Juvenile salmon in the Fraser River Estuary
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Fraser Estuary North Arm Jetty Breaches Project
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+1 778 907 2071
Meeting ID: 623 9517 1219
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Agenda
1. Opening and introductions
2. Purpose
3. Iona Island WWTP Ecological Projects
4. Questions
5. North Arm Jetty Breaches Project
6. Questions & Discussion
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Fraser Estuary North Arm Jetty Breaches ProjectRAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
Dave Scott, Raincoast Conservation FoundationLower Fraser Salmon Program Research and Restoration Coordinator
Lea Elliott, Metro VancouverSenior Policy Analyst, Iona Island Program, Project Delivery
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Construction of a breach in the Steveston Jetty, 2019
Purpose
To learn about the
upcoming Fraser River
Estuary North Arm Jetty
Breaches Project and
provide input to Raincoast
Conservation Foundation
about the project.
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Iona Island WWTP Project Definition Goals
Wastewater Treatment
Resource Recovery
Community and Park Integration
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Restoring connectivity for juvenile salmon and ecosystem health in the Fraser River estuary
David ScottLower Fraser Research and Restoration Coordinator
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
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Salmon and the Fraser River
• Greatest salmon producing river worldwide
• Diversity of populations including ocean type Chinook, sockeye, chum and pink
• Currently significant conservation concerns for Chinook and sockeye
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• Must pass through as migratory corridors
• Are thought to rely on brackish water to acclimate to saline ocean conditions
• Often referred to as nursery habitat for juvenile salmon
• Estuaries highly impacted by human activities coast wide
Juvenile salmon use of estuary habitats
Photo: Tavish Campbell 17
Connectivity and Salmon
• Salmon travel long distances from rearing to spawning grounds
• Salmon extirpated from rivers across Pacific Northwest due to the presence of dams
• Connectivity highly altered by structures such as culverts, tide gates and, jetties and other structures
Estuary
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Barriers to fish movements in the Fraser estuary
• >70% of Lower Fraser and estuary habitats lost or disconnected
• Estuary connectivity highly altered by jetties and causeways
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Juvenile salmon mostly captured in marsh habitats
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Eelgrass Marsh Sandflat
Habitat
Year
2016
2017
2018
2019
Chinook
Eelgrass Marsh Sandflat
Habitat
Chum
Chalifour, L., Scott, D. C., MacDuffee, M., Iacarella, J. C., Martin, T. G., & Baum, J. K. 2019. Habitat use by
juvenile salmon, other migratory fish, and resident fish species underscores the importance of estuarine
habitat mosaics. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 625, 145-162.
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Otoliths demonstrate early entry and long estuary residence times for Harrison Chinook
Chalifour, L., Scott, D. C., MacDuffee, M., Stark, S., Dower, J. F., Beacham, T. D., ... and Baum, J. K. 2020. Chinook
salmon exhibit long-term rearing and early marine growth in the Fraser River, BC, a large urban estuary. Canadian
Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0247
Effectiveness Monitoring Summary Results
• 2019 – Total salmon 554 including 152 Chinook, 2 sockeye, 0 pink, 0 coho, 300 chum
• 2020 – Total salmon 1,480 including 297 Chinook, 174 sockeye, 420 pink, 20 coho, 569 chum
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Summary of Juvenile Salmon Passage
• 2019 – Low numbers of small chum and ocean type Chinook captured from March to May
• 2020 – All five species of salmon, both ocean-type and stream-type Chinook, large bursts of pink and sockeye related to brood year abundance
• 2020 –Ocean type Chinook captured at breach locations March through August
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Proposed breach locations
Data loggers
Previous fish sampling sites
New fish sampling sites
Iona Beach & McDonald Slough Causeway Sampling Locations 2021 - 2023
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North Arm Jetty Breaches Timeline
• Baseline monitoring – spring - summer 2021
• Detailed hydraulic modelling and engineering design - spring 2021
• Finalize lease agreement with VFPA and apply for Transport Canada Authorization – summer 2021
• Phase 1 breach construction - fall - 2021 – winter 2022
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Thanks for listening!
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Questions & Discussion
Email inquires:
@raincoastconservation.org