kitimat Naturalist Club
Working on large eelgrass bed restoration projects, and mapping in the Douglas Channel.  Also helping with the Pine Creek protected area signage and trail upgrades.

 

Salmon Enhancement (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)

1.Oldfield creek--for the 2009 winter - nearly 100 Keggswere taken from 3 species and 5 stocks.  Excellent survival to date - ponding this month.
Released 5K chum into Silver Creek in April - was a successful pilot and should go ahead again this summer (30 K egg target).

 

2.Eby Street Hatchery 2009 brood -
25 K  coho from Zymachord River - egg to fry survival at 98 %.

3.Oona River Resources Association returned the chum fry to Kumeleon, completing the four year study and enhancement work on these fish stocks..In late July a crew will begin to assess the returnsof thechum salmon, beginning the evaluation of the effects ofenhancementdone for the last four years..They have approximately 6,000 coho fry hatched and ponded which will be used for the 2110 education and public awareness programme. The logging access road is very close to the Salt Lagoon and their twoSummer Students will begin atrail from the road to the lagoon which will be used for future assessment and enhancement work.

4.Lakeelse Watershed Sociatycontinues to work ontheir sockeye recovery plan and web site development.  As a working group,they we secured 100 K to take 300 sockeye eggs from Williams Creek again this summer.  Also have 40 K for restoration.  Egg takes did not occur in 2009, due to funding problems linked to the market failure.  In 2009, we were able to secure 15K for the LWS to complete various stewardship projects.   The LWS are now working with DFO to develop various projects this summer (eg:  Scully Creek diversion, channel development, recover marked adults to assess hatchery contribution, and a possible adult camera on Scully Creek)  See last meeting minutes and project lists for details.  The new LWS fisheries Director is Richard Olson.  Marg Kujat is working with them through special funding with the Regional DistrictLakelse watershed

Stewardship & Community Involvement

1.Oldfield Hatchery - Smoltfest will be a big event again this year and posters around town have caught people’s interest. This group is raising funds to rebuild the hatchery with an interpretive centre and has had some successto this point.  Other past projects are continued (trail, kiosks, spawning habitat restoration, habitat monitoring & public education etc).  Note: In 2009, the MOT donated a new bailey bridge for their interpretive trail.  This is a cooperative project between the CA, RRU, PR Habitat staff, PRSES volunteers, PSF funding, MOT and the City of Prince Rupert.  It should be installed this summer.

2.Terrace Beautification Society -
Continues 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).  Now a partner with Eby St Hatchery.  Recently built a greenhouse at the hatchery for planting around town.

3.Eby Street Hatchery (NWES)
Serviced bathroom and dry lab area now completed at the hatchery (12K in funding was collected from local service groups).  The NWES has now expanded to include at least two local schools for help with feeding and grounds maintenance.  Hatchery education tours have also increased (from the public as well as students).  Also now linked with Terrace Beatification Society - see above.

4.Kitimat Rod & Gun
Working on Kiosks along waterfront.

 

5.Bear River Society
Has regrouped for 2010.  Has nearly finished a public interpretive centre on main street in Stewart.  A full time volunteer now works in the donated building.  DFO donated a classroom aquarium. Several fry were retained from the local school SIC tank to help promote public awareness during the summer months.  This group helps with adult monitoring and other streamkeeper type projects.

 

6.Oona River Resources Association continues their education and outreach programmes. This summer they will be assisting a graduate student in geology who with his assistant will be continuing the study of the rock formations on Porcher Island. It is the hopes that they will also be able to bring back information of fry presence in some of the more remote streams around the Salt Lagoon area.

7.Lakelse Watershed Society continues to tackle issues onstewardship and community Involvement. Last year they partnered with the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine to help fund a lake coordinator for Lakelse. Margaret Kujat continues to work hard at this jobto pull together the many independent interests (government and others) in the watershed.

