BԪַ

Skip to content

Threats to the Fraser River at BԪַnew zenith,BԪַ says river conservationist

The BԪַHeart of the FraserBԪַ should be deemed ecologically significant according to ORC statement
19670253_web1_FraserRiver-drone1
The pre-freshet Fraser River in Chilliwack in April 2018. (Paul Henderson/ Progress file)

Threats to the Fraser River hit a new all-time high in 2019.

The impact of slides, habitat damage, and plummeting fish stocks will require political will and decisive action, according to Mark Angelo, chair of the (ORC) of B.C.

BԪַThe Fraser River remains the heart and soul of our province but itBԪַs also critically endangered,BԪַ Angelo said in ORCBԪַs annual year-end statement, putting the Fraser at the top of the provinceBԪַs list of most endangered rivers, if not the countryBԪַs.

READ MORE:

The impact of the Big Bar slide on fish passage, land-clearing, the potential extinction of Thompson-Chilcotin steelhead, non-selective gillnet fisheries, dismal salmon returns, climate change, and the need to restore damaged habitats, all play into it.

The impact of these issues on the riverBԪַs health exceed those in any year since the ORC began compiling data on the Fraser almost 40 years ago.

BԪַThe threats and pressures confronting the river can be addressed if thereBԪַs a will, but we must act quickly and decisively,BԪַ Angelo warned.

Big Bar slide blocked fish passage for salmon returning to key Fraser River tributaries such as the Stuart, Quesnel and Chilco River systems. Many of the FraserBԪַs sockeye stocks are dependent on tributaries in the northern part of the riverBԪַs drainage as are many chinook populations.

Extensive land clearing in BԪַHeart of the FraserBԪַ between Hope and Mission have taken out huge swaths of habitat essential to both sturgeon and salmon around key islands such as Herrling, Carey and Strawberry.

While efforts are underway to restore some of these key private lands by acquiring them, one of the most important things governments can do now is to designate the islands within the Heart of the Fraser as an BԪַecologically significant area,BԪַ a new designation created under the Fisheries Act, Angelo stressed.

The Heart of the Fraser sustains almost 30 species of fish as well as B.C.BԪַs largest single spawning run of salmon along with its finest sturgeon spawning habitat. ItBԪַs key rearing habitat for millions of young salmon, especially chinook which provide the primary food source for southern resident killer whales.

BԪַThe threats facing the Fraser River reached a new zenith this past year and yet, there is the potential to rectify many of these if the desire exists,BԪַAngelo warned, as someone who first paddled the full length of the Fraser in 1975 and is both an Order of BC and Order of Canada recipient for his river conservation efforts.

BԪַThe events that have unfolded along the Heart of the Fraser have been disheartening,BԪַ Angelo, internationally renowned river advocate and ORC Rivers Chair. BԪַWe have to do more to protect what is CanadaBԪַs most important fish habitat.BԪַ

READ MORE:



jfeinberg@theprogress.com

Like us on and follow us on .



Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering city hall, Indigenous, business, and climate change stories.
Read more



(or

BԪַ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }