KAMLOOPS, BC — Low water levels caused by years of severe drought and sparse snowpack and rainfall are putting British Columbia’s salmon at risk during their spawning migration, a fisheries expert warns.

Researchers are also trying to understand the impact of last year’s devastating wildfires in BC

Salmon need a steady flow of cool freshwater to survive and reach their spawning grounds. However, Murray Manson, division manager of the Fisheries Agency’s Habitat Restoration Centre of Excellence, said at a press conference on Friday that he expects fish to soon appear in some areas with low water levels.

“We are trying to be prepared for some of the problems that might arise,” he said.

The concerns remained despite a cool spring that left BC in a “fortunate” position than expected, Manson noted.

“I would say we have gotten off lightly so far in terms of the drought and its impact on fish,” he said.

In some regions, such as the Fraser River basin, where historically low salmon runs were forecast, the current attitude is “wait and see,” Manson said.

“They’re still swimming into the drought that’s going on upstream,” he said of the salmon. “(But) it’s still early. Things are still developing.”

A statement from the agency said drought and heat could have a number of negative impacts that would likely negatively affect salmon survival in British Columbia this year.

It is said that low water levels can prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds and become exposed to predators, while hot water can harm fish health, reduce their ability to spawn and make salmon vulnerable to disease.

In the Kamloops region, the Fisheries Authority says the Habitat Restoration Centre is working closely with First Nations, conservation groups, scientists and salmon conservationists to mitigate the impacts of drought on salmon migration.

On the Deadman River, for example, the salmon reintroduction team is working to restore the riverbanks covered with black poplar trees “so that these ecosystems can once again regulate water temperatures and provide a cool refuge for the fish.”

On the Adams River, which the agency says is home to one of the largest schools of sockeye salmon on the continent, researchers are studying how the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire affected the river and its vegetation.

“Our salmon habitat restoration team is combining historical imagery and maps with real-time, high-resolution field data to understand how and where post-fire conditions are affecting fish habitat, including impacts on salmon spawning conditions,” the department said in a news release.

Manson said they are working on dozens of restoration projects and testing them to see what works and hope to apply them more widely in the landscape.

He said that while each project is just a drop in the ocean, developing techniques that will ultimately be widely used can “actually make a difference.”

In the meantime, the Fisheries Authority is asking people to avoid entering dry waters as this could cause disturbance to “sensitive waters”.

Manson said people should act as if these streams are “still productive” fish habitats to ensure vegetation is not disturbed.

In addition, people are asked to use water sparingly, especially during periods of drought.

In closing, Manson said the agency is instructing people not to move fish they find stranded due to low water levels or fish caught below a dry section of a river. Instead, they want people to notify the Fisheries Agency through their reporting number.

“There may be people who are already aware of the situation and are trying to do something,” he said of fisheries personnel. “In some cases, we might be able to relocate adult fish, but we would have the right equipment to do that without causing them any more harm.”

About 40 percent of British Columbia is experiencing drought conditions that are likely or almost certain to have economic or environmental impacts, and another 21 percent of the province is at risk of such impacts.

– By Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press