Water Stewardship Information Sources

Citation JS Sandford & Associates Ltd and MJ Milne and Associates Ltd. 2011. Sarita Fish Passage Assessment. Prepared for Western Forest Products Ltd.
Organization Western Forest Products
URL http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/acat/public/viewReport.do?reportId=24168
Abstract/Description or Keywords A fish passage assessment was completed on the Sarita River watershed group in TFL 44 on the west side of Vancouver Island [refer to overview map]. The system was surveyed to determine if closed bottom drainage structures (metal culverts) occur on fish bearing streams and if so what effect are they having on fish passage and how can the situation be improved. The project area falls within the Alberni (ALBN) drainage unit; a number one priority for assessment according to the BC Ministry of Environment (MoE). The Sarita watershed was selected for assessment within this unit by Western Forest Products Ltd. (WFP) based on local knowledge and experience. The following fish species are known to occur in the project area: chinook, chum, coho, pink, Kokanee, and sockeye salmon, rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden char, and steelhead. The most important areas for fish in the project area are the Sarita River and lower reaches of the main tributaries. The assessment was focused on these areas. A large falls exists downstream from Sarita Lake and is a known barrier to anadromous fish passage. Crossing and stream data provided by the MoE was used in combination with road, stream, and contour data provided by WFP to produce a set a planning maps to determine priority roads for review. Roads were prioritized and included for review if they had any crossings where fish presence was known or inferred based on the MoE data provided. Those roads were then driven or walked and each structure encountered was reviewed or assessed until the last fishinferred or fish-known crossing was reached.
Information Type report
Regional Watershed Vancouver Island South
Sub-watershed if known Sarita River
Aquifer #
Comments
Project status complete
Contact Name
Contact Email