The voice of B.C.'s organized fishing industry workers
Fighting for the Fraser
A S YOU stand overlooking Hell's Gate, *■*it's impossible not to be awed by the passive fish ladders, symbols of not only j^e railway's destruction of the river in **13. but also of the continuing claim by the U.S. to Fraser River fish.
This fall those fish ladders are in full "Jew as water levels in the Fraser plummeted to record low levels making it ""Possible for fish to travel through them.
During September fears grew that the Projected escapement of more than one Million pink salmon above Hell's Gate ould die in massive numbers as they ound themselves unable to pass through the area.
It was this fear, along with growing ^ncerns that water levels in the Fraser j!" be further reduced by the Nechako Upa1- aSreement, which set in motion a U*AWU campaign to protect fish runs, i, During the course of the campaign, the UrAWU and others uncovered disturbing vidence of a serious crisis on the Fraser •uver on several fronts including: i, * Discussions took place between B.C. pydro and DFO for the release of water fom the Seton dam to protect fish runs. Turing those discussions the DFO enter-rjttned the possibility of having to pay for use of the water. This development, ^"nbined with the Nechako agreement, ™ould be a major erosion of the Fisheries
i.* Fisheries managers were aware of {•lockage problems on the Fraser near **eH*s Gate after the disastrous 1985 scapement for pinks, but no significant J0™ took place to correct the situation Quring the last two years. , • Canadian National Railway blasted «>ns of rock into the Fraser at Little Hell's Uate in 1985 and 1987 against the advice °* the DFO, but no charges were ever Dr°ught against them, i, • If the only major pink run on the **aser is to be saved the DFO must Undertake a major new fish ladder contortion and cleanup program, but funds are not available at this time. ■ • After the signing of the agreement J*tween Alcan and the federal government, the DFO will lose the ability to ^emand releases of water to protect Sainst situations like this one. As part of the UFAWU's campaign "J0.1* than 30 fishermen picketed the DFO '"ices Sept 30, preceding a two hour ^eeting with fisheries which revealed the °ePth of the problem facing the returning of pink salmon. It was only another disaster — the poor ^turns of pink salmon — which pre-fented a massive problem at Hell's Gate ft.r the pinks headed to the Thompson 'yer. Instead, small numbers of pink ??"non moved through Hell's Gate with L"e use of small baffles set down on the "°or of the river.
Any attempt to build the pink salmon l1"^ in the Fraser River must include iibstantial increases in spawners reaches the Thompson and Seton River sys-^s. It is here that all parties agree the J^Jor improvements in run sizes will
, However, the distance between the ^sires of fisheries managers and reality continuing to increase as dramatic k°Ps in escapement figures to those sys-are recorded. After reaching a peak return of 1.8 ?ulion pinks above Hell's Gate in 1981, escapement declined to 1.2 million in
retu6Spite the sliSht decline, a record Igjr/n °f 18 million pinks was recorded in thp f when the leaves had fallen from ak„trees, only 419,000 fish had made it above Hell's Gate.
of ri °ng the Fraser River Ifly thousands ^ pmlc saImon whose struggle to the spawning beds was a failure, thp tne time tne 'ast annuaI meeting of to? International Pacific Salmon Com-ide was neld in December 1985, some , as were being presented to explain the paster.
tK„^ne migration failure was apparently y0 ^sult of particularly difficult migra-difr c°nditions at several locations. These *a/CU't conditions occurred at certain tionuevels where high velocity situate ave Deen created by natural fea-
j08." the report said. ljpinions years indicate that at levels at to «Gate between 18 ft. and 22 ft. seem otfer the optimum conditions for
^Pement. unable to get above Hell's Gate, the
fish returned to spawn downstream in rivers such as the Chilliwack, which were already filled to capacity.
But even those who spawned successful down river were not to be spared. The water continued to drop, exposing the eggs to the frost, killing millions of them.
For pink salmon, getting through Hell's Gate is only one problem area they must face. At Saddle Rock, nearly 250,000 pinks died trying to make it around the rock. At Little Hell's Gate, another 200,000 died trying to get through.
The International Pacific Salmon Commission also reported at the 1985 meeting that, "some nigh velocity situations appear to have been caused by transportation developments."
That one line went unnoticed until two years later when the final report of the commission came out in Sept. 1987 and it became known the battle with the railways was still on.
