Category Archives: Streamkeeping

Lovely Day for Byrne Creek Salmon Patrol

We retrieved a pile of dead chum and one dead coho today on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, and processed them for size, sex, and spawning status.

If you see fish carcasses cut in half, don’t worry, that’s done by volunteer streamkeepers after they have assessed the dead salmon. We cut them in half so it’s easy to see that they have been processed and the data collected. Streamkeepers have training and permission to carry out this activity.

Note that it is illegal to interfere with spawning salmon, and that includes removing dead ones.  Please watch from a distance when observing this amazing natural spectacle.

Byrne Creek

cipywnyk_byrne_spawner_patrol_2_20161114

cipywnyk_byrne_spawner_patrol_3_20161114
One coho salmon in a row of chum

Chum Run Setting New Records on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby

Wow, what a season it’s shaping up to be! Nearly every day that volunteer streamkeepers patrol Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, new records are set for chum salmon spawner returns. We’re finally seeing a few coho, too!

Byrne Creek spawning salmon
This lovely coho shot past us upstream as we were patrolling, and then rested long enough to grab a photo or two.

cipywnyk_byrne_creek_chum_1_20161108
Big male chum at the lower end of the culvert, which has become one huge redd.

cipywnyk_byrne_creek_chum_2_20161108
Several pairs of chum spawning at lower end of the culvert

cipywnyk_byrne_creek_chum_3_20161108
A few of the fish that volunteer streamkeepers processed today for length, sex, and spawning status.

cipywnyk_byrne_creek_chum_4_20161108

cipywnyk_byrne_creek_chum_5_20161108
Lots of chum in the lower ravine.

Dozen+ Chum Salmon Seen in Byrne Ck

Despite the rain and somewhat poor visibility, I went on a spawner patrol on Byrne Creek in SE #Burnaby, and was rewarded by seeing over a dozen chum. It was also exciting to see them moving up into the lower ravine.

cipywnyk_byrne_chum_1_20161023
One of a pair seen in the lower ravine

cipywnyk_byrne_chum_2_20161023
The other chum in the lower ravine

cipywnyk_byrne_chum_3_20161023
Near the stop log in the sediment pond. The area looks like a huge extended redd from the upper end of the pond into the lower end of the culvert

cipywnyk_byrne_chum_4_20161023
Three or four in this shot

chum salmon byrne creek
You can see the huge area of disturbed gravel and cobble. Lots of spawning action!

Chum Salmon Spawning in Stoney Creek, Burnaby, BC

I’d hoped to attend a celebration of life today for the late Eric Carlisle, SEHAB member and salmon whisperer extraordinaire. However, an oncoming cold kept me closer to home, though Yumi convinced me to get out in the fresh air for an hour and check out the spawners on Stoney Creek.

chum salmon stoney creek
Cariboo Dam fish ladder

cipywnyk_stoney_1_20161023
Stoney Creek chum in full spawning colours

cipywnyk_stoney_2_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_3_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_4_20161023
Dippers appear with the salmon — they dive for loose eggs

cipywnyk_stoney_5_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_6_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_7_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_8_20161023
Rivalry results in explosive action

cipywnyk_stoney_9_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_10_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_11_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_12_20161023

cipywnyk_stoney_13_20161023

Byrne Creek Dike Clearcut Well Underway

Provincial dike regulations are forcing the City of Burnaby to clearcut the habitat along lower Byrne Creek that shades the creek and is home to dozens of species of birds and other wildlife.

You can see in these photos how this stretch is going from lush mixed trees, bush, and other vegetation, to wasteland. I understand the need to inspect dikes for safety reasons, but is it really necessary to clearcut everything?

I know that Burnaby protested, to no avail, but I wonder why the work is going ahead just as salmon are returning to spawn.

And I’m sure that summer water temperature in this lower part of the creek will become lethal to trout and salmon with all the cover gone.

UPDATE: Over the course of the day I was in touch with both DFO and City of Burnaby Environmental staff. DFO will be looking into this, and enviro staff sounded surprised at the extent of plant removal, saying they thought only trees that were impeding vehicle movement along the top of the dike were supposed to be targeted at this time.

However, this still comes down to unbending provincial regulations. Cannot a happy medium be found that allows for inspection and assurance of safety, yet retains critical suburban salmon and other wildlife habitat?

Byrne Creek dike clearcut

cipywny_byrne_dike_clearing_1_20161018

cipywny_byrne_dike_clearing_2_20161018

Chum Salmon Spawners Spotted in Burnaby’s Byrne Creek

Yumi and I were eager to check out reports of chum back to spawn in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby after streamkeeper volunteers Rob and Joan’s sighting yesterday.

We saw 3 live chum today, and up to 3 redds (nests of eggs in the gravel).  Yumi pegged the three as a male and 2 females (one larger chum kept bumping and bothering two lightly smaller ones…).

This is about a week earlier than they “usually” start showing up in the creek.

chum spawners byrne creek burnaby bc

cipywnyk_chum_byrne_burnaby_1_20161010

Rivers Day at Burnaby Village Museum

Volunteers with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society participated in World Rivers Day at the Burnaby Village Museum. It was a lovely day.

Burnaby Rivers Day
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers booth

cipywnyk_rivers_day_burnaby_2_20160925
The ancient Japanese kamishibai storytelling art with a rivers twist
: -)

cipywnyk_rivers_day_burnaby_4_20160925
An OWL ambassador (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society)

cipywnyk_rivers_day_burnaby_5_20160925
An endangered Western Painted Turtle, cared for by the Coastal Painted Turtle Project

cipywnyk_rivers_day_burnaby_6_20160925
Rivers Day founder Mark Angelo

cipywnyk_rivers_day_burnaby_7_20160925
City of Burnaby Environment Committee Chair Anne Kang

Burnaby Rivers DAy
Lots of fun for kids!

cipywnyk_rivers_day_burnaby_3_20160925
A couple of City of Burnaby eco-sculpture cows hanging out.

Byrne Creek Fish Trapping Sept. 2016

Volunteers with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society have been trapping fish in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, for over a decade to determine species presence, and gain some sense of size and numbers. Rob and I set the traps yesterday and retrieved them today.

NOTE: Streamkeepers have permission from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to carry out these surveys, and have training from the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation.

All fish are released unharmed.

Results:

~ T515 U/S Southridge culvert (lower end of ravine)
2 X 9cm cuts
1 X 11cm cut
1 X 13 cm cut

~ T519 Near monument
Empty

~ T521 Stair bottom
Empty

~ T523 Trail Crossing
1 X 12cm cut
1 X 14cm cut

~ T524 Burnt stump
Empty

~ T530 Hedley outfall
2 X 12cm cuts
1 X 14cm cut

~ T533 Hell Hole
1 X 8cm cut

~ T539 d/s of Griffiths Pond
1 X 12cm cut
1 X 16cm cut

About three of today’s cuts had a fairly prominent pinkish lateral line area — cutbows?

Grand total 12 small cuthroat

Unfortunately no coho.

Bait used was cat food.

Volunteer hours: 2 X 2.25 = 4.5