Declining West Coast Sockeye Salmon Runs will hurt Grizzly Bears
Canada’Äôs Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced today
that a number of important west coast Sockeye Salmon runs are measuring well below expected returns. British Columbia’Äôs Fraser River run is down by more than 50% with some central coast runs 85% below expected returns.
It is common to view reduced salmon runs as a human tragedy, measuring declines in terms of unemployment for West Coast fishers and a resulting loss for coastal communities. There is a less obvious and equally important consequence: Salmon is critically important bear food.
Coast Mountain Expeditions has developed a wildlife/cultural sea kayaking expedition in partnership with the Xwemahlkwu (Hom-ath-ku) First Nation. The Xwemahlkwu are the stewards of the PapKnach grizzly bear sanctuary on their traditional territory in the Orford River of Bute Inlet. Coast Mountain offers a 6 day kayak expedition to the grizzly sanctuary, and we are guests of the Xwemahlkwu at PapKnach. Grizzly bear viewing has become an important part of the new Xwemahlkwu economy.
Thanks to the first nation hatchery program, the salmon runs at Papknach are doing well this year, but other local runs are in trouble. When sockeye salmon runs collapsed in Rivers Inlet 3 years ago, starving grizzly bears wandered through the native village looking for food. In that year, conservation officers shot over 40 grizzly bears because there was not enough salmon for the bears to survive the winter.
The collapse of British Columbia salmon runs are due to unusually warm weather combined with clear cut logging. Clear cutting exposes surface water (normally shaded by trees) to sun, evaporation and warming. Dramatic temperature increases the in the spawning channels is causing mortality of up to 90% before the fish can spawn.
Why is this happening now? Why is it so warm? Will this be an ongoing weather pattern? If so, there will be a corresponding drop in BC’Äôs coastal grizzly bear population.
For information regarding the conservation of BC West Coast habitat and marine life, go to: georgiastrait.org