 

Treaty & Aboriginal Programs—(although this information may not fit under this heading it is included here as both these facilities are in First Nations communities)

1.Hartley Bay CEDP - going well - took 500K Coho eggs last fall - good survival to release. Rrebuilt the incubation room in 2009 and added a new baffled aluminum head tank in 2010, being optimistic the head tank baffles will reduce problems with sediment, and help with egg survivals.  Also rebuilding the lake trail boardwalk.

2.Kincolith CEDP - major ice jam and flood in Jan 2009.  Waiting for DFO managers to decide what the future holds for this project.  An interim contract was generated for April and May 2010.  Cummunity Advisor expects that the Nisga'a Youth Stewardship Program will be supportedthis summer.  Enhancement activities seem doubtful for 2010.

Environment Canada and Province of BC

Friends of Wild Salmon continue on their vigilant work around water quality on the Skeena watershed by being active in all the pending mine and pipeline applications and processes.Public awareness continues to be raised around the needs forhealthy and adequate water quality for salmon.

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.

June 17, 2008

North Coast

Jan Lemon

 

Many of the groups had no new information so my report will only cover a few.

 

Lakelse Watershed Society (LWS)

Enhancement:

Lakelse Watershed Society working with Snootli Hatchery (Bella Coola) collected

290,000 sockeye fry, raised from 96 female and 100 male sockeye taken from Williams Creek, they were released on 29 & 30 April at their original capture point. DFO & LWS did some brief beach netting at various locations in the lake 2 weeks later. We caught 32 sockeye fry of which 6 were hatchery ones (and much larger than the non-hatchery ones). DFO were of the opinion that the fry headed directly for the depths of the lake despite the lack of daphnia present at this time of year. LWS believes that this should provide impetus to improve protection for disappearing lakeshore vegetation.

 

Science:

Skeena Independent Science Review Report

LWS was pleased to see that the panel had recognized habitat issues affecting Lakelse sockeye, noting that "The Lakelse Lake basin has been heavily impacted by logging in the 1970's, and is now under strong development pressures from recreational properties". However we are not sure if they were aware of plans for renewed cutblocks on the five largest salmon tributaries feeding the lake. LWS finds it astounding that with the new Forest Practices, the local Forestry office is unable to tell us how many cutblocks and where and when they will be active. On the positive side, one cutblock on Williams Creek and adjacent to a proposed spawning channel was selectively logged with very little disturbance to the forest floor or remaining timber. This was achieved in spite of strong resistance from the Forest office who viewed it as "high grading". LWS believes that at least this timber harvesting had much less impact on creek flow and temperature, snow accumulation and sediment movement.

 

Lakelse Sediment Study

This joint project with Lakelse Watershed Society is aimed at providing baseline data against which future changes can be gauged. Automatic samplers and crest gauges are installed in the 4 main tributaries feeding the lake (Williams, Furlong Hatchery and Scully Creeks). With the hiring of the present BC Conservation Corp employee by Ministry of Environment , LWS is pleased to announce the continuation of data collection to at least the end of November, and hopefully through to next years spring run-off. So far, Furlong Creek stands out as creating large amounts of sediment input to the lake.

Stewardship and Community Involvement:

LWS is delighted to have received funding from the Pacific Salmon Foundation to complete a Sockeye Viewing Project. This collaborative project with BC Parks is on Williams Creek. This should provide the public with extraordinary opportunities to witness amazing sockeye behavior during spawning. Last year interactions could be seen between 5 different versions of the sockeye family, namely 5 year-olds, 4 year-olds, jacks, kokanee and residuals (residuals being similar to the kokanee but olive green instead of red)..

Habitat-freshwater:

Lakeshore Survey

LWS was pleased to learn that the Ministry of Environment intend to carry out a lakeshore video & GPS survey in late July and LWS has expressed our willingness to participate. We have been trying for years to get DFO, MoE and our Regional District to do something about the removal of natural lakeshore vegetation.

