In a Storied River, Fish Are Dying in Droves as Climate Change Scorches Canada (NY Times)-Very disturbing info

[kmudgn]

I wish I was allowed to paste the article as it is very revealing and sad. All I can do is list the link. Hopefully, you can get past the pay wall and/or find a local outlet that has uploaded the info

In a Storied River, Fish Are Dying in Droves as Climate Change Scorches Canada

The effects of a summer of environmental catastrophes were felt everywhere in Canada, from its vast boreal forests to a river on Vancouver Island once fished by Hollywood royalty.

www.nytimes.com

 

[RCF]

Available on Seattle Times:

Fish are dying in droves in a storied river on Vancouver Island

Scientists suspect the culprit is climate change, which has contributed to the decline of British Columbia salmon populations.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[Matt Paluch]

This is so sad. Now we're also seeing Mahi Mahi, bluefin tuna, and other warm saltwater species being caught off the Washington coast. Not a good outlook for our native salmon and steelhead.

 

[_WW_]

Pretty soon we'll have palm trees at Roche Harbor!

 

[Mossback]

Myself, getting fresh pineapples year 'round will be sweet...as will getting the other tropical fruits.
Remember.. a 20 pound Tarpon can tow a 20 pound salmon or steelhead backwards till it dies.
Go Tarpon !!!!

 

[Evan B]

This is so sad. Now we're also seeing Mahi Mahi, bluefin tuna, and other warm saltwater species being caught off the Washington coast. Not a good outlook for our native salmon and steelhead.

To be fair, those fish have always been out there. Especially the bluefin. You're just seeing/hearing about it more because of the internet.

Tribes along the straight of Juan de Fucha used to hunt bluefin INSIDE the straights. So probably not the best barometer.

Not to distract too much from the problems here. But those particular fish shouldn't concern us too much.

 

[Merle]

"...It remains a mystery. Government officials found partially treated wastewater in the river a couple of weeks after the fish were found, but they have yet to draw conclusions about its impact. Local scientists suspect the bigger culprit is climate change, which has contributed to the decline of salmon populations in British Columbia by increasing droughts and heat waves...."

I don't know, if they immediately dismiss the pollution and ascribe the fish kill to climate change, wouldn't someone measure the water temperature and compare it to previous years? I kept reading hoping that there would be some actual data on river temperatures but nothing.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

Myself, getting fresh pineapples year 'round will be sweet...as will getting the other tropical fruits.
Remember.. a 20 pound Tarpon can tow a 20 pound salmon or steelhead backwards till it dies.
Go Tarpon !!!!

This is the kind of positive thinking we need when it comes to these subjects.

 

[Matt Paluch]

To be fair, those fish have always been out there. Especially the bluefin. You're just seeing/hearing about it more because of the internet.

Tribes along the straight of Juan de Fucha used to hunt bluefin INSIDE the straights. So probably not the best barometer.

Not to distract too much from the problems here. But those particular fish shouldn't concern us too much.

Do you have anything I can read to learn more about the tribes hunting bluefin inside the straits? That's something I hadn't heard, and I'd like to learn more about it.

 

[Mossback]

https://polarbearscience.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/crockford_prehistoric_bluefintuna1997_downloaded-pdf.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwijudyIgoiBAxUWIzQIHbT1A7sQFnoECCoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3OiTBUgdf8roEW6T01aC8J

 

[fatbillybob]

Myself, getting fresh pineapples year 'round will be sweet...as will getting the other tropical fruits.
Remember.. a 20 pound Tarpon can tow a 20 pound salmon or steelhead backwards till it dies.
Go Tarpon !!!!

Be careful what you wish for.... Can there be more of this to come?

Tarpon Caught and Released on Cape Cod - On The Water

Last week, On The Water covered a story of a Connecticut angler who caught a 19-pound barracuda off of Montauk. Just a week prior to that, we shared the tale of New Jersey's pending state-record king mackerel—a 67-pounder that toppled the previous 54-pound record. And just when I thought things...

www.onthewater.com

 

[Mossback]

Like I said...
Go Tarpon !!!

I am a big fan of Big Tarpon.
Nothing would make me happier than to not have to fly to Central America to fish over schools of very large Tarpon.

 

[Chris Bellows]

Like I said...
Go Tarpon !!!

I am a big fan of Big Tarpon.
Nothing would make me happier than to not have to fly to Central America to fish over schools of very large Tarpon.

You'll still be flying from your new home in Nunavut.

 

[Mossback]

Lol
Why would I go there ?
Maybe to fish for salmon, sure...
No, I will let the Tarpon come to me. I'll just be waiting in the shade of my palm tree eating a pineapple from the back yard.

 

[Otter]

"...It remains a mystery. Government officials found partially treated wastewater in the river a couple of weeks after the fish were found, but they have yet to draw conclusions about its impact. Local scientists suspect the bigger culprit is climate change, which has contributed to the decline of salmon populations in British Columbia by increasing droughts and heat waves...."

I don't know, if they immediately dismiss the pollution and ascribe the fish kill to climate change, wouldn't someone measure the water temperature and compare it to previous years? I kept reading hoping that there would be some actual data on river temperatures but nothing.

I don’t think investigators are immediately dismissing any possible cause(s). Since this is my home river, I’m trying to keep current on more news about this terrible loss. Here’s a recent article in the Vancouver Sun (BC):

Calls to close Cowichan River to fishing as 'dead zone' forms

The Cowichan’s decline “is the death of 1,000 cuts.”

vancouversun.com

I checked river water temperature records online for this time period, and noted it was about 21 to 23 C. Pretty high for coldwater fish.

High water temps have a double whammy effect on fish. The higher the water temp, the less oxygen it holds. And high water temps also increase fish’s metabolism; meaning fish have a higher demand for oxygen, but there’s less oxygen in the water.

Another cause of low dissolved oxygen is organic pollution, which uses up oxygen as it decomposes. We’re talking here about the minimally-treated sewage discharged from the town into the upper river.

They are also considering possible toxins dumped into the river. The river is overcrowded with people swimming, camping, and boating in summer, especially in yet another recent record drought. Maybe somebody did something really bad.

Since this situation is of interest to American PNW anglers, and even as far away as New York City, I’ll post any news that I find.

 

[Shad]

Yeah... I moved to this area to catch giant salmonids, but if we have to lose that deal, why not gain a solid tarpon/mahi fishery? Heck... who knows? Maybe we'll even see GTs!

 

[Dustin Chromers]

Like I said...
Go Tarpon !!!

I am a big fan of Big Tarpon.
Nothing would make me happier than to not have to fly to Central America to fish over schools of very large Tarpon.

Why fly when central America can come to you?

 

[Dustin Chromers]

Yeah... I moved to this area to catch giant salmonids, but if we have to lose that deal, why not gain a solid tarpon/mahi fishery? Heck... who knows? Maybe we'll even see GTs!

You get bass first. Then when the climate change really hits you get the bones and Tarpon.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

Do you have anything I can read to learn more about the tribes hunting bluefin inside the straits? That's something I hadn't heard, and I'd like to learn more about it.

Here's a start.

 

[SSPey]

Here's a start.

Far as I can tell, this is both the start and the end of this topic. None of the 34 papers citing this work by Crockford take further steps to clarify the historic use or distribution of bluefin in the NE Pacific and I couldn’t locate any others. That’s unfortunate and Crockford is apparently mired in other controversies. It’s a cool topic.