The CNR had blasted rocks into the during track work at Little Hell's nd, like the 1913 slide, suggested this
river Gate a managers
fisheries created more
P^SnSrSgh the _DFO.
alteVthe^ason and to ensure no
It PNR not to do the blasting until the CNR not to u
entered the river. These orders fell on deaf
ears.
"The recommendations were not accepted by CN and the blasting was done on May 30," the report notes.
The result was that large amounts of rock and rail bed embankment entered the river, making pink passage more difficult.
The commission noted that observations indicated "pink salmon...were partially or completely blocked at the site during low water stages in September -October."
"The arrogance of the railway is well known, but for DFO to let them get away with it is ridiculous," said UFAWU organizer Dennis Brown. "This is just one more place where the DFO is losing the battle to save the Fraser and protect the fish runs."
And they keep losing according to the head of the habitat protection branch Otto Langer, who claimed the railway continues to dump rock and debris in the river.
"The piecemeal dumping over the edge by CNR is still occurring. I can't say we've got it stopped. I would be lying. And the CNR has not indicated a great degree of admitted. "Three
concern to date," he months ago we documented a front end
THE FISHERMAN / OCTOBER 23,1987
loader dumping right over the edge into the river. We've instructed them to cease and desist."
The effect of the high waters levels at some stages and low water levels at other times, combined with the damage from the railway, spelled doom for the critical returns above Hell's Gate in 1985.
Optimistically, the commission called for remedial work on the river and suggested low water levels could be controlled by the release of water from behind the dams.
"Water levels are largely, but not completely, beyond our control," the commission noted. "Two tributaries which are regulated are the Seton system and the Nechako reservoir."
In 1985, B.C. Hydro released water to raise the river by one foot.
The pink run in 1987 returned, as expected, at very poor levels. Pre-season estimates pegged the run at between 7 million and 14 million. Allocation was based on a return of 11 million pinks. As we go to press, the returns are estimated at only six million fish.
But in mid-September the DFO was still hoping for six million spawners and the record low water levels set of warning bells at DFO headquarters.
"If the run is late and the water is low, we could have a serious problem," DFO engineer Al Lil told a meeting of fishermen Sept. 30. "We're scratching our heads about what to do."
One option was water from Hydro, but the situation had changed since 1985. The water came free then because there was no doubt that the Fisheries Act allowed DFO to demand water be released for the protection of the fish. That principle was upheld in a 1980 court decision by Justice Tom Berger. But this year, in the wake of the Nechako agreement which grants control of the river to Alcan, Hydro appeared to be taking a different position.
"We could ask or pay for water to be released. But if its water spilled, it's water that would have to be paid for. If its eight or 10 days of water, B.C. Hydro is talking about a cost of a million bucks," DFO regional director Patrick Chamut told the Vancouver Sun on Sept. 30.
Chamut added that paying such a price for water was "out of the question."
If the Alcan agreement on the Nechako becomes law, the option of using the millions of gallons of water stored behind the Kenny Dam to solve an emergency water shortage will also be lost.
The agreement calls for regulations to over-rule the Fisheries Act and limit the right of DFO to order Alcan to release water.
As we go to press there are an estimated 250,000 pinks on the Thompson spawning beds, less than 50 percent of what is necessary to ensure a strong return in 1989.
The pink run has virtually dried up. For fishermen the failure of the run has meant the loss of an estimated $10 million in incomes. For shoreworkers, millions have also been lost in wages.
What can be done? As a result of the publicity and pressure generated by the UFAWU's campaign, the DFO has implemented a taskforce to study the areas where blockages are occurring.
Brown went on a helicopter tour of the trouble areas and concluded that action is possible to make passage easier for the Fish.
At Saddle Rock a fish ladder could be constructed and at Little Hell's Gate the debris from the railway must be cleaned up, he reported.
At Hell's Gate another fish ladder is necessary to ensure passage when water levels &re low
Chamut told the UFAWU that until recently he, "didn't understand there was was a passage problem at Hell's Gate."
But now he was, "trying to identify funding for it. I am not going to say I will get it."
Brown said bringing the pink runs back to the 18 million level of 1985 would bring millions of dollars to the economy every second year.
The DFO will meet again with the UFAWU on Nov. 20 to review the findings of the taskforce.
"This should be something the whole industry should unite around because all users benefit when fish runs are stronger," said Brown. "If we don't keep fighting then it won't be only the pink run we will lose, but the whole Fraser River."
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