A fish passage project under consideration at BC Hydro's Salmon River Diversion could be the most significant enhancement project involving the Campbell River Salmon Foundation (CRSF), as well as the first test of a new direction for BC Hydro.
more...
Through all the diversity that shrouds the wild salmon issues on this coast, one bright light can be directly attributed to the spirit and connectedness Campbell River has with the resource.
more...Another Campbell River spawning gravel project has been going well this week in the upper river says Mike Gage, chair of the Campbell River Salmon Foundation.
Over the last week, crews from Uplands Excavating have been hauling the double-washed rock while A. Wood Bulldozing has been loading the rock into the river near First Island. A total of 2,800 cubic yards (2,100 cubic meters) of spawning gravel has been added to make up for a loss of spawning gravel over time.
more...With the Campbell down at record low flows, it's a good time to top up its spawning gravel supply.
Starting this week and continuing to August 10, the Campbell River Salmon Foundation (CRSF), with funding from BC Hydro's Bridge Coastal Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program (BCRP), will be placing another 2,000 cubic meters of spawning gravel in the upper Campbell to restore historic chinook spawning beds. The gravel will be placed in an area of the river between the upper island (First Island) and the old John Hart office. Organizers hope the additional gravel will support 150 to 200 pairs of returning adults.
more...What do young salmon eat? Is there enough food for them when they leave the rivers and streams and enter the ocean? These are two very important questions if you are trying to increase the number of salmon in our local waters, and in 2007 the Quinsam Hatchery approached the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences about how to do just that, and so began the Discovery Passage Plankton Monitoring and Juvenile Salmon Assessment project in partnership with DFO and Atlegay Fisheries Society.
Plankton consists of small animals, plants, and bacteria that drift near the surface of the water and provide a crucial food source for marine ecosystems including young salmon. However, there is concern that juvenile Coho smolts are not being released from the Quinsam Hatchery into the sea during the optimal period of food availability. The only way to determine when peak food abundance is occurring requires repeated, detailed sampling of the plankton composition in Discovery Passage.
more...
Salmon and trout should be able to access a huge habitat area at the Storey Creek Golf Club thanks to a culvert replacement project earlier this year involving the golf course, DFO and the Campbell River Salmon Foundation (CRSF).
"It was about a year ago that Storey Creek approached me and said they wanted to replace the culvert," explained DFO's Rick Senger, habitat management technologist. "There's a series of large ponds that were excavated when the golf course was built and it's created acres and acres of habitat. Adult trout have gotten into them, and the potential for rearing of coho is huge, but I don't think they could access it. The culvert was a barrier to the movement of juvenile coho. The gradient was too steep and they would have to make a jump.
more...
The Second Annual Campbell River Salmon Foundation Dinner was a great success, raising $92,000, Foundation chair Mike Gage said this week.
"It compares to last year, so we're thrilled," he said. "In this economy, I was amazed that we got that far.
"We want to give a special thanks to every one of our contributors. I know it's a different economy and they were very generous in spite of the economy."
Once again the event was a sellout with more than 400 people attending March 21 at the Community Centre, all the more impressive given that the ticket price had increased from $50 to $75, which included a CRSF membership
more...