THE NEWSROOM
British Columbia ’ s Ministry of Fisheries have put an end to 19 salmon farms in the Discovery Islands . forces with anti-fish farm groups and approached British Columbia ’ s Ministry of Fisheries and recently won an argument to end the 19 fish farms in the Discovery Island .
The Fraser-bound fish have to pass by these fish farms as they pass the Discovery Islands on their way out to the ocean to feed and once again go by them on their return to spawn . Fish farming has come under attack in recent years as the feed that leaches into the waters creates an un-natural biomass as well as parasites .
The plan is to remove the 19 fish farms in the Discovery Islands area over the next 18 months and a pledge by the federal government was also made to transition from open-net pen salmon farming by 2025 . A similar decision was recently made in the Broughton Archipelago near the Queen Charlotte Strait where 17 fish farms will be removed by 2023 .
One impact that is being argued over the removal of the fish farms is the economic impact to local economies . The fish farm industry plans to invest $ 1.4 billion in new fish farm practices and innovation , technology and infrastructure . The mayors of Port Hardy , Campbell River , Gold River , and Port McNeill have voiced
concerns to the British Columbia government over the loss of the fish farms .
WASHINGTON
Skagit and Sauk Rivers to Open For Steelhead
The Skagit and the Sauk rivers opened for steelhead on Feb . 1 and will close April 13 or sooner if impacts are met before that . Catch and release regulations are in effect .
The Skagit River steelhead pre-season forecast is 4,297 steelhead . According to the Fishery Resource Management Plan for Skagit steelhead , federally approved in April 2018 , when the pre-season forecast is greater than or 4,000 and less than or equal to 6,000 Skagit steelhead , there are enough impacts available to safely provide some catch and release opportunity . The fishery will be four days a week allowing the fishery to be 100 percent monitored without catch expansions . Fully monitoring all days of the fishery allows for the most accurate estimate of catch and helps ensure the catch and release fishery does not negatively affect the run .
These rivers are surrounded by tall , snow-capped mountains and are a favorite for fly anglers . This fishery kim nelson photo is open for selective gear fishing and no night fishing is allowed . Fishing is also prohibited from a vessel that is under power , so no jet sleds or power boats , but drift boats , rafts and pontoon boats are allowed . Anglers can expect good fishing right up until the rivers close .
Genetic Study Finds Elwha River Steelhead Haven ’ t Changed
The Elwha River on Washington ’ s Olympic Peninsula was dammed in 1913 and when the decision to remove the dam was made it created a perfect environment to study how fish reacted to the river ’ s changes . One study included sampling 1,200 rainbow trout and steelhead , with the trout being found above the dam which were essentially steelhead that couldn ’ t migrate . The steelhead samples came from below the dam where they went out to sea and returned to spawn in the lower part of the river with access to the headwaters cut-off .
The study was done by several agencies collaborating together including the National Park Service , Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe , Washington State University and Trout Unlimited as well as state and federal agencies . The findings showed that the rainbow trout retained their genetics to migrate even after all of the years and generations of fish that couldn ’ t because of the dam .
An article recently published in the journal Gene ’ s revealed the new information about the steelhead and the rainbow trout both having the same genetic make-up .
“ The genetic diversity harbored behind the dams suggests that diversity was important for their natural resilience , or their ability to adapt to changes such as dam building or
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