2007 news releases
Group Eyes Restoring Ash River Habitat
Alberni Valley Times
Mon 05 Nov 2007
Page: 1 / FRONT
Section: News
Byline: Shayne Morrow
Source: Alberni Valley Times
A pair of studies funded by BC Hydro's Bridge Coastal Restoration Program could help restore salmon passage into the Ash River watershed that was damaged by the building of the Elsie Lake Dam.
The effort has been spearheaded by Hupacasath First Nation (HFN), in partnership with the Alberni Valley Enhancement Association, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the BC Conservation Foundation and the Nuu-chah-nulth Trial Council. Hupacasath chief executive officer Trevor Jones said part of the task was to establish that salmon once spawned and reared beyond the existing man-made and natural obstacles which now prevent (or severely restrict) passage.
"Hupacasath elders have consistently maintained that there were always sockeye, chinook and coho in the Upper Ash system," Jones said. "Previous surveys have yielded over 6,000 carbon-datings from traditional sites that reinforce the idea that anadromous (sea-run) fish were always present."
That's where Todd Hatfield, of Solander Ecological Research, came in.
"There was virtually no knowledge of fisheries values when the Elsie Dam came in," Hatfield said. "There were no studies by BC Hydro or by the province -- only a series of brief commentaries from DFO."
Through sediment sampling, Hadfield said it is possible to prove that anadromous fish were present, in quantity, in Elsie Lake and in the lakes and streams above the dam.
That category includes steelhead trout, which are present in the system, and are able to surmount some of the natural barriers such as Dickson and Lanternman Falls.
"Hupacasath say that, historically, there were salmon present, and there are scientists that look at the barriers and say it's not possible," Hatfield said.
But the sediment doesn't lie -- the salmon were there (see story below). In fact, Elsie Lake supports a small kokanee (landlocked sockeye) population, indicating that sockeye once spawned here.
The next question is, what to do about re-establishing historic wild salmon populations? Adam Lewis, of Ecofish Research Ltd., co-wrote the second study, which focused on the feasibility, and the costs associated with restoring fish passage.
"We focused on compiling the existing habitat in the basis, using GIS (global information systems) to map out potential habitat, and which would be accessed by fish," Lewis said.
"If you think of the Elsie system, it's like a series of stairs -- you take about five or six jumps as you move up the system."
The question is, how to move fish up that stairway? Ecofish has costed out a series of measures, in sequence, from the first major barrier at Lanternman Falls, through the Elsie Dam system and past Upper Ash Falls.
The improvements include rock weirs and a variety of steel and aluminum fishways. It won't come cheap - surmounting Elsie Dam would cost over $5 million. Other improvements are on a smaller scale and cost, but the entire wish list tops $14 million.
Those are the physical needs. But Lewis notes that one must consider the various species involved, and consider what improved access might accomplish.
"You can improve the access, but whether they will pass is a question," he said. Whether they will naturalize is also up to question.
"So it very much depends what the objectives of the stakeholders are," Lewis said.
Jones is pretty clear on what the Hupacasath objectives are. And he's pretty sure Alberni Valley residents can get behind them.
"HFN's objective is to see the restoration program instituted immediately," he said.
"We are currently in a court case with BC Hydro, over the original construction of the dam, and its impact on HFN. We want to see coho back all the way up to the Upper Ash River."
Jones noted that the Elsie Dam currently generates about $5 million per year in revenue - and it's been operating for over 50 years. He added that provincial energy minister Barry Neufeld is currently in discussions with HFN to bring about a settlement.
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HISTORY WRITTEN IN MUD:
In order to establish whether salmon once existed in the lakes and streams above Elsie Dam, scientists used stable isotope analysis of sediment layers in the various waterways.
Todd Hatfield, of Solander Ecological Research, said the objective was to establish that chemicals present in the mud could only have originated in the ocean.
"Lake sediments are laid down in fine layers of powder - continuously," he explained. "They act as an archive - you can take a core through it, and do some detailed chemistry."
The wild-card is nitrogen, which is present in all living creatures.
"Chemically, nitrogen that comes from the ocean has different properties than nitrogen that comes from fresh water," Hatfield said. "Salmon put on 90 per cent of their body mass after they migrate to sea, so that means 90 per cent of their nitrogen comes from the ocean."
According to the sedimentary time capsule, marine nitrogen was present in Elsie and Oshinow Lakes, as well as Dickson and McLaughlin Lakes, downstream from the dam. Levels in Elsie and Oshinow declined dramatically after the dam was completed in the mid-1950s, indicating a rapid decline in salmon spawning, with a corresponding decline in Dickson Lake.
Hatfield's report concludes that between 400 and 900 salmonids historically returned to Elsie Lake, and 500 to 1,000 to Oshinow, with the most likely candidates being steelhead, coho, chinook and (possibly) sockeye.
Hatfield noted that marine nitrogen is also distributed into the food chain in spawning areas, when foraging animals consume the carcasses and excrete the by-products into the soil.
"We can detect it in tree rings, to determine if an area once supported spawning," he said. "It's a fantastic diagnostic for all sorts of things."
- Shayne Morrow, AV Times
