Volunteers from the Tsolum River Restoration Society (TRRS) helped with the annual launch of the rotary screw trap in early March.
“This floating trap passively collects some of the small salmonids that are leaving the river and helps us better understand how successful last year’s fall spawn was,” said TRRS program co-ordinator Caroline Heim, in a press release. “With extremely low river flows in the fall that prevented fish from freely migrating upstream, coupled with a low pink salmon return, we are curious to see what numbers we see exiting the river this spring. We have been collecting salmon out-migration information since 2005 and this is just one tool in our toolbox to help us track the health of the Tsolum River fish runs. We also monitor juvenile salmon survival and distribution at 24 stations throughout the Tsolum and tributaries through the summer months when juvenile salmonids are in the river. Thanks to all our volunteers who visit the trap daily and for local landowners who allow us to access the river through their property.”
Eradicate the pumpkinfish
TRRS volunteers are stepping up their efforts for the removal of invasive pumpkinseed fish from Wildwood Marsh and Smit Creek this year, and they could use the help of the general public.
“These fish were discovered in the marsh in June 2022, and we are determined to stop their spread to the Tsolum and beyond,” said Heim. “We held a free trap building workshop last fall and hope to run another one this spring. If you are a landowner that lives either on Smit Creek or Wildwood Marsh, please get in touch with us. Access to the creek and wetlands will help us with our trapping which we hope to do on a large scale this spring when the pumpkinseed come nearshore to spawn. We can provide training and traps, as well as help to set and check them. We would like to track numbers and distribution of this new invasive species in the watershed. Please pass on any information you have.”
Eyes on the River
Last summer, Tsolum volunteers launched a new program called “Eyes on the River.” The pilot project engages riverfront owners or other locals who frequently visit the river or its tributaries and provides training and equipment to help us gather important information. Information collected could include monitoring summer water temperatures and water quality, helping stranded fish when river levels drop, observing overall fish health and mortalities during heat waves, and checking for adults returning in the fall. The scope depends on what you are interested in.
There will be a training session in April. Contact Allan Chamberlain for more information at allanjohnchamberlain@gmail.com
Annual general meeting
Everyone is welcome to attend the TRRS AGM on Saturday, April 15 from 3-5 p.m. at the Dove Creek Hall at 3400 Burns Rd. The guest speaker will be world-renowned fisheries scientist Dick Beamish, who will speak about “The Future of Salmon.”
Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
This is a great opportunity to renew your membership, and to learn more about the watershed and volunteer opportunities with the society.
For more information on any of these programs or events, email tsolumriver@shaw.ca