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[nevertoolate]

Did anyone see Stephen Hume's article in the Sun today?  Crisis situation on Vancouver Island.  Need to shut it down.

[CohoJake]

Very scary indeed.  http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Stephen+Hume+anglers+from+drought+stressed+streams+groups+urge/11163835/story.html

[CohoJake]

And this from yesterday.  http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Stephen+Hume+Drought+conditions+threaten+fish+habitat/11160839/story.html

[Dave]

Good reporting by Hume.  Conditions won't be as bad on the Chilliwack as the Cowichan, but still, there will be major repercussions for in stream rearing coho, steelhead, char, resident trout and whitefish from this low water year on the C-V. Off channel habitat is already drying up, losing salmonid rearing area and making these fish more available to predators.

I also fear an angling orgy, if by mid to late July all the summer reds are in just a few deep spots, and worse ... if water levels are even lower, as predicted, the pink slaughter come September.

[ThatDeafGuy]

I am voluntarily not fishing until the river levels in much better shape.  As fishing would be much easier with less water to cover, we have to ask ourselves, is it fair fishing?  Do the fish have a fair chance of eluding anglers?  Great article and spot on.  Good issue to bring up with our fishing community.  It's too bad, I was looking forward to the pinks season, but there's hope yet for more rain.

[GENERAL-SHERMAN]

imagine how bad it could be if first nations are given rights to net the C/V again as well.

[Dave]

imagine how bad it could be if first nations are given rights to net the C/V again as well.

That's not likely to happen this summer as Chilliwack Lake sockeye are in the low year of their cycle.

[monstergtguy]

http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=172554&ID=all

It is starting

[Burbot]

People should voluntarily not fish rivers/streams when water is so low like that.

I would not count on BC not real Libs closing it down, they do not care. Heck they did nothing about the bucket brigade stocking bass illegally on the coast. They could of put a bounty and a NBL on them but did not.

[Robert_G]

Even with this weather, the Skagit will still freeze your joints if you try standing in it without waders of some sort. I think we're ok to fish this river come July.

[RalphH]

Some rivers should be closed and anglers should refrain from angling if they are not - at least until water temperatures get below 20 degrees. Watch for forest closures this year which will make river closures moot. At least on the Island there is an abundance of opportunities off the beaches and from boats in the saltwater.

[G-Ratt]

Even with this weather, the Skagit will still freeze your joints if you try standing in it without waders of some sort. I think we're ok to fish this river come July.

I don't think it's streams like the Skagit that people are worried about, as most of the fish in that river are residents. The concern lies more with the flows with heavy anadromous fish populations, as the low water and high temperatures will put a ton of stress on these migrating fish, not to mention it's impossible for them to even enter some rivers when the water levels are this low.

[chris gadsden]

Good reporting by Hume.  Conditions won't be as bad on the Chilliwack as the Cowichan, but still, there will be major repercussions for in stream rearing coho, steelhead, char, resident trout and whitefish from this low water year on the C-V. Off channel habitat is already drying up, losing salmonid rearing area and making these fish more available to predators.

I also fear an angling orgy, if by mid to late July all the summer reds are in just a few deep spots, and worse ... if water levels are even lower, as predicted, the pink slaughter come September.

Seeing fry stranded in some back waters should volunteers taking it to task to get them to the main stem as I am sure FOC will not. I imagine a permit would be needed. I know the FVSS did this a few years ago.

[clarki]

I don't think it's streams like the Skagit that people are worried about, as most of the fish in that river are residents. The concern lies more with the flows with heavy anadromous fish populations, as the low water and high temperatures will put a ton of stress on these migrating fish, not to mention it's impossible for them to even enter some rivers when the water levels are this low.

The greater immediate risk is not the migrating salmon that are still a month or two away, but rather the chinook and coho parr from the past several brood years (in addition to the resident trout) that are in danger of being boiled alive in shrinking pools of water.   

[Ian Forbes]

I stopped fishing the Island rivers by mid May. I don't want to target fish that are just trying to survive. Everything is a month early and we are now into August temperatures. It can only get worse because there is no end in sight for low, warm water conditions. I've personally checked out the Cowichan, the Nitinat, the San Juan, Harris Creek, Lens Creek, the Chemainus, the Sooke, the Gordon River and all the creeks that enter Cowichan Lake and Nitinat Lake. I've got first hand reports on all the rivers entering Alberni Canal. The Stamp is so low and warm that the sockeye are not going upstream. They are just trying to survive (despite the First Nations and commercial netting) in the colder water of the canal. The Gordon River has gone underground in a few places and there is no running water. You could jump across what flowing water there is on the Chemainus and not get your feet wet. There was a "bit" of water in the north island streams in May, but now they are too low to fish. I'm really worried about the salmon runs.

Most of it can be blamed on logging practises that took off all the mature trees. With no snow pack there are no big tree root systems to hold any water in the hills. It could have been prevented had we dammed up the little mountain creeks to hold back the water, but nobody had any foresight to do that. It just followed our government's continual program of rape and run. They have been talking about raising the weir on Cowichan Lake for at least 30 years now and nothing was ever done. A handful of summer residents didn't want their beaches to disappear.