The Fraser River: Canadas Pacific Coast and British Columbia - Essay Example

The Fraser River: Canada’s Pacific Coast and British Columbia The Fraser River which was once known as the world’s most fertile spawning ground for sockeye has seen a startling collapse in the salmon count in recent years. Discuss the reasons for this shocking decline and its impact on the environment. What are the lessons learnt based on the information you have gathered on the subject? Introduction The Fraser River is the largest river by volume on Canada’s Pacific Coast and flows through British Columbia. The river is a fertile spawning ground for five species of salmon: Chinook, Sockeye, Pink, Coho and Chum. However, Fraser has been known for its large Sockeye salmon runs, averaging from 15 to 50 million salmon per season (July-August). Based on historical records, sockeye salmon and salmon in general have been found to return to Fraser on a fairly consistent pattern, often returning within days of the previous years. However, since 2006 there has been a startling collapse in the Sockeye salmon count with fewer than 1 million returning in 2009 (Nickel). This was contrasted by exceptionally high sockeye run in 2010 when for the first time in four years the commercial sockeye salmon fishery was re-opened (CBC News a). Relevance/ Importance of the Question It is important to get some answer to this alarming change in Fraser River Sockeye salmon runs because it has a significant impact to the environment and the economy of Canada. The spawning salmons provide nutrition and plentiful food source for bears and eagles in the area. The rich nutrition from the salmon helps the bears to come together in high concentrations and attain massive size. Salmon is also a source of food for bald eagles, gulls, and other creatures that forage along the river during the annual run. Adult salmon are known to die after spawning and this creates a rich source of nutrients for plants and trees. Salmons are also a source of food for seals, sea-lions, otters and killer whales in the estuary and ocean habitats. The environmental consequences of a massive reduction in salmon runs would alter the food availability and will have a profound impact on all these animals and birds. Consequently, the aboriginals who live along the river depend on these fish for a living since they have little or no other source of income. A slump in the salmon count of this magnitude affects their livelihood and survival. The massive salmon runs are also important for food companies who fish extensively in the Fraser for Sockeye salmon. When the Canadian government closed Fraser River for commercial and sport fishing during the low runs, food companies had to look to other areas of British Columbia or Alaska to get their fish. Challenges Sockeye Salmon Face The sockeye salmon’s ecosystem is made of interrelated complex of biological communities and environmental conditions each of which can significantly influence the salmon count. For successful spawning, the sockeyes need low to moderate winter stream flows. Young sockeyes (smolts) migrate downstream to freshwater/saltwater transition zone (estuary habitat) and stay there for 1 or 2 years. During this phase they are vulnerable to predation by other fishes and birds. Good quality water and abundant food resources in this life stage is important to ensure faster growth rate of salmon which increases the survival of the young sockeye and reduces their vulnerability to predators. These smolts migrate to the ocean in spring where the shore and open ocean environment supports predation by fish, birds, and other marine mammals. Theories to Explain the Decline in Sockeye Salmon Runs Various theories have been put forward to explain this decline in the Sockeye salmon numbers. 1. Sea lice infestion: Research has shown that sockeye smolts get infested with sea lice as they swim north from the Fraser through the Strait of Georgia. The source of the sea lice have been identified as the commercial fish farms which the smolts have to pass en route to the ocean. Alexandra Morton, a researcher, correctly predicted a collapse of pink salmon runs several years ago in the Broughton Archipelago because of sea lice infestations and she warned that the same thing could happen to Fraser sockeye (Hume a). Studies revealed that Fraser Sockeye smolts were getting infested with sea lice in Georgia Strait with some having as many as 28 sea lice each (Hume a). These sea lice were young, which confirms that the smolts got them in the area where it was sampled, which was near the fish farms. It was also predicted that if smolts were getting infested with sea lice from the farms, they were also getting exposed to other pathogens like viruses and bacteria from these farms. 