The Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (PFRCC) has had an ongoing concern with diminishing flows in British Columbia rivers and the implication of this to our precious salmon resource. Water defines the stream structure including its sequence of runs, riffles and pools and hence its carrying capacity for salmon. Low flows resulting from a lack of rain, possibly associated with climate change or water extraction, can have impacts on salmon including their inability to access and migrate up streams, reductions in their spawning and rearing habitat, blocked access to their migration, and higher water temperatures which undermine salmon.
The long, hot summer of 2009 illustrated the need for water in streams for salmon. There have been low flowsin several areas, notably Vancouver Island, where streams such as the Oyster River, the Chemainus River, Browns Creek near Courtenay, and the Salmon River north of Campbell River are reported in adequate flows. Other areas that have been impacted include the Clearwater and Nicola River in the B.C. Interior. Temperatures in the Fraser River, which are related to flow levels, have at times, been too hot for salmon during this past summer. In other years, such as 2006 the drought was so long and flows were so low that normally rain-soaked areas, such as Tofino, had to curtail tourism to save water. Again this year's flows in Tofino Creek were very low during August. The sustainability of the salmon resource depends upon water availability within the stream. All indicators point to the need for action now in order to cope with worsening conditions.
As a measure of the importance with which our Council holds the matter of water for salmon, it is worthwhile to review what we have previously published on the topic. Weoriginally raised the concern about water flows for salmon in our first reporton Freshwater Habitat published in 1999. In 2003, we investigated the matter further, sponsoring a substantive report on conflicts that occur between people and fish for water. This report gave special consideration to the water situation in two B.C. rivers, the Nicola and the Englishman, and outlined the scope of the real problems and tangible solutions. Again in 2007, we pointed the way to solutions to maintain water in streams in a report focused on helping salmon survive the impacts of climate change. Now, in 2009 we are again releasing a report - entitled, Freshwater for Fish and People: MovingTowards Living Water Smart - which highlights the need for adequate flows to conserve wild salmon stocks.
Based upon past PRFCC reports advocating the need for adequate water flows to sustain salmon conservation efforts issue and on this new PFRCC published release, we make the followingkey recommendations:
- The B.C. Water Act must be amended to recognize the beneficial need for water within streams for salmon and other ecological processes. These changes must be significant and result in tangible improvements and be backed up by good science. There must also be a new regime of water metering and compliance monitoring to ensure water is used wisely and honestly.
- Government needs to go beyond legislative change and undertake comprehensive water planning, ensure that implementation is effective, and support public education and public engagement on water issues. It is very important to establish credible science to support progressive decision-making and to ensure effective management practices are put in place to protect instream values.
- Government, as well as business and individuals, must reduce their use of water with resulting water savings, or some large portion of it, being retained or returned to streams where flows are becoming inadequate for salmon survival.
- Government agencies, especially Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but also other levels of government and environmental non-government organizations, need to prioritize restoration and enhancement projects that improve flows for salmon. New or innovative options to provide more water in tributary streams, including the storage of more water to be released for ecological purposes during dry periods, need to be examined.
The PFRCC acknowledges the steps made by the provincial government in announcing their "Living WaterSmart" plan. The initiative and actions undertaken to date, have been positive. Examples of positive first steps include: the accessibility of information for water managers on how to deal with drought; a water smart initiative to assess water use and efficiency within homes and recognition of water efficiency efforts by individuals. These efforts, while aimed at conserving water, still do not guarantee that adequate amounts of water will remain in salmon streams.
To better ensure the sustainability of salmon, additional actions within the "Living Water Smart" framework are necessary in the near future. Crucial to the future of the salmon resource is amending and updating the "Water Act" to protect water for ecosystem needs as outlined in our key recommendations. It is important to note that British Columbia's water law is one of the oldest on the books, dating back to 1909 and, as such, is in need of attention to deal with present day realities. It is law that is environmentally unsustainable; focused on licensing water for out-of-stream use rather maintaining a healthy stream environment. Currently, groundwater extraction, which can enable adequate stream flows, is not licensed in British Columbia. For example, the lower water levels on the upper portions of Langley's Salmon River, are correlated to the dropping water table associated with groundwater use. We note the B.C. government is committed to legislative change in 2012 but we would urge steps be taken now in the form of legislative change sto ensure this timeline is met.
As a final comment, the PFRCC reviewed three other jurisdictions, Alberta, Oregon State and Australia, in order to understand how these regions managed their water resources in order to strike a better balance between instream use and water extraction practices. The most dramatic and effective reforms to water management occur in jurisdictions that have amended their water law. This approach is needed inB.C. where the water consumption rate is among the highest in Canada and the world. Strong legislative action is needed to ensure water is conserved, and that retained water is returned to streams to provide adequate flows for salmon survival. Good water management principles that recognize the needs salmon and ecosystems are crucial.
Better protection of waterfor salmon should not mean hardship for others. Stream stewardship goes beyond government action; individual participation and corporate action are also key factors for success. The management of water and the resulting affects on wild salmon and their ecosystems is a moral issue and not simply a minor constrainton resource extraction or growth.