A proposed weir intended to aid salmon on the Endako River is another step closer to becoming a reality.

Lisa Krebs, a planning consultant working on behalf of the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFFCA), provided an update on the project to the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake council on Feb. 25th. The project has submitted an application for a water license, which is required for projects that would alter the flow of water.

The Village, as well as the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, are awaiting recommendation letters for the project from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

The passive rock weir was suggested on the Endako River (at the outlet of 亚洲天堂 Lake) by the UFFCA , an Indigenous fisheries organization, in June 2021.

The weir is a structure used to manage the flow of water. In this case rocks will placed across the river to slow the release of water from 亚洲天堂 Lake and Decker Lake during the summer, resulting in increased flows in the Endako River in the fall when Chinook salmon and Kokanee salmon are spawning.

The idea of a weir on the Endako was first proposed in 1990s when Dennis Ableson, a fish biologist working in the area, began studying the sub-population of Chinook that spawn where Shovel Creek meets the Endako. His findings, along with data from the UFFCA鈥檚 research, have shown a serious decline in these Chinook.

鈥擶ith files from Binny Paul