Sumas First Nation members in Abbotsford, BC, gathered on the Vedder River on Friday to kick off the third year of its five-year salmon conservation, conservation and harvesting plan.
The initiative involves a combination of in-water monitoring and modern technology to monitor the health of multiple salmon populations traveling across the waterway, explained Amanda Gawor, natural resources officer of the First Nation of Sumas.
“What it really involves is getting an idea of the abundance of salmon migrating to terminal spawning areas. We are able to use the information provided by fishermen, therefore traditional knowledge, and combine it with cutting-edge science, such as our ARIS sonar, “he said.
“It’s very exciting, we are able to monitor the migration in real time and then compare it to capture the data as well.”
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Gawor said the information allows the community to make timely and informed decisions about when it is safe to fish.
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It also allows the nation to share this information with other nations and user groups, fostering transparency and trust while helping to protect the salmon population.
“Instead of waiting for a lot of post-season analysis and forecasts, we are able to use current knowledge to get a better idea of the migration, and we are able to use that information every year, if you continue, to measure the variation in runs and lead times of different species, ‘he said.
Earl of Sumas Frist Nation. Troy Ganzeveld, who has been fishing since 1985, said the importance of salmon – both culturally and as a food source – to the First Nations cannot be underestimated.
He said the protection program has helped demonstrate that importance, while demonstrating how the First Nations want and can be part of the solutions going forward.
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“(The river) is a part of me. That’s where I feel most comfortable. It’s hard to explain, “he said.
“The technology, by bringing actual seasonal counts of how many salmon are migrating through this system, will certainly help with resource management and better management to ensure that the resource will be here for generations to come.”
While construction is underway, the nation is asking people who use the river to make efforts to greedy the sonar equipment that has been deployed in the area.
Monitoring is expected to continue until the end of the month before resuming in the fall.
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