Sure be nice to get more updates.
Rock slide in Fraser River, B.C., may hinder salmon passage
- Thread starter wildmanyeah
- Start date
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
ig Bar landslide response information bulletin
July 18 2022On this page
- Summer biological programs at Big Bar are underway
- Current images of work being done at the landslide site
Summer biological programs at Big Bar are underway
Update on current activities
Summer operations at Big Bar have been fully mobilized, including the three biological programs: monitoring, enhancement, and trap and transport. Monitoring teams are radio tagging both Chinook and sockeye. Chinook are being tagged in Lillooet, at Big Bar and in the lower Fraser River while sockeye are only being tagged in the lower Fraser. Due to the late arrival of warm weather and subsequent high river flows, none of the lower river tracked fish have past through Hells Gate yet. In addition, tagging in the Lillooet area has been very slow due to high and turbid water. The current number of tagged salmon is 106 Chinook and 239 sockeye.The Matsqui fish wheel, located near Mission, is in full operation, enabling the collection of Early Stuart sockeye brood stock as these salmon begin their migration up the Fraser. By July 11, the Big Bar team had captured 90 sockeye to be used as brood stock. In addition, the team transported 70 tagged sockeye from the Matsqui fish wheel to the Big Bar site to study and monitor their ability to pass the slide area during high water. The first group of 27 fish was moved and released by the trap and transport team on July 6. The second group of sockeye was released at West Beach on July 12. Equipment and site setup for trap and transport operations was completed on July 12, with system testing finalized on July 16. The next phase of operations will be focused on fish transport, if required. Mobilization of this team was delayed by a week due to salmon migration being slower than predicted.
Recent challenges at Big Bar
The Province of British Columbia has worked diligently throughout June to recommission the Big Bar roads for the coming season. On July 2, severe rainstorms hit the area, causing hillside erosion and minor damage to the road network. One small mudslide pushed debris and logs down a slope, narrowly missing a telemetry station at Beach One, about one kilometre downstream of the slide site. The Province has organized further repairs and the roads will be back in full operation shortly.High river flows also forced the monitoring team to temporarily remove some hydro acoustic sonars. While this change resulted in a few coverage gaps, it has not impacted results as there were low numbers of Chinook in the area at the time. By July 4, all the sonars were reinstalled and fully operational.
Salmon count
To view how many fish are currently moving below and above the Big Bar landslide site, please visit the DFO website here.Current images of work being done at the landslide site
Fish wheel and monitoring crews applying the first Chinook Tag in Lillooet BC, June 17, 2022. Click to enlarge.Additional images of the work underway as part of our response efforts can be seen on the Government of BC’s Flickr channel.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
Big Bar Update
• A total of 201 sockeye have been radio tagged below the Big Bar site.
• Sockeye Tag Application to date: Matsqui – 192 tags Lillooet – 9 tags Big Bar – 0 tags
• A total of 252 salmon have been observed 40km upstream of Big Bar (Churn Creek).
• A total of 270 sockeye have been collected for broodstock at the Matsqui fishwheel. 185 of the first 186 sockeye collected for broodstock were determined to be Early Stuart (GSI results).
Lower Fraser River migration update
• Very slow migration from Matsqui to Qualark influenced by high flows (6 to 13 days vs. 2 to 4 days in 2021)
• 100’s of sockeye holding along margins through Yale rapids
• Fish struggling to get past Yale rapids for the past week (based on active mobile tracking)
• Fish observed in creek mouths and swimming slowly along river edge all through lower canyon areas from Alexandria Bridge to below Little Hells Gate.
• Estimates of several thousand fish holding in large eddies below canyon pinch points. Mostly sockeye, but also some chinook
. • Very few fish observed at Hells Gate, largest concentrations of fish 8 to 10 km downstream of Hells Gate.
• A total of 201 sockeye have been radio tagged below the Big Bar site.
• Sockeye Tag Application to date: Matsqui – 192 tags Lillooet – 9 tags Big Bar – 0 tags
• A total of 252 salmon have been observed 40km upstream of Big Bar (Churn Creek).
• A total of 270 sockeye have been collected for broodstock at the Matsqui fishwheel. 185 of the first 186 sockeye collected for broodstock were determined to be Early Stuart (GSI results).
Lower Fraser River migration update
• Very slow migration from Matsqui to Qualark influenced by high flows (6 to 13 days vs. 2 to 4 days in 2021)
• 100’s of sockeye holding along margins through Yale rapids
• Fish struggling to get past Yale rapids for the past week (based on active mobile tracking)
• Fish observed in creek mouths and swimming slowly along river edge all through lower canyon areas from Alexandria Bridge to below Little Hells Gate.
• Estimates of several thousand fish holding in large eddies below canyon pinch points. Mostly sockeye, but also some chinook
. • Very few fish observed at Hells Gate, largest concentrations of fish 8 to 10 km downstream of Hells Gate.
Lets hope the current dry weather reduces the flows for successful passage thru yale rapids, hells gate and big bar. Would be nice if they got some drone footage of theareas you reference.
