Low water levels on Vancouver Island are endangering fish, and the provincial government has done the right thing by banning sport fishing on most of the rivers and streams on the south Island.
Provincial officials have heeded the warnings from First Nations, fishing guides and conservationists to step in and protect the trout, salmon and steelhead until water levels improve.
On Friday, the government raised the drought rating to Level 4, the highest grade. That gives water managers the authority to clamp down on water use if they decide it is necessary.
In a more unusual move, they suspended fishing on almost every river and stream from Bamfield to Victoria on the west coast and from Campbell River to Victoria on the east coast, as well as on the Gulf Islands. Only the Qualicum and Quinsam rivers remain open.
Another 75 rivers and streams in the province are being monitored and could be closed.
The River Forecast Centre, which issued a low-streamflow advisory for the Island on June 22, says levels are typical of late August. And it鈥檚 only the end of June. Some rivers have hit record lows for this period.
For people, low stream levels could mean annoyance or financial hardship. For fish, they could mean death.
Shallower water means higher temperatures and lower oxygen, which stress the fish and can kill them. Fish are more susceptible to disease. They can even be stranded or sucked into water intakes.
To escape the shallow water, trout and steelhead will head for a few deep sections that are fed by springs. Think of fish in a barrel. They become easier to catch 鈥� by humans and other enemies. Even when caught and released, stressed fish are more likely to die after being set free.
Some groups have been pushing the province for weeks to recognize the problem and ban fishing in the hardest-hit rivers and streams. The Friends of the Cowichan River and the Cowichan Valley Naturalists have both written to Steve Thomson, the minister of forest, lands and natural resources operations, about the situation on the Cowichan, one of sa国际传媒鈥檚 most famous fishing rivers.
Both letters asked the minister to close the river until early October, when rain is likely to return and refill it. Professional guides and members of fishing groups backed the calls for a closure.
The Cowichan Tribes had already acted by prohibiting their members from fishing the Cowichan.
Most anglers understand the fragile nature of rivers and streams. They recognize that abusing the stream and the fish will mean fewer fish in the future. They have seen rivers, streams and lakes decimated by overfishing. Catch and release has become much more common than in decades past.
As reports from the Cowichan and other rivers suggest, however, some people don鈥檛 recognize the dangers of fishing in such low water. It鈥檚 normal for water levels to drop significantly in the summer, but the flows this year have fallen much further than usual.
Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps inexperienced anglers don鈥檛 understand the dangers to the fish. Education might help, but with conditions so dire, there isn鈥檛 time for an educational campaign.
Fortunately, even inexperienced anglers know the importance of respecting closure regulations. Where an educational poster might be laughed off, a face-to-face encounter with a conservation officer when you鈥檙e standing up to your waist in a closed river with a fishing rod in your hand is something to be feared.
Angler associations and conservation groups had asked the province for action, perhaps envisioning temporary closure of a few threatened rivers. The province has responded with a sweeping suspension that will go a long way to protect fish on the Island.
