Category Archives: Streamkeeping

Nature, Photography, 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

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One coho salmon in a row of chum

Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

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.

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

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Several pairs of chum spawning at lower end of the culvert

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

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Lots of chum in the lower ravine.

Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

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.

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One of a pair seen in the lower ravine

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The other chum in the lower ravine

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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

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Three or four in this shot

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

Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

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.

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Cariboo Dam fish ladder

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Stoney Creek chum in full spawning colours

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Dippers appear with the salmon — they dive for loose eggs

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Rivalry results in explosive action

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Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

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

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Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

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.

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Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

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

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

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An OWL ambassador (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society)

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

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Rivers Day founder Mark Angelo

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City of Burnaby Environment Committee Chair Anne Kang

Burnaby Rivers DAy
Lots of fun for kids!

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

Nature, Streamkeeping

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