The Lake Babine Nation is sounding the alarm over fears this summer’s high temperatures and low rainfall could harm salmon returning to spawn in its territory.
The Nation said it will close a popular recreational fishing site on the Babine River to ensure more salmon are able to return to their spawning grounds, a move meant to secure future stocks in an area that produces the vast majority of Skeena River sockeye.
But it’s moving ahead alone, a representative for the Nation said, after years of trying to bring Canada’s fisheries regulator to the table.
“This is a serious issue that Lake Babine has been dealing with for probably about a decade,” said Kelly Lindsay, a lawyer for the Nation. “They’ve been trying to get the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to take this issue seriously.”
Sockeye fishing on the Babine River is scheduled to open Tuesday and normally runs through August. The Babine River, about 120 kilometres northeast of Smithers, is a popular fly-fishing area with recreational anglers.
The Babine watershed produces about 90 per cent of Skeena sockeye and is “easily one of the most significant spawning grounds in British Columbia and likely in Canada,” Lindsay said.
The salmon face many obstacles in the nearly 500-kilometre journey they take from the ocean to return to the channels where they hatched.
One of those obstacles is the Babine River fish-counting fence, which is jointly operated by the Nation and DFO. It’s where researchers determine exactly how many salmon return to Babine Lake.
“Lake Babine Fisheries takes conservation science very seriously,” said Donna MacIntyre, the Nation’s fisheries director. “An accurate count is essential for forecasting future runs, and maintaining healthy stocks.”
The fence also creates a physical barrier to returning salmon, causing them to back up below the fence and making it a popular fishing spot with both recreational fishers and grizzly bears. That creates stress on the fish, something further compounded by hot, dry conditions.
“The cumulative effects of high water temperatures and intensive recreational fisheries along this stretch of the river have serious adverse impacts on the migrating talok [sockeye salmon],” MacIntyre said. “We need to give the fish a chance to reach the lake and their natal streams so that they can spawn.”