Salmon Steward is the official publication of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in British Columbia, Canada
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1408862
salmon Steward magazine 3 SOMBILON STUDIOS S almon have adapted over thousands of years to natural conditions in our region, but those conditions are rapidly evolving due to climate change. Also, many freshwater ecosystems are already exposed to human-caused stressors. This is particularly true in the Fraser River. The Fraser is the second-largest salmon river in the world, and near its shores reside 80 per cent of B.C.'s human population. "Climate change impacts are already causing temperatures to rise and river flows to fluctuate outside of natural ranges," says Jason Hwang, VP, Salmon, at the Pacific Salmon Foundation. "Increased heat means less snow and more annual rainfall. This means more flooding and storm conditions that sweep sediment into rivers, choking eggs and tearing plant cover from banks. It also increases the frequency and severity of drought, which creates low water and high temperature challenges for salmon." To put all this into perspective, Hwang adds, "When flows are high in the Fraser River, salmon use a lot of energy trying to migrate. As temperatures rise, this adds to the problem, as warmer water holds less oxygen and creates stress for returning salmon. This can result in significant mortality of large numbers of salmon. To give our salmon the best chance possible, we need to minimize other stressors, and do what we can to reduce impediments that make migration more difficult." Thanks to a $3.2-million grant from the joint provincial and federal B.C. Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, PSF's Climate Adaptation Program launched this summer. Activities will complement our climate change focused research and work in the marine environment and open ocean. The program prioritizes urgent action in three key areas to help salmon adapt to climate change: 1. Assessing Fraser River migration impediments focused on the Fraser Canyon. When salmon return to the river from the ocean, they stop eating and rely on stored fat for energy to migrate up the CHANGING WITH THE CLIMES With a $3.2-million government grant, PSF launches a three-pronged program to help B.C. salmon survive an increasingly volatile environment PSF CLIMATE PLAN Fraser to natal spawning streams. High flows in the Fraser require more energy and more time to reach spawning grounds. Many salmon don't have the reserves to make it, and die en-route. For example, in 2020, high flows in the Fraser led to salmon not showing up at Big Bar for the first four to six weeks of migration. This indicated that they were being held up by flow conditions at locations other than Big Bar. PSF aims to assess for potential migration impediments and areas that can be improved, including existing fishways. One activity that started this summer engaged the Matsqui and Yale First Nations in tagging salmon to track their migration patterns. The goal is to identify areas slowing down migration and solutions to support successful journeys to spawning grounds. 2. Developing a "playbook" to guide landscape recovery strategies and priorities for salmon in the wake of major fires. Landscape fallout from wildfires – like burnt trees – is easy to see. However, wildfires can also lead to major changes in our rivers and streams. Wildfires cause increased runoff and flooding, which sends sediment and debris into the water. These materials can kill salmon and their eggs, and destroy and smother habitat. In B.C., there is no established strategy that considers the needs of salmon and aquatic ecosystems following large wildfires. A fire recovery playbook will help the forest industry, government agencies, First Nations and conservation organizations identify wildfire-related impacts and risks to salmon and their habitat; they can then compile strategies to reduce impacts and accelerate watershed recovery. 3. Developing improved genetic baselines to understand differences at a scale finer than Conservation Units. A Conservation Unit is a population of salmon that are genetically related. In some cases, a Conservation Unit is just one stream, but in other cases it can include a number of them. Eddie Julian, Matsqui First Nation, and Shane Thompson, LGL, insert a radio tag into a Chinook at the Matsqui fish wheel in Mission.