Thu, 19 May 2016
Tags: Fisheries

Kids Take Part in Moberly Lake Trout Conservation Efforts

HCTF Board Chair Ross Peck helps out with the lake trout release at Moberly Lake.

At Moberly Lake last Tuesday, fifty elementary students (and HCTF Chair Ross Peck) helped government staff release 8,000 juvenile lake trout as part of an ongoing effort to rebuild a population that has come dangerously close to extinction.

When the Province began the Moberly Lake rehabilitation program back in 2010, there were less than 400 trout in the lake. Their extreme drop in numbers was thought to be caused by a combination of overfishing and competition or predation from other fish species. Historically, Moberly Lake’s lake trout were an important part of the local First Nations fishery and a favourite of local anglers, but the lake has been closed to all trout fishing since 2002, and is closed to all fishing from September 15 to October 31 to protect lake trout during their spawning season.

Last Tuesday’s lake trout release was the third release of the rehabilitation program, for a total of 36,000 released fish. The Ministry is hopeful these releases will aid in re-establishing a stable lake trout population on Moberly Lake. Over the past four years, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has provided funding to the Ministry to evaluate the effectiveness of their lake trout recovery program. As well as continuing to monitor the total number of lake trout in Moberly, staff are also tracking the survival, growth, fitness and reproduction rates of the stocked juvenile lake trout. The information collected will help detect shifts in the Moberly Lake fish community and hopefully identify why survival of juveniles is low, in the hopes that a long-term solution can be found.

Mon, 24 Aug 2015
Tags: Fisheries

Penticton Creek Restoration Underway

Penticton Creek restoration project is underway.

Newly restored creek banks are taking shape along Penticton Creek, as the first restoration project for Penticton Creek hits the halfway point this week.

Construction started Aug. 4, marking the first time concrete was removed proactively from Penticton Creek as part of a showcase project designed to demonstrate what creek restoration can look like. Project goals include restoring fish habitat, maintaining the flood protection and stabilizing creek banks.

“We are so pleased to see the phenomenal progress on this project, as a huge first step in making Penticton Creek more sustainable,” said Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit. “The City of Penticton is grateful for the tremendous support of our partners in this initiative, including the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation – their financial support has really made this project possible.”

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Board member Ian McGregor sees the Penticton Creek project as a potential showcase for future stream restoration projects in the Okanagan. “Restoring historically productive kokanee streams is a major component of the Okanagan Lake Action Plan,” said McGregor. “It’s great to see the City of Penticton taking the lead on a project that will benefit fish populations while simultaneously addressing the needs of Penticton residents.”

This sample project includes a small section (80 metres) of Penticton Creek upstream from the Ellis Street Bridge. This site was chosen to substantially improve fish habitat, as well as address severe maintenance issues and show the community the transformation in a visible area.

Designing a creek bed that safely moves water through the area is important for flood protection, and this has to be considered while balancing elements that create good fish habitat – rearing areas (resting, hiding and feeding zones), spawning grounds, and minimizing velocity and elevation barriers to migration. Fish species that stand to benefit from improved habitat include Kokanee and Rainbow Trout.

The public is invited to check out Penticton Creek restoration in action. The Ellis Street bridge offers an excellent vantage point to watch crews undergo work. For information, visit www.penticton.ca/downtown.

The Penticton Creek restoration project would not have happened without the funding and contributions of several agencies: Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Province of B.C., South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., Okanagan Nation Alliance, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Penticton Flyfishers and Downtown Penticton Association.

Watch recent video coverage of this project on Global News>>

Tue, 7 Jul 2015
Tags: Fisheries

HCTF Takes a Look at the Kitimat River Cutthroat Trout Project

Aerial photo showing development along the lower Kitimat River.

As part of our evaluation program to ensure HCTF funds are benefiting fish and wildlife conservation, HCTF staff regularly visit project leaders to get an in-depth look at their projects – both on paper (financials) and on the ground.

In early June, HCTF staff biologist Lynne Bonner and financial officer Katelynn Sander travelled to Terrace to meet with Regional Fisheries Biologist Jeff Lough to learn about his project Kitimat River Cutthroat Trout Behavioral Assessments.

 

 

The Kitimat River drains a large coastal watershed and discharges into the head of Douglas Channel at the town of Kitimat. It is a high priority for coastal cutthroat trout because of impacts from multiple human activities in the watershed. It also supports a popular fishery for both local and visiting anglers and the angling effort is significant.

Prior to this study, information on the coastal cutthroat population was limited and anecdotal. This project aimed to investigate the patterns and behavior of coastal cutthroat, in an effort to understand how best to keep the populations healthy and sustained. In a joint radio telemetry and genetic analyses study with the University of Northern BC (UNBC), key cutthroat spawning, migration, and overwintering areas were identified. By understanding these crucial behavioral patterns, managers will have a better idea of where and when these populations are most vulnerable, and what actions are required to help protect them.

Project data and results are being analysed and rolled into a MSc thesis by UNBC MSc candidate Eric Vogt who carried out much of the fieldwork. The study results and options for management will be used by the Ministry to help inform land use decision making in the Kitimat watershed and sustainable angling regulations for the Skeena Region.

