Photo: Tim Gage / Flickr ‘The old forests were the only thing that held this landscape together’īoth salmon and steelhead spawn in rocky, shallow areas of rivers called riffles, which can be compromised by logging. Log boom operations at the Western Forest Products mill in Gold River. Dunlop estimates all old-growth in the watershed will be gone in 17 years if the company’s annual allowable cut doesn’t change. Between 20, over 18,000 hectares of forest was logged within that licence area, according to provincial data. The watershed falls within tree farm licence 19, which is held by Western Forest Products. To save steelhead, “the biggest thing we could do is reduce the rate of cut in the Gold River watershed,” he said. The main causes of the Gold River steelhead’s plight are climate change and stream degradation caused by logging, said Roger Dunlop, a biologist with Uu-a-thluk, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s aquatic resource management organization, a board member of the Nootka Sound Watershed Society and a member of Solutions for Steelhead. … It really does feel like this may be a lost run,” said O’Neill, who is a member of Solutions for Steelhead. “It just seems like we’re not paying enough attention to these things. The Nootka Sound Watershed Society recently formed the Solutions for Steelhead task force to rebuild steelhead stocks and alert people to the fact that the iconic species is at risk of being lost. “ I am not very confident the winter-run steelhead are savable at this point.” “It’s tragic not to see any steelhead in such a large watershed,” he said. Jeramy Damborg, senior project biologist with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, who was part of the survey said that in 2008, they observed about 200 adults in the same 8.5-kilometre stretch of water. government and the British Columbia Conservation Foundation. Seasonal winter counts of steelhead trout in the Gold River show dramatic declines in the population between 20. But it’s the first time in the history of the snorkel survey that not a single steelhead was observed. The annual survey, led by the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, takes place for one day in one spot, so it’s by no means comprehensive. That doesn’t mean no steelhead returned at all. For the first time ever, zero steelhead were observed in the annual snorkel survey that took place in the Gold River in February. Summer runs have decreased but are still in the hundreds. But, like salmon, steelhead numbers have plummeted in recent years.
Unlike salmon, which die after they return home and spawn, it’s possible for steelhead to spawn more than once and live to a ripe old age of about eight years (though some exceptional fish may survive more than 10 years).īoth summer and winter runs used to fill the Gold River in the thousands and steelhead were once a reliable food fish for Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. They’re anadromous, like salmon, meaning they hatch in fresh water, live in the ocean as adults and return to where they hatched to spawn. Steelhead are trout but they behave a lot like salmon and share a similar pink meat. no fish in there buddy.People once knew the Gold River on central Vancouver Island as a great place to catch steelhead and salmon. We also had a wolf hanging around that actually bit into our cooler of wobbly pops. Got some cool GoPro video especially for a buddy that 1st time Hali fishing he got the 30 lb fish. Fished Bajo area for a couple of days also. Thats the furthest I have been south out of Nootka. Did a lot of exploring as the winds were great last Weds and ended up at Estevan Point.
#Nootka sound fishing report 2016 plus#
For springs we got 3 around 20 and a 12 plus 2 - 8's but didn't spend time fishing for them. Biggest Hali was 30 lbs and a couple of 10's. Got lots of lings, limit in yellows other rock fish, 6 springs and 3 Hali between 2 boats. 1st couple of days was a bit slow as we could not get out very far with the winds but it turned out great for the last 3 and had a great time. We rented a floating house from last Saturday - Thursday.
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