 

 

Prince Rupert Salmonid Enhancement Society (Oldfield Creek) has been very active in Stewardship, community Involvement and Enhancement

Theyare going ahead in leaps and bounds under the leadership of Stephn Leask and many others. In early June they had requested the public to come and help with their coho smolt release.They were amazed and very pleased at the huge turnout for the event. With renewed interest and an active board of directors they are rebuilding their reputation, doinggood fish culture, revitalizing the facility and getting necessary stream work done .They work with Chinook and pink in the Kloya River and coho in Dianna,Hays, Oldfiled and Morseby . .  Oldfield is looking into starting a satellite chum program to kick-start Silver Creek, a system impacted severely by poor past logging practices.They hope to get brood stock from the Tune River in Work Channel and are working with CA Rob Dams to get the necessary permitting.  Theywill be pouring the concrete fishes this summer along with Oona River volunteers. Public trails are being refurbished with new crossings. Funding from Pacific Salmon Foundation purchased the material for the bridges and thecarpentry students in the college programme in Terrace built them.They should be in place shortly. The Northwest Community College has partnered with Oldfield Creek and the Coastal Ecology students from the college are working on a monitoring programmeat Oldfieldto do water quality, enhancementtagging, stream surveys and more .The have one volunteer, Don Cross who has taken on restoring the gardens and landscaping and the grounds are looking fantastic!Finally, a month ago they had an open house and brought artist and students together to begin painting wooden salmon, birds, trees, sea creature etc. to be used for a fence mural at Sea fest—happening this weekend.While some volunteerswere painting plaques, others weregiven a tour of the facility and shown the coho smolts.The new water systemis working well and they will have the capacity to do 200,000 + eggs

 

 

Oona River Resources Association

Enhancement :

Cool winter temperature put the emergence of the Kumeleon chum fry about 6 weeks behind.The 12000+ fry were marked and successfully released on April 10th.Coho fry, have emerged in the past few weeks and the 2,670 willbe held for the public awareness and education programme

All the necessary equipment has been purchased for the improvement of their the water quality and the installation of a UV filter will start July 3rd. in preparation for the next Kumeleon Chum enhancement project

Stewardship and Community Involvement:

The local fish lodge has started their season and we look forward to them bringing groups through every week for a tour. Two hired summer students will give tours andassist inall the various aspects of fish rearing and releasing, helping with maintenance, stream assessments and general hatchery operations.

The Northwest Community College three day field trip is already in the planning for the first week in September and it will be larger this fall as some of the students from last year who were not able to come then, will be there.These students are always a big potential as our future volunteers and often graduate and get jobs in various fields related to salmon, habitat and enhancement. :

 

Bear River Enhancement Society

Habitait-Ocean:

This stewardship group in Stewart plan to do an estuary clean-up this summer.For any of you who have been to Stewart, you will know what a huge job this will be as it is a very large and complex estuary.

 

Hartley Bay (CEDP)

Enhancement:

Hartley Bay will be out planting 222.k Coho into Angler Cove, Whalen and Red Bluff lakes.The remaining 30,000 Coho will go into the river by Hartley Bay.Their manager, Danny Danes said they have had heavy snow damage this winterto the planksidewalk to the headwater lake which will require extensive repairs 

 

 

 

June 17, 2008

Central Coast

CA Sandie MacLaurin

Temporary rep-Jan Lemon

 

A formal report for this area will be coming at the fall meeting.I hope to be able to make more contacts and begin to build dialogue with the volunteers for this area.Finding a representative to the SEHAB board is vitalas the Central coast is avast, complex area and has rivers, habitat and fish issues which are unique and important to the whole province.