After a couple of hours in the office reviewing invoices and project objectives we were anxious to get out and see the actual project area. Jeff had arranged (and HCTF funded) a one-hour helicopter overview of the watershed. The flight took us over the upper Kitimat River where timber harvesting had clearly impacted the entire valley over the past couple of decades. Farther down the mainstem, Jeff pointed out the many side channels and small feeder streams that were highly productive cutthroat trout spawning and rearing habitat. Several large tributaries, such as the Wideene, extended cutthroat habitat up into the mountains. These habitats and their importance to all stages of cutthroat life history are the key pieces of information gleaned from this HCTF project’s telemetry work over the past 3 years.

 

Evidence of oil and gas development appeared at various locations in the valley and as we approached the lower reaches of the Kitimat River towards the estuary, industrial development intensified with the former pulp mill site, the aluminum smelter and the village of Kitimat spreading out below. We also saw anglers fishing for salmon along the river, reminding us that cutthroat trout fishing is very popular at various times throughout the year.

Our evaluation and review illuminated the practical and financial challenges presented by this type of habitat assessment study. This three-year project was complex in nature, due to multiple partners and multiple contract extensions, but the financial aspects were well documented. Clearly written and timely proposals and reports enabled us to better understand the project objectives and expected outcomes.

A big thank you to Jeff for taking the day to explain his project and to the other members of the team that helped make this project a success – Dr. Allan Costello, UNBC, grad student Eric Vogt, UNBC, and in-kind contributions from DFO, the Steelhead Society of BC, Kitimat Rod and Gun Club, and Haisla Fisheries. We were impressed with how well this project was implemented and managed.

And finally, we are particularly pleased that funding emerging from an environmental infraction (court awarded to HCTF) was put to good use and managed effectively and efficiently for conservation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How a Court Award led to the Kitimat Cutthroat Assessment Project

This project was initiated in 2012-13 after HCTF received Court Award funding when a company was fined for an environmental infraction at the mouth of the Kitimat River. A creative sentencing provision in the Fisheries Act enabled a portion of the fine to be directed to HCTF. These funds were then invested into the same watershed where the original violation occurred. For additional information on HCTF and creative sentencing, click here. While the Court Award ($60,000) was the catalyst, over the three years of the project HCTF contributed an additional $200,000.

 

Mon, 13 Apr 2015
Tags: Fisheries

Wood Lake Kokanee Show Signs of Recovery

Wood Lake kokanee caught in April 2014 (Photo: Jason Webster). Click on image for larger version.

Wood Lake kokanee may not be large fish, but in terms of economic and social impact, the fishery is huge: worth an estimated $1 million a year—all put at peril when the kokanee population crashed in the fall of 2011.

Dubbed “one of the last remaining high-effort kokanee fisheries in Canada,” it’s a highly-accessible fishery that yields a large annual harvest and provides year-round angling opportunities for people of all skill levels, notes Hillary Ward, Fisheries Stock Assessment Specialist for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

She says conservatively it supports more than 15,000 angler days a year and more than $1 million in direct expenditures related to angling.

Because it’s vitally important to restore the kokanee numbers in this small Central Okanagan Lake, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, a BC environmental granting organization, is funding a plan to figure out what caused the problems and how to resolve them.

Since 2012, HCTF has put nearly a quarter million dollars into the problem, and that expenditure has nearly doubled with contributions from other sources, in a project that is a collaboration of the Ministry, the Oceola Fish and Game Club, the Okanagan Nation Alliance and the District of Lake Country.

Wood Lake anglers realized something was wrong in 2012 and voted to support a ban on fishing in the lake until the problem was identified and corrected, but members of the Oceola club have been involved in efforts to enhance that fishery for more than three decades.

Danny Coyne is Fisheries Director for the club, and says its volunteers have worked to take eggs from some of the spawning kokanee each fall to incubate over winter and return to Middle Vernon Creek—the main spawning tributary to the lake—in spring. However, incubation has stopped now because they realize such drastic measures are only needed to jump-start a failing population, rather than on an ongoing basis. Volunteers now help ministry staff count spawning kokanee at a fish fence and efforts are underway to replant riparian areas that have been degraded.

It’s been determined that water quantity in Middle Vernon Creek and water quality in Wood Lake has been the major threat to kokanee populations.

In dry years, there has been limited water available in the creek for kokanee to spawn and in the fall of 2011 numbers collapsed due to unusually warm water temperatures and low oxygen levels in Wood Lake.

With the help of the HCTF project, the kokanee population has been intensively monitored, both in Wood Lake and in Middle Vernon Creek. Angler surveys have also been conducted to estimate harvest.

As well, hydrometric stations were set up with the help of the federal government and the Okanagan Basin Water Board at key points in the watershed, to assess the water balance and see where changes could be made to ensure adequate flows in late summer and fall help spawning kokanee survive.