ChilliSpoons
Well-Known Member
I’m thinking the current high water conditions are far more beneficial than the low warm water conditions that occurred the last few years. Perhaps monitoring is more difficult but I believe the fish will be getting through.
The following paragraph would suggest they are more worried about higher flow rates than water temperature. The snow pack volume in most areas of the Fraser River watershed has been well above average from late spring through to July of this year. Pre-season water temperatures were predicted to be at or below historical averages for the summer and discharges were predicted to be above to well above historical averages for the early summer period. The observed water temperature at Hope on July 11 was 14.5° Celsius which is 1.8° Celsius below average for this date. Water temperatures are forecast to increase to 16.6° Celsius by July 17. The Fraser River discharge at Hope on July 11 was 9,097 cubic meters per second which is 61% above the average discharge for this date. Discharge levels are forecast to drop to 8,803 cubic meters per second by July 17. Actual water temperatures and discharge levels will be monitored closely during the 2022 return to determine if migration issues develop. At current discharge levels, migration is expected to be delayed in many areas of the Fraser watershed, including but not limited to Hell’s Gate and the Big Bar Landslide.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
• Fish condition at Lillooet ranges from good to poor. The fish in poor condition have gas bubble trauma with bubbles in the eyes and skin, with popped eyes.
• It appears the front part of the run that likely won’t make it to the spawning grounds have made it to Lillooet in the past few days.
• A total of 403 sockeye have been radio tagged.
• Tagging operations at Big Bar and Matsqui are complete for the season and the focus will be on sonar counts and tagging at Lillooet.
• It appears the front part of the run that likely won’t make it to the spawning grounds have made it to Lillooet in the past few days.
• A total of 403 sockeye have been radio tagged.
• Tagging operations at Big Bar and Matsqui are complete for the season and the focus will be on sonar counts and tagging at Lillooet.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
Albion test gets 1 chinook,
Meanwhile 40k past the counters past the slide site
Big Bar Update
• A total of 103,143 salmon have been observed 40km upstream of Big Bar (Churn Creek).
• On August 3 Churn migration reached the highest daily number yet with 14,835 salmon passing
. • A total of 445 sockeye have been radio tagged
. • Based on a length cutoff of 68cm there have been 61,750 sockeye and 41,393 Chinook past Churn.
• The passage is now approximately 70-82% sockeye.
Meanwhile 40k past the counters past the slide site
Big Bar Update
• A total of 103,143 salmon have been observed 40km upstream of Big Bar (Churn Creek).
• On August 3 Churn migration reached the highest daily number yet with 14,835 salmon passing
. • A total of 445 sockeye have been radio tagged
. • Based on a length cutoff of 68cm there have been 61,750 sockeye and 41,393 Chinook past Churn.
• The passage is now approximately 70-82% sockeye.
As I have been saying for as long as I have been a member, the Albion is a **** poor indication of what is going on in the river.
Anybody who spends any time on the Fraser has known about this.
Its time to stop using these ARCHAIC test fisheries and move to sonar.
All of our Chinook closures in the chuck are based off this ******** indicator. Costing our economy and small towns millions of millions of dollars as well as taking away some of the best Chinook fishing on the coast targeting healthy stocks. Plus taking away the chance to pass saltwater fishing down to our kids close to home.
" Trust the Science" lol
Anybody who spends any time on the Fraser has known about this.
Its time to stop using these ARCHAIC test fisheries and move to sonar.
All of our Chinook closures in the chuck are based off this ******** indicator. Costing our economy and small towns millions of millions of dollars as well as taking away some of the best Chinook fishing on the coast targeting healthy stocks. Plus taking away the chance to pass saltwater fishing down to our kids close to home.
" Trust the Science" lol
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ship happens
Crew Member
Up the salmon stamp to 50 bucks a year, and on commercial take 3 percent like Alaska does ( I think it's 3 ) and put all the money into enhancement. Wakeup Canada.
You know what **** it, charge 100 bucks for out of province salmon stamps.
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Eden Island
Well-Known Member
Just saw this article, which says 280,000 salmon have been counted above the slide. Lets hope that the earlier losses can be recovered over several cycles.
VANCOUVER — Thousands of migrating sockeye and chinook salmon appear to be making it through a massive slide area on the Fraser River on their way to spawn in central British Columbia. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says 280,000 salmon have already been counted above the slide site north of Lillooet, contrasting greatly from three years ago when barely 100 salmon were counted.
Gord Sterritt, a director of the group Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, says there is excitement within Indigenous communities about the potential arrival and harvest of wild salmon.
In 2019, a rock slide of about 110,000 cubic metres fell into the river canyon, creating an almost impassable barrier for migrating salmon.
Rescue efforts to get the trapped salmon beyond the slide included shooting them through a so-called salmon cannon, capturing them and using a truck or helicopter to take them past the site and moving huge boulders into the river to create a pathway to help ease the fish beyond the slide zone.
Fisheries project spokesman Dale Michie says this year’s salmon faced delays along the Fraser River due to high waters in the spring, but the fish arriving at the slide site have been able to continue their migration. The Fisheries Department is forecasting up to 10 million sockeye will return to the Fraser River this summer, while commercial fishers are also reporting large runs of sockeye this year on the Skeena River in northwest B.C. and off Barkley Sound on Vancouver Island.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2022.