Northern Interior/North Coast Roundtable Report February 2008
Submitted by Jan Lemon.
The following is a summary of the various groups and what they are doing in our area.
1) Kitimat Valley Naturalist Club
Contact: Dennis Horwood
250-632-2004
Eelgrass mapping project in the Douglas Channel.  Includes an Eelgrass transplant (restoration) experiment at the Alcan Beach.  They are presently embarking on a bridge project that will restore and protect habitat in a local stream that is heavily impacted by vehicle traffic.   This bridge project now includes help from Alcan.  The design should be completed by the spring of 2008.  
2) Kitimat Shorekeepers Club
Haisla group - monitoring shoreline ecosystems in conjunction with WWF.
3) Kitimat Rod and Gun Club
Contact: Albert Hummel
250-632-3555
Fish access surveys at various stream crossings along old logging roads in the Lower Kitimat Valley.  Plan to restore fish passage by deactivating problem crossings.   Project has attracted interest from the MOF Conservation and Enforcement program.  Plan to have a meeting to discuss partnerships for expanding the project with MOF and the CO service.
4) Northwest Watershed Society
Contact: Brenda Ramsey
250-638-8436
Streamkeepers group working on small-scale coho enhancement at Eby Street Hatchery.  Also promotes public education and stewardship.   Has 17 K Zymachord coho eggs on hand.  Does a guided hatchery tour
5) Lakelse Watershed Society
Contact: Ian Maxwell
250-798-9500
Our primary stewardship group in Terrace and key stakeholder in the Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Plan.  Successful in collecting sockeye eggs and transporting them to Snootle Hatchery where they are raised and returned to the Lakelse system.  The Lakelse Watershed Society is very active with volunteer contribution to a Ministry of Environment Sediment monitoring study on the four main tributaries to Lakelse Lake (Williams, Furlong, Hatchery and Schulbuckhand Creeks. This is a $83,000 project aimed at providing baseline data on sediment entering the lake and has had tentative approval for extending data collection into 2009.
On November 7, 2007, they received notice of 4 proposed logging cut blocks in the Furlong, Hatchery and Schulbuckhand Creek drainages. This is at serious odds with the sediment study as well as being a serious threat to the few remaining sockeye of four mall creeks in the vicinity. The Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Plan front page lists Ministry of Forests as "partners" but there has been no timber harvesting discussion at the recovery plan table. They have since written letters to the Prime Minister, the Premier of BC, the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans (with copy to Don Lowen, SEHAB), the local Forestry District Manager and Prince Rupert Fisheries and Oceans personnel.  Having volunteered thousands of hours on the plight of Lakelse sockeye each year since 2001, they see little point in continuing with their volunteering without effective and encompassing Federal/Provincial/ First Nations watershed management in place.
6) Prince Rupert Salmonid Enhancement Society Contact:  Steven Leask 250-624-6733
Oldfield and Kloyia Creek Hatcheries - public involvement project enhancing coho, chinook and chum in Oldfield and Kloyia Creeks.  This project provides the venue for the Prince Rupert Salmonids in the Classroom Program.   Facility upgrades and hatchery revitalization is nearly complete.  12K Chinook and 30K Diana/Oldfield coho eggs on hand.  Also working towards habitat improvement projects on Oldfield Creek. Public trails are being refurbished with new crossings.    
7) Oona River Resources Association Contact: Jan Lemon Hatchery #250-628-3241
Small-scale enhancement of Area 5 chum, Oona River coho and Spiller River coho. They also assist with spawner surveys in various streams.  This group is linked with the North West Community College ACE programme and host a three-day college field lab every fall. Continuing chum enhancement on the Kumeleon River funded by the Northern Fund (PSC).   They have 17K chum eggs on hand.  5K coho eggs were taken from Oona River system for their public awareness and education programme: Hatchery tours are available year round and the local fish lodge brings groups through every week during their summer charter business.  Upgrades to the hatchery’s water quality by installation of a settling tank and UV filter is nearly complete.     Promoting stewardship through public education and the venue for our Salmonids in the Classroom Program in Terrace.   We are working with Chris to build an interpretive educational center at the hatchery.
8) Bear River Enhancement Society Contact: Frank Kamermans 250 636-2344
Stewardship group in Stewart.  Working on small scale local Public Involvement Projects.  Last fall they did Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up with students from the
local school.   There are plans to regroup this organization and they will continue the annual community estuary clean-ups
9) Dutch Valley Community Group
Presently developing a fish habitat restoration project on a small, unnamed tributary of Spring Creek.  This project has been on-hold for the last year and is still on hold!
10) Terrace Rotary Club.
They started a volunteer river clean-up from Terrace to tidewater, on or around Rivers Day each year in September.  Sept 2007 was the first annual event.  It involves volunteers from Rotary and DFO using their boats to roam the river for left over junk the summer fishing crowd leaves behind.  Very worthwhile project.                          11) World Wildlife Fund
Contact: Jennifer Rice, James Casey
250 624-3705
Shorekeepers and public education - outreach and stream/estuary clean-ups                               12) Greater Terrace Beautification Society
Contact: Sam Buckanan
250-638-0498
Howe Creek trail and habitat improvement projects.
13) Terrace Salmonid Enhancement Society (Stock Assessment) Deep Creek
Hatchery
Contact: Chris Culp
250-635-3471
Kalum River chinook enhancement and CWT program with StAD.  Participates in Terrace SIC program.  Developing an interpretive area for public education.  Participant in Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Program.
14) Gitanyow/Kitwanga Sockeye / Coho Enhancement
Mark Cleveland
250-849-5246

