| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Over the last several years, numerous rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) habitat enhancement projects have been undertaken with the likelihood of more projects being developed in the future. Most projects to dates have been assessed on the site-__specific merits and not viewed in the overall context of the Slocan River. In order to make sound judgments on a specific projects value, it must be assessed in view of habitat values throughout the river and indentify sites with the greatest potential return of rainbow trout productivity. This will ensure that the greatest economic and environmental value is achieved through future potential habitat enhancement projects. While social values and technical issues are a critical component to the decision__making matrix for project selection, this project focuses on the environmental aspects of the river, identifying sites where the greatest trout production can be achieved by assessing all of the trout habitat in the Slocan River. A special emphasis will be placed on side channels, as they have been determined to be of the highest habitat value on the river (Corbett, 2011) where the greatest inroads can be made for ecosystem restoration and rainbow trout production. To this end, current (2011) aerial photography was captured and used to assess rainbow trout habitat throughout the river, stratifying river habitats into habitat types and developing an associated database connecting each habitat polygon with relevant biological and physical data pertaining to rainbow trout utilization. This project was funded through a partnership with Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power Corporation and the Slocan River Streamkeepers. |
