Fraser River Gravel Mining

[IronNoggin]

aYup - Again.

105,000 cubic meters this time. Smack in the middle of one of only two known spawning areas for the Lower Fraser River white sturgeon.
The "Seabird Band" (Stó:lō) are the proponents.

Already approved by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations - you know, the same crew that is currently in the news for trying to privatize our wildlife resources

Now gone to DFO - Little doubt in my mind's eye how they are going to rule. But then again ... I might yet be pleasantly surprised...

http://ht.ly/IEcAT

Nog

 

[Cuba Libre]

The proponent is one of the "Keepers of the Land" ???? must be a mistake. They wouldn't do that , would they? Oh-- nevermind. Its the Seabird band (Stolo Nation) me bad.......

 

[steelmadness]

Doesn't the gravel replenish itself ? I think the buzz word is "recruitment". The powers to be claim it is an important flood control measure. If it is an effective measure, would the potential loss of habitat to fish be more important than the flooding of homes and farm land ? There must be some science behind the decision. Not trying to stir it up, just asking questions.

 

[KV1]

What about "Mother Eart". Stewards of the environment.....hahahaha.

 

[UkeeDreamin]

My understanding is that it was long thought that the Mission to Hope reach of the Fraser was infilling due to aggradation of gravel. However, I think the current understanding is that, after a period of high gravel recruitment resulting from intensive placer mining at the turn of the century, gravel recruitment rates are much lower than historical. Further, the rate at which gravel is being extracted through this reach (at multiple locations, not just this latest license renewal) exceeds the rate at which new gravel is replenishing it. Finally, this type of high volume extraction from a specific location has nothing to do with a strategy to address over-banking/flood concerns, which would require a strategic extraction plan over a broad geographic area at pinch points and "hot spots". This gravel extraction is for the sole purpose of for profit aggregate sales.

Whether or not the fish values for sturgeon, pink salmon and other species can be maintained would require a detailed understanding of the ecosystem, it's resiliency and changes that extraction will cause. Presumably this is covered in whatever environmental review/assessment that was performed and should be available to the public if folks request it.

Ukee

 

[steelmadness]

Thanks Ukee, good post.

 

[agentaqua]

Really good post Ukee! Adds the missing context to this story - I was hoping someone had. Couldn't agree more with your comments.

 

[agentaqua]

http://sand-wars.com/video.files/trailer.mp4

This is about sand not gravel. Same issues, though.

 

[Whole in the Water]

I thought that they are mining this sand and gravel (aggregates) as there is low supplies around the Vancouver area and they need the gravel for construction purposes. As a result the aggregates are a very much needed commodity that commands a high price. The flood control is a smoke screen for the profit to be made from aggregates extraction. This should NOT be allowed to happen as it will harm important fish habitat.

 

[agentaqua]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/ne...er-river-mining-begins-sturgeon-spawning-area

Sturgeon anglers despair over mining of Fraser River
Jenny Uechi Mar 6th, 2015

Canadian rivers, heritage river, mining in B.C.
Photo of gravel mining site near Seabird Bar B along the Fraser River by Andrew S. Wright

Power shovels have begun excavating 105,000 cubic metres of gravel in the area known as the "Heart of the Fraser" from a site called Seabird Bar B, located on reserve lands near Agassiz, B.C.

Seabird Island Band and Jakes Construction's received the green light to mine in the area, despite fierce opposition from fish biologists.

BC Sportfishing Group owner Tony Nootebos said he was deeply disturbed by the federal and provincial governments' recent approval of the controversial mining project in one of only two known spawning areas for the Lower Fraser River white sturgeon.

"We know, 100 per cent, that it’s a sensitive area. There's proof that sturgeon are spawning in there," Nootebos said.

Nootebos emphasized he wasn't against gravel mining in general.

But he questioned why the province allowed industry to dig up a sensitive fish habitat, even as it was advising sport fishers to stay away from the area during certain months.

"It's sort of disturbing," said Brian McKinley, a guide and owner of Silversides Fishing Adventures. McKinley said he voluntarily steered clear of fishing at that site for years to honour government recommendations to not disturb sturgeon spawning habitat.

Sturgeon are a federally listed species at risk, though the lower Fraser sturgeon stock, which may be damaged by this project, have been left off this list. Sturgeon are considered a living fossil because they have survived virtually unchanged for more than 150 million years. They can live for over 150 years, and grow to more than six metres long.

Fraser River, gravel mining, sturgeon, sport fishing,

Photo of gravel being mined by Andrew S. Wright


The Lower Fraser River white sturgeon is the only wild, hatchery-free white sturgeon in the world, according to the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.

