Project Support for First Nations
In-river Genetic Analysis in Demonstration Fishery:
SkeenaWild Conservation Trust provided monetary support for the Skeena Fisheries Commission this spring to conduct a genetic study which collected scale samples from all sockeye taken downstream of the Kitwanga River. The purpose of this study was to address concerns around the Kitwanga Lake sockeye and to determine potential disproportionate harvesting and overexploitation of weak stocks in a fishery near the mouth of the Kitwanga River.
Gosnell Salmon Enumeration:
SkeenaWild Conservation Trust provided monetary support to the Office of the Wet’suwet’en to construct and install a Portable Resistance Board (PRB) weir on the Gosnell Creek to monitor salmon and steelhead abundance and run timing. This is part of a larger project surrounding fisheries and water management in Wet’suwet’en territory. The general direction for this project – improved monitoring of salmon and steelhead - comes from the Skeena Independent Science Review Panel, B.C government, and the Pacific Wild Salmon Policy (WSP). In regards to the WSP, this project will help increase understanding of coho, chinook, and steelhead conservation units, as well as contribute to a quantitative assessment of Morice stocks.
2009 Kitwanga River Coho Coded wire Tagging Program:
SkeenaWild Conservation Trust provided monetary support to the Gitanyow Fisheries Authority to operate the Kitwanga sockeye smolt fence for an additional three weeks in 2009 to allow for the capture of at least 15,000 wild Coho smolts for Coded Wire Tagging (CWT) purposes. This will allow the Kitwanga 2009 Coho CWT group to be monitored with the help of DFO and their various partners throughout the downstream and marine fisheries to determine an exploitation rate on the marked group. It is anticipated that the marked group will be examined in 2012-2013 upon their return to the Kitwanga River Salmon Enumeration Facility (KRSE) to estimate total survival rates for the group.