Image Credit: Global News

By Simon Little / Global BC

Fraser River Slide

Some fish getting through Fraser River rockslide, but DFO looking at options to help the rest

Jul 4, 2019 | 4:12 PM

BIG BAR, B.C. — The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) says it appears at least some salmon are getting past the obstruction created by a major rockslide in the Fraser River.

The slide, which happened just west of Clinton and near the Big Bar Ferry on June 25, dumped tonnes of rocks into the waterway, creating a patch of intense rapids and raising fears about the plight of migrating fish.

WATCH: (Video Credit: Global BC)

On Wednesday, officials with the DFO said early data suggests at least 700 fish have made it past the blockage since Friday night.

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That information was collected with the help of an acoustic monitoring device upstream of the slide. DFO officials said a second device is being installed downstream which will allow staff to get a more accurate count on the number of fish passing through.

Officials added that the majority of fish making it past the obstruction appear to be Chinook salmon, with a small proportion of sockeye mixed in.

If a more accurate survey of the fish suggests not enough salmon are able to migrate upstream, the DFO said it would begin looking at ways to help them get past the obstruction.

Officials said options to help the fish could include trapping and physically moving them past the barrier, releasing more water from upstream to try and make it easier to swim past the rocks, or potentially installing some kind of fish ladder.

An incident command post to address the slide has been established in Lillooet, which includes staff from the provincial and federal governments, along with local First Nations.