Water Stewardship Information Sources

Citation Natural Resources Canada. Adaptation to safeguard Somass Basin salmon populations. Natural Resources Canada.
Organization NRCAN
URL http://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/_Library/CCAQ_BCRAC/bcrac_somass_cs_2i.pdf
Abstract/Description or Keywords Water flows in the Somass basin support wild and
cultured salmon populations and associated
fisheries as well as hydropower generation, and
community water use. Flows are regulated by dams
– some of them aging and requiring modernization
– constructed at several locations in the system to
meet the needs of industry, fish, and flood control.
Management of in-stream flows and lake levels by
these structures is inextricably linked to the
continuation of diverse and highly valuable fish
stocks and fisheries.
In the last two decades, five significant summer
droughts and related warm water events have
resulted in major sockeye losses in the basin, and
climate change projections suggest such events will
be more frequent and more intense in future.
In 2007 Living Rivers - Georgia Basin/Vancouver
Island and the BC Conservation Foundation – in
partnership with basin stakeholders – initiated
development of a Somass Basin Watershed
Management Plan (SBWMP) to address climate
change and other issues.
In 2010 the project partners identified four possible
adaptation strategies:
1. Reduce fishing quotas early in the season
when water is cooler;
2. Reduce existing migration bottlenecks
within the Somass system;
3. Install new cold water release infrastructure
at existing dams; and
4. Improve water quality at the mouth of the
Somass River.
Project partners undertook studies to increase
knowledge of climate change impacts on fish and to
explore the identified adaptation strategies.
The SBWMP is a living document designed to be
updated and implemented over time. It identifies
cold water release as the most important
adaptation strategy. Barriers to implementation
include uncertainty regarding dam ownership, high
implementation costs, and lack of jurisdictional
responsibility. Project partners will work to address
these barriers and to implement other, shorter term
adaptation actions as resources become available.
Information Type report
Regional Watershed Vancouver Island North
Sub-watershed if known Somass River
Aquifer #
Comments
Project status complete
Contact Name
Contact Email