Extensive post treatment monitoring project: barrier remediation on salmonid streams in British Columbia

Out-dated culverts are the most numerous barriers to fish movement and habitat connectivity in British Columbia, barring juvenile salmonids from thousands of kilometers of freshwater rearing habitat. The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) has untaken an initiative to strategically remediate culverts in B.C. for improved juvenile salmon habitat access. However, the impacts and restoration requirements of culvert remediation for juvenile salmonids in the wild remains unclear. Working directly with CWF, the intern will investigate the effects of culvert remediation on fish movements, habitat use, growth, and survival through a large-scale, post-treatment analysis of previously remediated culverts. This will be done using habitat assessments, fish abundance estimates, and mark-recapture techniques to compare juvenile salmon habitat use above and below previously remediated impediments to fish movement. The intern will provide CWF with an effectiveness monitoring report that will inform future remediation efforts and can be used to acquire funding for further restoration projects.

Faculty Supervisor:

Scott Hinch

Student:

Zachary Sherker

Partner:

Canadian Wildlife Federation

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

University:

University of British Columbia

Program: