Maybe BCs Hydro Dams aren't as green as you think.

[Keith Brown]

Just maybe if they removed a few strategic dams with help the salmon return. Seems to me the over abundance of marine mammals isn't at the route of the problem like many fisherman think. Funny thing when it comes to the state of salmon on the west coast I never here the impact the dams are having on the production cycle of the salmon mentioned. Not even considering the complete annellation of the inland Sturgeon population caused directly by dams.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/oct/9/one-year-after-klamath-dam-removal-theres-just-fis/

 

[sly_karma]

Which ones do you think should be removed? The Fraser drainage is the biggest fish producer, and is under a lot of stress from drought, wildfires, logging, and streamside development, yet it has no dams at all along the main stem. The handful of dams in the system are mostly sited on tributaries well upstream from the main river.

I know the Fraser isn't the only fish bearing river, of course, but it is of global importance to salmonid stocks.

 

[dmack]

UBC did a comprehensive study on the Fraser a couple of years back and determined that 85% of historical spawning grounds on the system no longer support life. How much of that was dams I do not know; I do know other factors were significant.

But yes, mammals, offshore fishing, warming, fishers of all sorts, and the laundry list of things that we often hear can only impact some of the remaining 15% of fish around the lower mainland.

So if people want to do something about salmon stocks, start by working with river systems. On the island here, the Cowichan went from less than 1000 returning Chinook to about 20,000 in just a few cycles after the spawning areas were tended to. Consider how many salmon would be out there if we could get 20 fold increases like this around the Georgia Basin.

 

[sly_karma]

UBC did a comprehensive study on the Fraser a couple of years back and determined that 85% of historical spawning grounds on the system no longer support life. How much of that was dams I do not know; I do know other factors were significant.

But yes, mammals, offshore fishing, warming, fishers of all sorts, and the laundry list of things that we often hear can only impact some of the remaining 15% of fish around the lower mainland.

So if people want to do something about salmon stocks, start by working with river systems. On the island here, the Cowichan went from less than 1000 returning Chinook to about 20,000 in just a few cycles after the spawning areas were tended to. Consider how many salmon would be out there if we could get 20 fold increases like this around the Georgia Basin.

Agree. Dams can handled to a reasonable extent, but river and spawning habitat health are more important. An example is Okanagan sockeye, where the main stem of the Columbia has nine dams below the Okanogan River, yet some simple improvements to fish passage structures coupled with improved management of water flows out of Okanagan Lake have led to dramatic increases in returns to the relatively undamaged habitat in the Skaha and Okanagan drainages. But all of this can be undone by low river flows and high water temperatures during the critical upstream migration period of July and August.

 

[wildmanyeah]

Access to arrow lakes would probably produce the most but the American's would catch them all lol

Other then that Capilano and Coquitlam are our drinking water, Alouette removal or accesses at most would be a few thousand. Campbell river is an interesting one, tho again these are at the margins.

stave apparently salmon never were able to make it over the falls according to studies their. Stave likely has more salmon now do to enhancement efforts then it ever had.

nothing compared to what ocean survival can do, like we seen with Fraser sockeye this year.

 

[dmack]

Agree. Dams can handled to a reasonable extent, but river and spawning habitat health are more important. An example is Okanagan sockeye, where the main stem of the Columbia has nine dams below the Okanogan River, yet some simple improvements to fish passage structures coupled with improved management of water flows out of Okanagan Lake have led to dramatic increases in returns to the relatively undamaged habitat in the Skaha and Okanagan drainages. But all of this can be undone by low river flows and high water temperatures during the critical upstream migration period of July and August.

Plant life in riparian areas, particularly on the south banks can miticate both temperature and to a lesser extent water flows. I'm currenly working on a project that abuts my place of work to increase shade, shelter and food for young salmon. It's one of the rivers where we're starting to see more cohos.

Access to arrow lakes would probably produce the most but the American's would catch them all lol

Other then that Capilano and Coquitlam are our drinking water, Alouette removal or accesses at most would be a few thousand. Campbell river is an interesting one, tho again these are at the margins.

stave apparently salmon never were able to make it over the falls according to studies their. Stave likely has more salmon now do to enhancement efforts then it ever had.

nothing compared to what ocean survival can do, like we seen with Fraser sockeye this year.

I appreciate the increases recently, but I think it's important to remember if we look at the longer term most areas would look like backwards checkmarks on a bar graph. We are going to hit a ceiling fairly rapidly unless rivers are made a priority.

 

[Keith Brown]

Agree. Dams can handled to a reasonable extent, but river and spawning habitat health are more important. An example is Okanagan sockeye, where the main stem of the Columbia has nine dams below the Okanogan River, yet some simple improvements to fish passage structures coupled with improved management of water flows out of Okanagan Lake have led to dramatic increases in returns to the relatively undamaged habitat in the Skaha and Okanagan drainages. But all of this can be undone by low river flows and high water temperatures during the critical upstream migration period of July and August.

Its not as simple as providing passage around dams. Juvenal salmon are VERY WEAK swimmers and are very easy pray in large body's of water. There is a very good explanation of the effects of dams online made by the California Salmon ???? coalition? I don't have time to look for it but they are the main force behind the dam removals on California. Maybe some one can post the Youtube video on this tread. The Colombia and the Kootenay rivers may flow into the USA but the salmon go every where on the west coast. If I am not mistaken many of the salmon caught in Alaska originate from the Fraser River.

 

[sly_karma]

Its not as simple as providing passage around dams. Juvenal salmon are VERY WEAK swimmers and are very easy pray in large body's of water. There is a very good explanation of the effects of dams online made by the California Salmon ???? coalition? I don't have time to look for it but they are the main force behind the dam removals on California. Maybe some one can post the Youtube video on this tread. The Colombia and the Kootenay rivers may flow into the USA but the salmon go every where on the west coast. If I am not mistaken many of the salmon caught in Alaska originate from the Fraser River.

Are you saying that swimming through the reservoir behind the dam is exposing juvenile salmon to higher predation rates than if they were in a free flowing river?

It's well understood that dams provide serious barriers to smolts in their downstream trip to ocean waters. Some of the Columbia dams have downswim structures, and others may choose to spill water in spring to assist downstream migration. Nonetheless, many smolts end up going through the hydroelectric turbines, and a portion die from injuries sustained. These turbine losses impacting a listed endangered species are the reason why US hydro power entities fund fish passage and habitat restoration/enhancement projects in the Okanagan.

There are mortality figures for the downstream migration overall, but I'm not sure they could be broken down to separate swim losses in the reservoir from deaths in the turbines. Or maybe they can, I'm just a tradie that is interested in fish.

 

[Keith Brown]

Are you saying that swimming through the reservoir behind the dam is exposing juvenile salmon to higher predation rates than if they were in a free flowing river?

Yes that exactly what I am saying. There is a very interesting video on the subject by the California Salmon Coalition or some name like that. They were one of the prime proponents behind the three hydro dams that were removed on the Klamath. As well as the commercial fishermen which have had no season for three consecutive years. rec fishers were ecstatic to have a few days opening this year.