Nootebos said people from all over the world come to see the Fraser River sturgeon. He said over 40 per cent of his clients come from Europe to experience catch-and-release fishing of sturgeon.

"We're finding that sturgeon are increasingly popular because, well, they're huge," McKinley said. "People come from the UK, Germany, Japan and Australia to see them."


Photo of Lower Fraser white sturgeon from BC Sportfishing Group


B.C. Forests, Lands and Natural Resources spokesperson Vivian Thomas confirmed that the provincial sturgeon expert worked with anglers and guides and asked them last year "if they were willing not to fish in the side channel north of Seabird Bar during the spawning period."

She said, however, that "the actual extraction area is at the south side of Seabird Bar" and that "this area is "not a confirmed area for spawning by sturgeon."

It's a claim that biologists dispute, saying the spawning grounds are very close if not overlapping with the area where gravel is being mined.



Map by Marvin Rosenau

Risking the sport fishing industry along the Fraser

The gravel mining project by Seabird Island Band is in partnership with Jakes Construction, a Chilliwack-based gravel mining company that has provided training and jobs to the band since the mid-90s. Gravel is part of a $300 million-a-year aggregate (crushed rock, gravel and sand) industry, and is used in the construction of roads, home foundations, sidewalks and bridges.

Seabird Island Band corporate affairs director Jay Hope said there was "an element of employment" associated with the project, but said the main purpose of mining the gravel was to protect land from erosion.

But Nootebos said before approving the mining, the provincial government's own staff had asked sports fishers to keep out of Seabird Bar B because of the risk of disturbing wild sturgeon.



Photo of Lower Fraser white sturgeon from BC Sportfishing Group website

As a result, the Fraser River Angling Guides Association and the sport fishing community agreed to voluntary closure of that area during sturgeon spawning from mid-May through July, he said.

"But now the province is allowing gravel removal in that same spot, which we know will have an impact."


Ignoring the government's own science?

Nootebos said the B.C. government was well aware of the risks, based on evidence presented by its own biologists.

"The province is completely aware of the evidence," he said. "Their biologists have been involved in some of the sturgeon spawning assessment work there."
He said the province was involved in 2010 and 2011 in research that identified the Seabird Bar B area as important sturgeon spawning habitat.

What's more, recent research suggests that the sturgeon are a population in steady decline, not unlike the Atlantic cod on the east coast.



Graph of Lower Fraser juvenile sturgeon provided by Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society


"It’s hugely frustrating when you go through all this effort and provide information on this well in advance and they ignore it," said English, whose group presented scientific evidence to the province prior to the project approval.

Nootebos thinks the project, which scientists fear will set a precedent for more gravel mining in the sensitive habitat, will threaten a $12 million-a-year sport fishing industry.

"It'll risk the industry, there's no question about it," he said. "I don't know how much [money] the gravel mining would bring but it's nowhere near that, year over year. We know sport fishing provides a lot of new dollars to the province, not recycled dollars. And it's in a sustainable way."

McKinley expressed frustration not over "poor management" of the Fraser River by authorities, not only regarding gravel mining in a sturgeon spawning habitat, but also for projects such as a toxic waste recycling plant, which has been approved by Chilliwack and is now under provincial review.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Look at that first picture above... The government needs to get head examined right on river bank. The provincial government is absolutely mental right now..I cant believe some of these projects that are going ahead right now... The Minister of Mines and Minister of Environment have lost touch with reality...

 

[agentaqua]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...er-river-to-implant-tracking-device-1.3111170

Sturgeon scientist battles huge fish in Fraser River to implant tracking device

Biologist spends hours reeling in fish and then performs surgery in chest-deep waters

By Greg Rasmussen, CBC News Posted: Jun 19, 2015 2:00 AM PT| Last Updated: Jun 19, 2015 7:18 AM PT

Sturgeon guide Tony Nootebos holds a young sturgeon, a fish that can grow to hundreds of kilograms during a lifespan that can last more than 100 years. (Glen Kugelstadt/cbc)

External Links

■BC Government sturgeon report http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/sturgeon.pdf

(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

You might call Erin Stoddard the surgeon to the sturgeon.

The B.C. government biologist often finds himself chest deep in the mighty Fraser River, scalpel in hand, carrying out operations on live fish weighing hundreds of kilograms.

Catching the monster sturgeon2:02

It's all part of his job solving the mysteries of the province's largest freshwater sport fish.

