The South Thompson River has the dubious honour of being added to this year’s most endangered rivers list for British Columbia, compiled since 1993 by the 100,000-member Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC) and based on public input.
The list highlights the Seymour, Fraser, Cowichan, Thompson, Peace and Skeena Rivers and Shawnigan Creek
Sharing top spot on the endangered list for the lower mainland, but spanning multiple regions as well, is the Fraser River, the highway home to the Shuswap for several salmon species.
While facing numerous development and industrial pressures along with urbanization and pollution, the Fraser is also confronted with pressures associated with climate change.
Last summer, the river was especially warm.
“Of particular concern is that changing climatic conditions could push more and more native species northward over time,” said Mark Angelo, ORC Rivers chair and well-known river advocate.
In support of this, recent studies have indicated that aboriginal fish catches could diminish by up to 50 per cent by 2050 as marine species move up the coast in search of cooler waters.
Along the Fraser’s most urban stretch, there is also a major need for a comprehensive environmental sustainability plan that better assesses the cumulative effects of the many major development projects now occurring in the Fraser River estuary.
Further upriver, there is also a need for a collaborative plan aimed at protecting key habitats along the river’s most productive stretch between the towns of Hope and Mission; a stretch known as the Heart of the Fraser.
The Thompson River is considered endangered based on the state of the river’s internationally renowned steelhead run.
These fish are considered “an extreme conservation concern” and their precarious state highlights the need for a more precautionary and selective approach to the overall salmon fishery.
The Thompson steelhead run, which now numbers just over 400 fish, requires dramatic action including the development of a comprehensive recovery program.
In addition, water licences and water extraction rates on various tributaries must be more closely monitored to ensure adequate flows remain for fish.
There are also increasing concerns being expressed about industrial development proposals such as the Ajax mine in Kamloops.
As one scans the rivers that are profiled this year, it’s important to note that this list is not meant to be all-inclusive and there are clearly other rivers that ORC will continue to follow. But this year’s list focuses on those river issues deemed most pressing at this point in time.
“The endangered rivers release, now in its 23rd edition and released every two years, helps create a greater awareness of the many threats that confront our waterways,” said Angelo.