Excitement in B.C. Indigenous communities as salmon get past Fraser slide zone
Aug 12, 2022 | 12:33 PMVANCOUVER — Thousands of migrating sockeye and chinook salmon appear to be making it through a massive slide area on the Fraser River on their way to spawn in central British Columbia. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says 280,000 salmon have already been counted above the slide site north of Lillooet, contrasting greatly from three years ago when barely 100 salmon were counted.
Gord Sterritt, a director of the group Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, says there is excitement within Indigenous communities about the potential arrival and harvest of wild salmon.
In 2019, a rock slide of about 110,000 cubic metres fell into the river canyon, creating an almost impassable barrier for migrating salmon.
Rescue efforts to get the trapped salmon beyond the slide included shooting them through a so-called salmon cannon, capturing them and using a truck or helicopter to take them past the site and moving huge boulders into the river to create a pathway to help ease the fish beyond the slide zone.
Fisheries project spokesman Dale Michie says this year’s salmon faced delays along the Fraser River due to high waters in the spring, but the fish arriving at the slide site have been able to continue their migration. The Fisheries Department is forecasting up to 10 million sockeye will return to the Fraser River this summer, while commercial fishers are also reporting large runs of sockeye this year on the Skeena River in northwest B.C. and off Barkley Sound on Vancouver Island.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2022.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
they started june 1 last year no idea what they plan for this year
this year does mark the return or not retun of the first generation of sockeye that were affected.
this year does mark the return or not retun of the first generation of sockeye that were affected.
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donnie d
Well-Known Member
Agreed.
Water is low for this time of year due to the cold temps the last couple weeks and early melt in May. Should bump back up in a week or so. Cant ask for better migrating conditions right now.
So far they have been 20+ openings targeting stocks of concern in the lower Fraser, not including the Albion.
Albion just started getting a couple now that the water has dropped. But is a **** poor archaic way of seeing what the numbers are.
Netting upriver is doing way better...
Only way of remotely telling what the numbers are would have to be done by sonar.
So far they have been 20+ openings targeting stocks of concern in the lower Fraser, not including the Albion.
Albion just started getting a couple now that the water has dropped. But is a **** poor archaic way of seeing what the numbers are.
Netting upriver is doing way better...
Only way of remotely telling what the numbers are would have to be done by sonar.
I guess they don’t really want to know one way or the other.
OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Subject: FN0604-General Information - Chinook - In-season Abundance Update - Fraser River Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook
This notice is intended to provide an update on the in-season abundance of Fraser River Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook.
In 2023, the Albion Chinook test fishery began operating on April 23. The total catch in the 8-inch mesh net for the period of this update (May 7 to June 17, or stat weeks 05/1 to 06/2) was six (6) Chinook. Based on this input, the standard version of the in-season abundance model that is based only on the 8-inch mesh data predicts a terminal return for the Fraser River Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook aggregate of 46,789 (95% Probability Interval of 24,000 to 90,000). The total catch in the multi-panel test net for this period was two (2) Chinook. The predicted terminal return from the model that incorporates this additional catch is 32,890 (95% Probability Interval of 14,000 to 67,000) Chinook. Further details on the modeling approach are available upon request from your local resource manager.
The low catch at the test fishery suggests low abundance for the Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook Salmon returning in 2023, and indicates ongoing low productivity for these Management Units.
The in-season run size estimate is provided for information purposes only and is not being used for in-season adjustments to management actions. The Department has announced precautionary management actions to substantially reduce fishery mortalities on these at-risk Chinook. Further information on these management measures can be found in FN1421, FN0158, FN0426, and FN0331, and will also be incorporated into the final 2023/24 Southern BC Integrated Fisheries Management Plan.
This notice is intended to provide an update on the in-season abundance of Fraser River Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook.
In 2023, the Albion Chinook test fishery began operating on April 23. The total catch in the 8-inch mesh net for the period of this update (May 7 to June 17, or stat weeks 05/1 to 06/2) was six (6) Chinook. Based on this input, the standard version of the in-season abundance model that is based only on the 8-inch mesh data predicts a terminal return for the Fraser River Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook aggregate of 46,789 (95% Probability Interval of 24,000 to 90,000). The total catch in the multi-panel test net for this period was two (2) Chinook. The predicted terminal return from the model that incorporates this additional catch is 32,890 (95% Probability Interval of 14,000 to 67,000) Chinook. Further details on the modeling approach are available upon request from your local resource manager.
The low catch at the test fishery suggests low abundance for the Spring 5(2) and Summer 5(2) Chinook Salmon returning in 2023, and indicates ongoing low productivity for these Management Units.
The in-season run size estimate is provided for information purposes only and is not being used for in-season adjustments to management actions. The Department has announced precautionary management actions to substantially reduce fishery mortalities on these at-risk Chinook. Further information on these management measures can be found in FN1421, FN0158, FN0426, and FN0331, and will also be incorporated into the final 2023/24 Southern BC Integrated Fisheries Management Plan.
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