Have 45 volunteers including school children.  Kitwanga River sockeye enhancement and habitat restoration. Proposal to construct a smolt fence in 2008 Initiated 1985. Enhancement, assessment and education at Kitwanga Lake.
Our area has two Community Economic Development Projects (CEDP) at Hartley Bay and Kincolith.  These projects build community capacity while enhancing fish, promoting public education and restoring fish habitat.  

Kincolith Hatchery (CEDP)
Contact: Blair Stewart
250-633-2617
Presently have 70 K Chinook eggs on hand.  Working towards elevating access road power line.  Recently completed construction of a new access bridge.   PSC proposal submitted to reconstruct the gravity feed water supply.  No chum brood taken in 2007 due to poor escapement Initiated 1978.  Hatchery and fence operation on Kincolith River -- Species Chinook & chum.  The crossing structure (over the Kincolith River side channel) on the hatchery access road was replaced in 2007.  The MOT donated a large Bailey bridge last summer (thanks to Don Hjorth).  I should note, this project has partners from DFO, Nisga'a Fisheries, LGL and the local village government.
Hartley Bay (CEDP)
Contact: Danny Danes
250-841-2558
Presently have 450 K coho eggs on hand with 30 K smolts.  Working towards internet access at hatchery and shed reconstruction (initiated 1979).  Hatchery, rearing, stocking and smolt release on Hartley bay Creek, Whalen, Red Bluff, Angler Cove and Upper Hartley Bay lakes.

                     Of Note: (DFO North Coast CA's) are working together with volunteer groups to develop a Regional Roundtable.

SEHAB Member: Janet Lemon

Area: North Coast

Community Advisor: Rob Dams

Date: November 2015

Key Issues:

What top three points can you distill from community input to take to DFO RHQ?

1. Need for monitoring, baseline information and science to bring credibility, continuity and direction for industry, NGO’s, general public while developement esculates on the north coast

2. Habitat issues where the issue is reported, response time is not soon enough and by that time damage is already been done

3. Decline this year of coho across our whole area and no way of telling what actual returns are as streasm assessment seems to be non-exsistent to compare returns to brood year escapement

Stories:

A few examples of successes, failures, challenges.

Failure of the Skeena scockye returns to come in as predicted with no five-year-old sockeye and small 3-4 year olds returning.

Challenge to meet future stock assessment needs with the retirement of key senior persons in the Prince Rupert Office

Success with the groups in the Kitimat watershed joining together, hiring a professional and beginning baseline water quaility monitoring.  This will be critical information for the future when air shed problems start to arise as industry increases in the area

Failure of the government authories steering the Port of Prince Rupert and LNG proponents away from Lulu Island right from the beginning. This has lead to a stand off with the company (which has put millions of dollars and large amounts of human effort in planning and replanning to avoid Flora Bank and impacts) and First nations and their many supporters who see the potential impacts this will have on the Skeena estuary no matter what mitigation is used. A total waste of everyones energy and money right from the get-go and now we have a tense situation than can easyily lead to violence.

 Challenge to work in rivers swollen by torrential rains and unusually dark water in coastal streams from incresed tannins.