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Location: Thompson, Nahatlatch watershed Project Summary
SUMMARY The goal of this project is to allow for the continued access of salmon into high value rearing and spawning channels which have been cut off by the proliferation of beavers and accompanying dam structures. Access into these channels will be maintained by building and monitoring beaver dam control structures with the help of DFO staff and the Boothroyd Indian Band natural resource workers. OVERVIEW The overall goal of this project is to improve access for various salmonids into rearing/spawning channels located at two select spots within the Nahatlatch river watershed. The two locations have been chosen as previous works were undertaken during Forest Renewal BC (FRBC) to improve the overall rearing/spawning opportunities for coho and chinook salmon, which were completed within the last 10 years. The purpose therefore will be to improve access both into and out of these rearing/spawning channels by removing recent obstructions to the upstream/downstream movement of fish and to build beaver controls designed by DFO whom are in support of the project (site specific design guidelines and site survey are presented in the Attachments section of this proposal). The obstructions are a result of the prolipheration of beaver dams, which have severely limited access to juvenile coho and chinook as well as spawning adults moving into the rearing/spawning areas as well as the out-migration of coho and chinook smolts. The goal of removing the obstructions will be accomplished by having local fishery crews from the Boothroyd Indian Band remove the beaver dams that are impeding fish passage as well as to construct several anti-beaver structures at key locations to facilitate access into the preferred spawning grounds and rearing areas as well as the out-migration of smolts. A secondary goal of this project will be to restart the spring enumeration counts at the 17 km side channel which had in previous been used as a downstream fish count station by DFO and monitored yearly by the Boothroyd Indian Band during the spring when coho/chinook smolts are moving of the rearing habitat and into the Nahatlatch River. The fish fence plays a vital role in allowing the band to determine the health of the fisheries population and therefore, the overall health of the watershed.
Objective #1 To remove beaver dams affecting both the spawners accessing the spawning channel as well as smolts out-migrating from the rearing channels
The project will be completed by utilizing the following methods. Crews will remove existing high impact beaver dams which are limiting access to high value rearing/spawning habitat. This will be done by native fisheries crews using hand tools so as to minimize the impacts to instream water quality. Further to the above, anti-beaver structures will be constructed at key locations under the supervision of a Professional Biologist as well as DFO. The crews will also be outfitted with cameras and GPS units to help monitor and map problem locations and to determine future access requirements. The second deliverable will be achieved by reinitiating the salmonid fish fence, which was left to disrepair over the last few years and that is no longer in use. This fence will be re-installed by native crews with the help of DFO so that accurate smolt enumeration data is once again tabulated and reviewed to determine the overall health of the salmon population within the Nahatlatch watershed and the Fraser basin.
This project contributes to the long term sustainability of Fraser Basin salmonids and/or healthy watersheds by ensuring high value spawning and rearing habitat are maintained in proper functioning condition so that adult spawners have access to spawning locations. This will be sustained by ensuring proper beaver dam control structures are in place. The project will also act as a baseline for enumeration data that will allow professionals to compare results of the smolt out-migration and therefore, the ability to monitor the health of the watershed. Engage First Nations, government agencies and community groups/NGOs This is a First Nations Project that is partnering with DFO Complement or implement local and / or regional plans (e.g., recovery plans, watershed plans) This project will complement other watershed plans by initiating a baseline study on the overall health of several salmonids species. Using both the number of spawners and the number of out migrating smolts, watershed health can be extrapolated to other areas of the watershed and therefore, complement other local and regional plans. Value-added aspects This project has many value added components including one of the most important which is, the capacity building of both the Boothroyd Indian Band in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The baseline data that will be collected on the smolt out-migration will allow the band and other stakeholders to make decisions as to the level of development acceptable within the watershed given the enumeration and overall health related to our indicator species, the salmon of the Nahatlatch Watershed.
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