Ward is confident that, armed with the watershed data from the past few years, they can improve the system’s balance, controlling flows by changing releases from Beaver Lake so there’s adequate water left in the lower part of the system in September when kokanee return to spawn.

From that, a water management plan can be created which will help ensure the long-term survival of Wood Lake kokanee, but also take into account the needs of humans, aquatic plants that occur along the shores of Ellison Lake and other users along the way.

“We’re using an ecosystem-based approach. We’ve really made excellent progress and now we’re seeing signs of recovery,” comments Ward.

With a forecast of significant numbers of kokanee returning to spawn this fall, the fishery in Wood Lake has been re-opened this year, from Apr. 1 to Aug. 31—good news for all concerned.

Written by Judie Steeves for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation

 

Thu, 28 Aug 2014
Tags: Fisheries

Shaping up Seymour

Seymour estuary restoration earth moving.jpg

is well on its way to being restored to an important transition ground for juvenile seagoing trout, char and salmon making their way out to Burrard Inlet. Major earth moving work for this BIRPP project was completed last week, reshaping and contouring the estuary to make it more hospitable for the fish and other organisms that historically thrived there. Creosote-soaked structures leaking contaminants and invasive plants were removed from the estuary, and huge logs and boulders were strategically placed to both provide cover for young salmonids and to protect the native vegetation that will be planted here next spring. These plantings will complete the site’s transformation from an estuary with virtually no cover or foraging habitat to a functional ecosystem offering multiple benefits to fish, wildlife and humans.

 

The work at the Seymour River estuary will soon be followed by earth moving at another BIRPP estuary restoration project, Mosquito Creek. This estuary has been reduced to 1% of its historical size through waterfront industrial development. This will be an excellent opportunity to view restoration work in progress, as the site is located at a key junction point for the North Shore Spirit Trail. Check back here in September for more BIRPP project updates.

 

Seymour_restoration_invasive_removal.jpgSeymour_restoration_BCIT_grads_securing_log.jpg

Mon, 5 May 2014
Tags: Fisheries

Elk Lake Enhancement Project

Elk_Lake_Volunteer_Training.jpgOn Vancouver Island, a local angling club is taking the lead in a project to improve fish habitat conditions at a popular urban lake.

The Victoria Golden Rods and Reels (VGRR)’s Elk Lake Enhancement proposal is one of 116 projects recently approved by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation . VGRR received a $5,000 seed grant to support the creation of a plan that will address the lake’s declining water quality, a problem which has impacted fish and wildlife, along with a broad spectrum of recreational users.

Concerns around Elk Lake’s water quality were most recently publicized in January, when the lake’s annual polar bear swim had to be relocated due to the presence of a toxic algal bloom. The blue-green surface scum was confirmed to be cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic bacterium that thrives in conditions where excess nutrients are present in the water.

Blooms of cyanobacteria have been an ongoing problem in Elk Lake, where phosphorous levels have been elevated through residential and agricultural development of the surrounding land. Since 2009, the lake has seen at least four such blooms, which can cause serious illness or even death in humans, pets, and wildlife. Though the events tend to be short-lived, the mass die-offs of bacteria at the end the blooms can deplete the lake of oxygen, creating dangerous conditions for sensitive fish species such as rainbow trout.

Project leader and VGRR club member Mick Collins says that, despite regular stocking by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (FFSBC), there are serious concerns among anglers for the future of the Elk Lake trout fishery.

“Anglers who regularly fish the lake know it intimately. They’re among the first people to notice when something isn’t right. It is encouraging to see so much interest and involvement from the fishing and rowing communities and others in seeking solutions to improve water quality and fish habitat.”

Elk Lake remains an important resource for local anglers, with an estimated 14,000 angler days per year, the most heavily fished lake on Vancouver Island. It is also hosts FFSBC’s popular Learn to Fish program, which teaches basic angling skills to youth and adults. And the lake’s appeal is not limited to anglers: it’s popular with swimmers, dog walkers, and is home to Canada’s National Rowing Team. Through their HCTF-funded project, VGRR is committed to bringing together the many stakeholders to find feasible, scientifically-sound solutions for the lake.

Volunteers from the club have already began working with the Ministry of Environment to carry out a regular water quality monitoring program to provide the data necessary for deciding on the best course of action (watch the video of highlights from the volunteer training session below). VGRR is also planning to establish a lake stewardship group and organize a public meeting to allow stakeholders to come together to discuss the issue – and explore potential solutions.

 

The water quality problems facing Elk Lake are not unique: there are numerous examples of relatively shallow, nutrient-loaded lakes in BC that have faced similar issues and overcome them. The project team will be looking at these case studies when designing the plan for Elk Lake. Restoration options that will be considered include weed cutting, reduction of nutrient inflows, and lake aeration. Once the initial planning stage is complete, the club will be able to put forward a full proposal to HCTF and other potential partner organizations requesting funding to execute the plan.

The Victoria Golden Rods and Reels club is a great example of anglers working to protect the trout fishery resource, to the benefit of other species and recreational users. If your club or organization is interested in working on a conservation project, visit our Grant Overview page to learn more about available funding.