A project is underway to develop a detailed proposal for restoring fish and wildlife habitat in the Englishman and Little Qualicum river estuaries and some interesting discoveries are being made, according to James Craig with the BC Conservation Foundation (BCCF).
The $10,000 project was proposed by the BCCF, with $5,000 coming from Living Rivers — Georgia Basin/Vancouver Island, and the other half matched by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
Due to biophysical impacts like urban encroachment, flood control, industrial activity and overgrazing by Canada Geese, the biological productivity in the estuaries has declined, including significant habitat loss for rearing-dependant salmonoid species, which contribute to the ecological health of both watersheds.
BCCF staff have been swimming 17 sites on a weekly basis to look at the different habitats available in the sections of the estuaries to determine which are preferred by the fish and why.
One finding has been the large amount of fish found in areas with over-stream vegetation cover. Craig said the fish prefer these rather than areas around plants mid-river or where riprap (rock material) has been installed to combat erosion.
“It’s the over-stream cover that has particularly surprised us to how important it is,” said Craig. “It’s not so much things in the river but things growing over and folding into the water.”
Another finding is just how destructive the Canada Geese have been to the estuaries. The geese graze on Carex sedge, a lush grassy plant that grows along the edges of the estuary banks. This not only causes erosion and widening of the banks but it reduces the amount of cover that falls into the water for the fish and detracts from plants’ nutrient regulating abilities.
The project will also look at how much the fish like the areas of the river with woody debris.
Once the information has been gathered a report will be created with site-specific habitat designs for inter-tidal channels, ponds and benches in the two estuaries. This could include rock-ballasted large woody debris structures which would create critical refuge cover from predators for juvenile Chinook, coho and cutthroat, during their spring/summer rearing periods, as well as stable in-stream wood substrata where fish food organisms could colonize.
The final proposal will lead to a collaborative and multi-year initiative involving BCCF/Living Rivers, The Nature Trust of B.C., the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society and other government and local estuarine conservation societies.
