Salmon counts at the Big Bar landslide site

Fish passage

Fish passage

Between now and the end of the migration season in November, two types of monitoring methods will be used above and below the Big Bar landslide site – hydroacoustic and radio tagging.

Hydroacoustic monitoring uses sonar technology to count the number of salmon successfully passing through the slide site and track their continued migration. The equipment only counts the number of salmon and, while technicians can delineate between species in most cases, it does not provide data on which stocks are passing by.

Radio tagging involves inserting a tag into a fish’s stomach or attaching it to their back. The radio tag emits a signal that is detected by a shore-based receiver. The monitoring team has installed a network of radio receivers to monitor fish passage through the main stem of the Fraser River and into major spawning streams, including many in the area of the slide. Location data from these tags contributes information towards the passage rate of fish and the survival-to-spawn rate of the stocks.

The table below highlights fish movement at and above the slide site on a daily basis, including the number of fish using alternative passage systems.

Date Number of salmon radio tagged below the Big Bar landslide site
 Number of salmon achieving natural passage
 Number of salmon using alternative fish passage systems Number of fish 40 km upstream of Big Bar landslide siteFootnote 1Footnote 2
Truck and transport
 Whooshh Passage Portal TM
2020-05-26 0 0 0 0 0
2020-05-27 0 0 0 0 0
2020-05-28 0 0 0 0 0
2020-05-29 0 0 0 0 0
2020-05-30 0 0 0 0 0
2020-05-31 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-01 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-02 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-03 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-04 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-05 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-06 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-07 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-08 1 0 0 0 0
2020-06-09 4 0 0 0 0
2020-06-10 4 0 0 0 0
2020-06-11 6 0 0 0 0
2020-06-12 6 0 0 0 0
2020-06-13 1 0 0 0 0
2020-06-14 1 0 0 0 0
2020-06-15 5 0 0 0 0
2020-06-16 5 0 0 0 0
2020-06-17 7 0 0 0 0
2020-06-18 4 0 0 0 0
2020-06-19 1 0 0 0 0
2020-06-20 0 9 0 0 9
2020-06-21 0 9 0 0 9
2020-06-22 1 3 0 0 3
2020-06-23 1 0 0 0 0
2020-06-24 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-25 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-26 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-27 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-28 0 0 0 0 0
2020-06-29 0 3 0 0 3
2020-06-30 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-01 1 3 0 0 3
2020-07-02 0 9 0 0 9
2020-07-03 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-04 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-05 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-06 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-07 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-08 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-09 3 12 0 0 12
2020-07-10 19 6 0 0 6
2020-07-11 22 0 0 0 0
2020-07-12 26 0 0 0 0
2020-07-13 24 3 0 0 3
2020-07-14 20 0 0 0 0
2020-07-15 20 0 0 0 0
2020-07-16 19 0 0 0 0
2020-07-17 11 0 0 0 0
2020-07-18 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-19 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-20 3 0 0 0 0
2020-07-21 4 0 0 0 0
2020-07-22 14 0 0 0 0
2020-07-23 25 6 0 0 6
2020-07-24 7 3 0 0 3
2020-07-25 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-26 0 0 0 0 0
2020-07-27 5 18 114 0 18
2020-07-28 1 36 0 313 36
2020-07-29 35 48 0 235 48
2020-07-30 1 0 0 373 0
Total 307 176 114 921 176
Emergency enhancement

Emergency enhancement

As of June 3, the French Bar Creek Fish Holding Facility has been fully operational. It will support emergency conservation enhancement efforts. Fish selected for the enhancement program will be genetically tested and then transported to one of several hatcheries. The genetic testing identifies the stock or origin of each salmon. The table below indicates the chinook and sockeye salmon that have been selected for these efforts.

Date Weekly total Chinook Sockeye
June 20 to 26, 2020 2 2 0
June 27 to July 3, 2020 0 0 0
July 4 to 10, 2020 0 0 0
Total to date 2 2 0