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Warm rivers and streams are becoming a growing concern for salmon in B.C.\u2019s Interior with another low sockeye return anticipated in Okanagan waters this fall.<\/p>\n
According to the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance, the number of adult sockeye salmon returning to spawn is expected to be low for the second year in a row<\/a> because of warm water and low stream levels.<\/p>\n It says current estimates suggest between 32,300 and 96,900 Okanagan sockeye will be counted at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River \u2014 the largest river in the Pacific Northwest \u2014\u00a0which flows\u00a0through B.C., Washington state and Oregon.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of those, only about 4,800 to 14,500 are expected to reach spawning areas above Osoyoos Lake.<\/p>\n \u201cFor comparison, the spawning habitats have the capacity to support approximately 180,700 to 205,500 spawning sockeye,\u201d the alliance said in a statement.<\/a><\/p>\n To reach Okanagan waters, the salmon travel more than 1,000 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean. They swim upstream against the current of the Columbia River, passing through nine hydroelectric dams before reaching Syilx territory.<\/p>\n Last year, the alliance said, the vast majority of the run stayed in the Columbia River seeking refuge in cooler water. <\/p>\n Given the low projected return this time around, there will be no economic or recreational sockeye fishing this year. Members may still harvest fish for personal needs but the alliance is asking people to take only what they need to help conserve future returns.<\/p>\n WATCH | Sockeye salmon return to B.C.\u2019s Okanagan Lake: Sockeye salmon return to B.C.\u2019s Okanagan Lake<\/p>\n After nearly a century, sockeye salmon can again access a historical spawning habitat in B.C.\u2019s Okanagan Lake. It\u2019s a welcome return for the Syilx Nation people, who spent 20 years rebuilding the spawning habitat to make it possible.<\/p>\n The Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance is\u00a0made up of eight First Nations\u00a0whose territory spans from north of Revelstoke\u00a0into Washington state. <\/p>\n According to the\u00a0ONA website<\/a>, salmon \u2014\u00a0or ntytyix \u2014\u00a0are sacred to the Syilx people. <\/p>\n In May this year, the Nation declared a state of watershed emergency <\/a>because of drought conditions, stating that there wasn\u2019t enough water in the creeks that made it harder for fish to swim.<\/p>\n Young salmon at greater risk: research<\/p>\n New research from the University of British Columbia suggests increasingly warming rivers in the province\u2019s Interior may be putting young salmon at greater risk than previously understood.<\/p>\n Two studies from UBC\u2019s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Lab looked at juvenile Chinook salmon from the Nicola River and found that young fish had more trouble coping with heat when they were swimming, rather than resting in place.<\/p>\n Scott Hinch, a professor in UBC\u2019s faculty of forestry and environmental stewardship, says most studies test fish at rest but young salmon in the wild are constantly moving to feed and avoid predators.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Interior … the streams are really warm,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that they’re more adapted to dealing with warm conditions than the population along the coast.\u201d<\/p>\n But he says researchers found 20 C was an important threshold for the Interior Chinook they studied. Fish acclimatized to warm water could cope around that level but above it their ability declined. Some fish even died after being forced to swim in water at 24 C.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re seeing streams in the interior right now that are getting up to 24 C quite, quite commonly and that’s going to become more of a reality moving forward,\u201d the researcher said.<\/p>\n WATCH | Salmon habitat restored: Salmon Warriors restore spawning grounds as sockeye return to Okanagan <\/p>\n In B.C.’s Interior, an initiative supported by the Okanagan Nation Alliance has brought sockeye salmon to Okanagan Lake for the first time in nearly a century. As Brady Strachan reports, a new generation of young people are helping to restore salmon spawning grounds while reconnecting with their culture. <\/p>\n Warm water has already affected salmon migrations in B.C.<\/p>\n In July 2021, the B.C. Wildlife Federation reported that the Okanagan River reached more than 23 C, causing sockeye salmon to halt their migration.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2016, warm temperatures were blamed for the lowest number of returning sockeye<\/a> in B.C.’s Fraser River on record, and two years later, officials warned that the river was so warm that migrating sockeye salmon might die<\/a> on their journey.<\/p>\n \u201cSalmon prefer to be in a particular temperature of water … that might be between 15-17 C,\u201d Hinch said. \u201cIf fish can’t experience that \u2026 they’ll go looking for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hinch says protecting trees along streams can help keep waterways cooler, creating areas where salmon can find relief during heat.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755795428_917_default.jpg\")
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