The white sturgeon and its relatives are remarkable survivors. They've endured 200 million years of global climate change and continue to eke out an existence in the face of serious modern day threats.

"They're really a special species," he told CBC News during a recent expedition on the river. They are the top predator in the Fraser, so they're also one of those canary species, one of the special ones that if everything is going well on the river, and the sturgeon are doing well in the river, then obviously things are OK."

sturgeon surgery
B.C. government biologist Erin Stoddard makes an incision on a sturgeon to insert a radio tracking device, as Montana McLean and the CBC's Greg Rasmussen look on. (Glen Kugelstadt/cbc)

Stoddard spoke as he and a small crew headed upriver in a jet boat hoping to catch one of the larger sturgeon lurking below. Their goal was to collect blood and DNA samples before implanting a radio tracking device and releasing the creature back into the river.

But it's no easy task.

Catching a giant

First of all, locating a large specimen requires an in-depth knowledge of the river and the varying habits of sturgeon, which can roam widely.

Tony Nootebos, owner of the B.C. Sportfishing Group, is one of the river's top guides. His company runs a fleet of more than 20 boats, bringing in customers from around the world who are determined to get a photo taken with one of the fish, which can weigh hundreds of kilograms.

BC government biologist Erin Stoddard
Stoddard spends nearly two hours battling a giant sturgeon on the Fraser River. (Glen Kugelstadt/cbc)

"There are very few places in the world you can fish them. They can attain weights of well over 600 pounds, and grow over 100 years old, so it's a unique fish."

With his livelihood riding on the health of the stocks, Nootebos has taken a keen interest in conservation, working with Stoddard as well as the Fraser River Conservation Society and its honorary chair, Rick Hansen.

When asked about threats to the sturgeon, Nootebos puts humans at the top of the list.


'Poaching is big, habitat destruction is big.'

— Tony Nootebos, sturgeon guide


"Poaching is big, habitat destruction is big, and many other factors we're not even aware of yet. There are fewer young fish than we'd like to see, so spawning habitat has got to be protected."

Sturgeon PHD candidate Montana McLean
PhD candidate Montana McLean tests the fish's blood samples for signs of stress shortly after it was reeled in. (Glen Kugelstadt/cbc)

To help solve that problem, Stoddard has been implanting and tracking the older, breeding-age sturgeon in the Fraser River so he can map out their travels, find their spawning spots and suggest changes in policy to protect them.

After anchoring at a spot he wants kept secret, Nootebos baits up several fishing lines with salmon roe and eel.

At first two small sturgeon are reeled in, but then a huge one takes the bait. An hour later, Stoddard is sweating and groaning as he tries to bring the fish to the boat.

"This is definitely a strong fish, outweighs me; it's already jumped four times, but doesn't seem to be weakening at all."

Exhausting struggle

For another hour, Stoddard and PhD candidate Montana McLean, who is with the Ocean Tracking Network, take turns fighting the fish. Arms are numb and backs and legs are aching by the time the fish finally tires.

sturgeon closeup
This sturgeon, measuring 269 centimetres long and more than a metre around its thickest part, is estimated to be at least 50 years old. (Glen Kugelstadt/cbc)

The boat is beached and then all hands on board jump into the water to wrestle the sturgeon into a sling designed to keep it safe and comfortable while it's studied.

The fish measures 269 centimetres in length and is nearly a metre around at its thickest point.

Stoddard makes a careful incision in the fish's belly, inserts a radio tracking device about the size of a short cigar into the belly and sutures it back up.

Sturgeon science

McLean takes blood samples and a small piece of fin for DNA analysis. The blood is examined to measure chemicals that reveal how much stress the fish experienced due to the long fight. That study could lead to improvements in handling the fish, and provide insight into whether the catch and release sturgeon fishery needs rule changes to safeguard the threatened species.

Stoddard estimates this particular river giant is a female, at least 50 years old, and has spawned numerous times, making it vital to the survival of the species. "They spawn until they die, and the bigger they get the more eggs they have."

Released back into the water, the giant fish swims away as Stoddard and crew look on.

"The more you learn the more you don't know. They really are a remarkable fish, there are things about them we're just starting to understand."

With the tracker implanted, the fish can be mapped as it swims up and down the river and possibly out into the ocean.

"That's going to give us the information we need, tracking that fish over the years, finding out how frequently they're spawning, where they're spawning and how they can reproduce. That's the real true goal of tagging a fish like that."

 

[agentaqua]

http://www.theprovince.com/news/ang...treatment+local+fisherman/11369048/story.html
B.C. anglers outraged at sturgeons’ treatment by local fisherman