Assessment and Control of Smallmouth Bass in the Beaver Creek/Quesnel River Watersheds


Year 2007
Organization Ministry of Environment
Project type Fisheries
FSWP funding source DFO Fraser Basin Initiative
Grant amount $25,000
Total project value $147,250
ID number

07 D 26

Location: Upper Fraser, Williams Lake, BC

Project Summary

The Ministry of Environment will be collecting biological data in order to assess the population of smallmouth bass that has been found in Beaver Creek and Quesnel rivers. As smallmouth bass are not indigenous to BC, their presence in Beaver Creek poses a risk to populations of Chinook, Coho, Sockeye and Pink salmon, as Quesnel River (located 7.1km downstream from Beaver Creek) currently provides spawning and rearing habitat for one of BC’s largest populations of salmon.

In order to prevent the movement of smallmouth bass, the Ministry of Environment will provide a risk assessment of the threat of bass to fish populations in the Quesnel River and Beaver Creek systems. Based on the assessment, the Ministry of Environment in coordination with DFO, will develop a plan for long term control, containment or eradication of smallmouth bass. Information and education programs for the public on the potential consequences of illegal introductions of invasive species will also be provided. Removal of bass or controlling their access to the main Quesnel River system will benefit all salmonid speces in the Quesnel River, Fraser River and other accessible tributaries of the Fraser.



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