Rock slide in Fraser River, B.C., may hinder salmon passage

So where are the acoustic numbers for above the slide?
Why was it released the first week and now nothing?:rolleyes:

What are the up to date numbers for fish that have made it past the slide?

Is there an upstream acoustic counter a ways upriver from the counter above the slideto get a TRUE reading what is making it past the slide?
If not then why not?

Almost 200000 salmon below the slide and not making it past? Could almost walk across that many stacked up there.

Must be a shitload of dead fish in the downstream backeddies?

Any drone footage or pics of these massive numbers of fish?
 
Whitebuck said:
So where are the acoustic numbers for above the slide?
Why was it released the first week and now nothing?:rolleyes:

What are the up to date numbers for fish that have made it past the slide?

Is there an upstream acoustic counter a ways upriver from the counter above the slideto get a TRUE reading what is making it past the slide?
If not then why not?

Almost 200000 salmon below the slide and not making it past? Could almost walk across that many stacked up there.

Must be a shitload of dead fish in the downstream backeddies?

Any drone footage or pics of these massive numbers of fish?
Click to expand...

They said they are taking drone footage daily but doesn’t look like they are posted it.

If you listen to what I posted skip to the 15 min mark and they answer some questions. I think one of them is where the counters are located.

Thoes are good questions you have I agree they do seem to be holding back a bit of information here.
 
Aug 15, 2019 Big Bar Landslide update.

• Yesterday, an Expert Panel comprised of technical experts and First Nation leadership visited the Incident Command Post and the landslide worksites. This visit allowed the panel to share ideas, collaborate with the Incident Management Team (ICP) and provide expert insights into the challenges that ICP face.

• Rock scaling personnel have begun constructing a trail that will extend from the base of the landslide site back to the staging area. The route follows along the rivers edge before climbing slopes to the south. Scaling personnel will be able to access their worksite by foot and boat to avoid a descent down the rock face.

• Beach seining and fish wheel operations to support helicopter transport are continuing. Additional seining crews and helicopters are being added to the operation this week.

• Three new areas have been identified as alternate fish wheel sites to meet continually changing conditions.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/p..._update_big_bar_landslide_incident_aug_15.pdf

48266701436_e005f06e0d_b.jpg
 
Whitebuck said:
Any drone footage or pics of these massive numbers of fish?
Click to expand...

Here is footage from August 14, they have unfortunately not include a bigger site overview, but you can get a sense of the scale by the people in the footage.

 
wildmanyeah said:
Here is footage from August 14, they have unfortunately not include a bigger site overview, but you can get a sense of the scale by the people in the footage.

Click to expand...
My heart sank when I saw all the fish pooling on the left side with nowhere to go starting at the 42 second mark.
 
terrin said:
My heart sank when I saw all the fish pooling on the left side with nowhere to go starting at the 42 second mark.
Click to expand...

Good eye, I think that's part of the boulder manipulation they are trying to make a path up their. To be fair i have seen areas on the Thompson that have looked like that.

upload_2019-8-16_13-22-40.png


I'm starting to get the sense tho that at this point it's about just saving the genes,That significant mortality has occurred, will occur and even if they get past spawning success will be poor.

IMO this is on the verge of being catastrophic if it not already.
 
Nowhere to go?
Has anybody not seen salmon migrating in rapids before?
This is WAY better looking than what I thought we were going to see!

If salmon were not getting past this area it would be black with fish, especially with how small the choke point. Almost 200k of salmon already there with 14k showing up daily? There is only a few dozen there?

However with the water dropping, all that safety and slack water will be dry in a week or so.
I would love to see some rocks dropped on the upstream corner above the slide to break the current on the inside edge more.

Still can’t believe this happened in the fall :mad:
 
Last edited:
Looks to me like it is black with fish in the few areas that they can hold on the left side. If they were advancing from there i'm sure a minute of drone footage at the top end would show some fish darting into the top water. Hopefully they are and you just can't see it.
 
The third spawning ground report of the season was provided by DFO Stock
Assessment on August 15. To date 4 live and 2 dead Sockeye have been observed
in the Early Stuart spawning tributaries.
 
Not extinct. Previous and next year's spawns have jacks and 3,4,5,6, etc year old fish. In 4 years there will be some fish. It's still dire.
 
Aug 16, 2019 Big Bar Landslide update.

• Rock scalers continue rock manipulation operations to create passageways and pools to allow for the natural movement of fish through the rocks.

• Crews are capturing fish through beach seining and fish wheel operations at three new sites, and then slinging the fish via helicopter in oxygenated buckets. One new helicopter has been added, and an additional seining crew is on site to enhance capture opportunities.

• Rock scaling crews are finalizing a trail to the site to expedite access to their worksite.

• A new camp near the incident is now operational, allowing crews to stay closer to the worksite and lengthen the operational period.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/p..._update_big_bar_landslide_incident_aug_16.pdf

index.php

Rock scaling crews conducting rock manipulation to create pools and passageways (along the shoreline) for natural fish movement upstream.
 
They just closed the freshwater section of the Fraser to trout fishing. I imagine one of the reasons is to reduce low numbers of Sockeye by-catch. The slide, coupled with the fact that according to the latest Fraser River Panel release stating that this year’s Sockeye run is the lowest run ever estimated since 1893 is major cause for concern.
 
Big Green Machine said:
They just closed the freshwater section of the Fraser to trout fishing. I imagine one of the reasons is to reduce low numbers of Sockeye by-catch. The slide, coupled with the fact that according to the latest Fraser River Panel release stating that this year’s Sockeye run is the lowest run ever estimated since 1893 is major cause for concern.
Click to expand...
Less eyes on the river = more poaching? :confused:
I would take them seriously if they would spend money on enforcement and crack down on industrial environmental damage. We'll see. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
One thing to consider, which was just pointed out to me, is that a significant portion of the Chilcotin steelhead run would have likely over-wintered in the Fraser below Big Bar and yet made it past the supposedly unreported slide.

I remember decades ago taking part in a steelhead tagging program in early spring and catching a steelhead at the mouth of the Seton which was radio-tagged. It was later found in the Chilcotin.
 
Before the Chilcotin flood remeber they said the big chinook were getting past...Then the water level increased and they said nothing was getting past...now the water levels are below pre flood and they are still saying no fish are getting by.

Confused o_O
 
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