2. Rising temperature of the river: Scott Hinch, a fisheries researcher and professor at the University of British Columbia, believes that the Fraser River has increased in temperature by about 2 degrees C because of which the salmon are changing the timing of their spawning migrations and is entering the river weeks earlier or later in an effort to avoid warm water (Hume b). Although warmer water does not kill fish directly, his research has found that salmons use more energy to swim and get oxygen in warmer water and can die from exhaustion or cardiac arrest before reaching the spawning beds (Hume b). Higher water temperatures have also been found to support the growth of pathogens that can infect salmon. It has been predicted that the temperature of the river would increase between 2 and 4 degrees over the next 60 to 80 years, which may cause the salmon to die before they have a chance to spawn. 3. Human encroachment: Although the effects of urban development, like small power projects to generate electricity, roads or water diversions, road construction and mining are difficult to measure but it has made significant changes to the Sockeye salmon’s habitat as well as areas adjacent to it which researchers suspect has had an indirect effect on sockeye salmon numbers. Human encroachment has also resulted in degradation of water conditions, changes in water temperature and erosion of stream banks. 4. New predators: Some researchers suspect that new predators may have been introduced into the sockeye salmon’s habitat that has lowered the survival rate of sockeye salmon substantially. However, it is still not clear how new predators can either target the salmon or compete with it for food. 5. Climate Change: Researchers suspect that the impact of global warming and climate change has reduced the population of zooplanktons, insects and small fishes that salmon feed on. Lack of sufficient food may be affecting salmon population. Why We Have No Answers As an immediate response to this crisis, the Canadian government had closed the Fraser River to commercial and recreational sockeye fishing for four consecutive years (2006 – 2009). However, seeing the high salmon runs in 2010, the river was opened for commercial fishing. The reason for this massive fall and rise of Sockeye salmon runs in the Fraser is still unknown since much of what happens to the fishes in various stages of its life (freshwater, estuaries and sea) is still unknown. There is also no mechanism to monitor the salmon when they are in the ocean, which is the time when survival rates are established (CBC News b). As part of a federal inquiry into the decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon, the Cohen Commission was established on November 5, 2009. The commission is also required to develop recommendations for improving the future sustainability of the Sockeye salmon in the Fraser River. In 2010 the commission released an interim report stating that it was too early to tell whether the high production of Fraser River sockeye in 2010 will be sustained into the future, but it is clear that the variability from 2009 to 2010 has important implications for the commission’s work (The Cohen Commission). The final report is scheduled to be submitted on or before June 30, 2012 Lessons Learnt From This Research Although we still don’t know the reason for the massive drop in salmon runs during 2006 to 2009, Fraser River was opened for commercial fishing in 2010 due to high salmon runs in 2010. Therefore, significant amount of funding and resources needs to be directed to study and identify the reasons for the changes in salmon runs in the Fraser River. Secondly, urbanization needs to be controlled around salmon habitats to ensure quality in stream conditions such as minimal siltation, stable stream banks, extensive spawning riffles, and stable and diverse stream beds. Estuarine habitat supporting sockeye should be managed to maintain or restore good water quality and populations of predator species should not be enhanced either directly or indirectly. Finally, since sea lice has been found to affect Sockeye salmons in the river, policies and practices need to be established to avoid any kind of contamination or infestation that would affect the salmons in any way. Works Cited CBC News a. Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery opens. CBC News. March 25,2011 < http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/08/05/bc-fraser-river-sockeye-salmon-fishery.html>. CBC News b. Fraser River fleet braces for salmon bonanza. CBC News. March 26, 2011 < http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/08/25/bc-sockeye-salmon-fraser-river.html>. Hume a. Millions of missing fish signal crisis on the Fraser River. The Globe and Mail. March 29, 2011 < http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/millions-of-missing-fish-signal-crisis-onthefraserriver/ article1249976/> Hume b. Rising temperature in Fraser River affecting Salmon population. The Globe and Mail. March 29, 2011 < http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/rising-temperature-in-fraser-river-affecting-salmon-population/article1934591/? service=mobile> Nickel. Millions of salmon disappear from Canadian river. Reuters. March 29 < http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/08/13/us-salmon-canada-idUSTRE57C4DT20090813> The Cohen Commission. Fraser River Sockeye Salmon: Past Declines. Future Sustainability? Vancouver, BC: Random, 2010. Print. Read More