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Hot summer stymies salmon return Low river levels a challenge for returning coho, steelhead
MARIA SPITALE-LEISK mspitale-leisk@nsnews.com
Thousands of migrating coho salmon waiting in Burrard Inlet at the mouths of the Capilano and Seymour rivers have two choices in the face of unseasonable conditions: head upstream into 20 Celsius waters and likely perish or take their chances in the cooler ocean and be vulnerable to predators. Low water flows and high temperatures in the North Shore’s major rivers and salmon spawning channels are delaying the return of the fish, according to Seymour Hatchery manager Brian Smith. Temperatures have hit 20 C in lower portions of the Seymour River when
ideally they should be in the 11 to 15 C range for this time of year. Closer to the mountains, where the Capilano River joins Capilano Lake, water temperatures were also averaging 20 C this week. “The warmer the water gets the less oxygen that’s available for the fish,” explained Smith. “They will be waiting for the rain and the temperatures to come down and then they will start making their move.” While waiting to enter the streams, said Smith, the salmon are susceptible to recreational fishing and predators such as eagles. This summer Smith is expecting approximately 3,600 coho and 500 steelhead salmon to return to the Seymour River. The recent dry spell and
warm weather shouldn’t affect the number of returning salmon, said Smith, but this interference during the spawning reason could result in fewer fish coming back next year. Metro Vancouver plays a role in the successful return of the salmon as it controls water flow coming off the dams at the Seymour and Capilano reservoirs.The average water flow in the Seymour River last June was 9,481 litres per second, compared to a startling 1,730 litres per second this past June. Why the water levels are unseasonably low can be blamed on the balmy conditions the Lower Mainland has experienced since the wintertime. “It’s a combination of things,” said Bob Cavill, Metro Vancouver watershed division manager. “We had very limited snowfall this
See Seymour page 8
Woodfibre LNG delayed by Squamish Nation demands BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
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Woodfibre LNG has delayed its plans for a natural gas plant and export terminal on Howe Sound. The moves comes in response to a list of 25 conditions put forward by the Squamish Nation that highlight environmental, cultural or safety concerns in the current application that the Squamish consider dealbreakers. The First Nation has
been running its own environmental assessment parallel to the provincial one. Woodfibre announced last week that it has sought and received a temporary suspension of its environmental assessment review period, which was scheduled to come to an end on Monday, July 13. “Woodfibre LNG made a commitment to Squamish Nation to participate in its own environmental assessment process,” said Byng Giraud,Woodfibres’ vice-president, corporate
affairs, in a press release. “As expected, the conditions reflect Squamish Nation’s commitment to protecting land, water and heritage, and our focus now is to take the time to review them and work with Squamish Nation to understand their conditions.” Aaron Bruce, a Squamish Nation member and lawyer representing the band, said the nation has no intention of approving the deal unless the company can meet the See Squamish page 5
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