Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Old Black Dog]

Capilano dam a hazard to fish - report
Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, April 16, 2007
The Greater Vancouver Regional District’s failure to act on recommendations made three years ago means tens of thousands of young salmon will die this month as they plunge over the Capilano dam, according to a conservationist.
A 2004 report commissioned by the GVRD, which recommends $5-million to $6-million in upgrades to protect the fish, has not been implemented, Mark Angelo of the Outdoor Recreation Council  said in a press release.
Every year, salmon reared above the dam face a perilous journey to the sea. “The depth of the drop, the power of the water and the large rocks at the bottom end up killing between 70 and 80 per cent of these young steelhead and coho,” he said.
Angelo said the deaths contribute to a decline in adult salmon returns, but could be avoided through the construction of a “smolt passage facility” to funnel the young fish safely to the bottom of the dam.
GVRD representatives could not be reached for comment.

[Derp]

wow, lame!

[younggun]

its always been like that, and now they do something about it!    It didn't affect the return numbers by alot because alot of the fry raised at the hatchery make it to the mouth and into the ocean, but with low water in the river all year long we need as many adults returning as possible!

[Gooey]

I have trouble accepting that there are a ton of steelhead smolts ABOVE the dam...steelhead are a sea run trout so with that dam there, I don't see how any steelhead could get above it(I don't think the hatchery releases any above the dam)?!?  And in terms of the salmon above the dam, they are over production from the hatchery...ie the hatchery has enough brood stock so extra fish are transported (by truck I believe) above the dam were they spawn naturally.  As it stands on a dammed river with a man made run now and with virtually no spawning habitat, these surplus fish above the dam really aren't that essential to anything, well, except for an increased native food/sports opportunity...I personally would prefer to see the money spent somewhere else.

[troutbreath]

Every dam kills fish. Especially short cutting through the turbines. I wonder what the idea was in putting those fish in the reservoir was, to add fish droppings to the water supply? Or a private fishing spot for a few people!

[Gooey]

Dont quota me on this but I think that there are no turbines on the Cleavland dam ie no powere generation...the fish end up dieing going over that 200 foot spillway.

[rln]

steelhead and coho are planted above the Dam to use all the habitat up there. This cuts down on the rearing costs. The fish die when they come over the dam and get smashed into a rock pile. The rock pile can easily be removed and this would increase the survival of the out bound smolts. Right now there is an 80% or so mortality. This could be cut down to around 20% with the rock removel. GVRD just needs to get off their butt and do it.