| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
In October 2002, Chris Schell Consulting was retained by Ministry of Sustainable Resources Management to collect and compile fisheries information to present to the Land and Resources Management Planning (LRMP) process for the Morice Timber Supply Area (TSA), the LRMP plan area. The objective of this report is to present a concise distillation and elaboration where necessary, of the existing knowledge, studies and reports related to fish, fish habitat, other aquatic resources, riparian management, and generally factors related to management of water and water quality as it relates to these resources. Where information is available, this document will describe where the resources exist, the relative value of the resources (qualitatively and quantitatively where appropriate), both within the study area and within the provincial context. This document is meant to highlight resource and habitat issues that are appropriate to be addressed at a strategic planning level (1:250, 000 scale). This document is intended for LRMP table participants, and the general public who may not have a familiarity with fish or aquatic biology. While a degree of familiarity with the affects of sediments, nutrients, etc. on aquatic habitat has been assumed, knowledge of fish species life history and habitat requirements has not. As a primer for this document, I have included a short description of some of the major sport fish species’ life history and habitat requirements. Background information relevant to the water quality issues will be presented throughout the report as these issues arise. The Morice TSA encompasses portions of both the Skeena and Fraser River drainages. There are fisheries information summary system (FISS) records for over 220 lakes in the Morice. Some rivers are heavily utilized by anadromous salmon while other have no anadromous fish access at all. Some watersheds have been extremely impacted by development while others are in pristine wilderness settings. In order to discuss these diverse aquatic systems and fisheries resources, the BC Watershed Atlas coverage was used to delineate 6th and 7th order watershed boundaries in the Morice. These areas are listed below and will be discussed separately. In addition to the review of fish and aquatic resources in each watershed, areas with high fisheries values will be listed, as will any habitat concerns. Also, information on fisheries (native and sport) based on these resources will be presented in brief. |
