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Location: Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, BC Project Summary
The BC Conservation Foundation will be analyzing the effects of three different stream nutrient enrichment experiments developed to restore salmonid populations by increasing the productivity of their ecosystems. As salmonid stocks are in decline, considerable research has been directed toward nutrient stream enrichment. This technique is based on Pacific salmon’s status as a keystone species, as salmon carcasses are critical nutrient sources for the maintenance of aquatic and adjacent terrestrial ecosystem productivity. The depression of Pacific salmon populations in the Georgia Basin has been linked to sharply reduced ocean survivals combined with impaired freshwater habitat capability. Nutrient enrichment has been proven to be an effective restoration and enhancement tool, increasing fish production in oligotrophic lakes and streams in BC and Alaska. The BC Conservation Foundation will be conducting three river nutrient enrichment experiments, with the first experiment testing the efficacy of a combination of struvite and Pollock applications; the second testing the efficacy of a combination of nutricote and Pollock applications; and the third testing the efficacy of Pollock application.
This project will expand on the previous (2003-04) MSc. thesis work of Sarah Lawrie (UBC Dept of Chemical Engineering) and the first year (2006/07) of this research project. Results are expected to improve the science-based rationale, efficacy and cost effectiveness of the province’s expanding use of inorganic and organic nutrients as a fish habitat restoration tool in southwest coastal BC watersheds.
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