First Nations leaders from across B.C. are calling for immediate action on the Fraser River to remove the blockage at the Big Bar landslide site within 60 days to allow fish passage.
A 91裸聊视频渟tate of emergency91裸聊视频� needs to be declared on the Fraser River, said Regional Chief Terry Teegee of First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC), urging the federal government to 91裸聊视频渦rgently prioritize resources91裸聊视频� to tackle the crisis.
Remediation work for remote slide site being planned now by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and partners, may not be completed in time to save some salmon runs from extinction, some are warning.
91裸聊视频淭o this day, B.C. First Nations have maintained a sacred relationship with the salmon that migrate through their territories and beyond,91裸聊视频� Chief Teegee said. 91裸聊视频淓xtreme efforts and resources must be put forth immediately to preserve cultures and ways of life that have existed for thousands of years.91裸聊视频�
READ MORE:
DFO issued a request for information (RFI) on Nov. 27 to seek the contractors with expertise in construction and environmental mediation needed 91裸聊视频渢o re-establish natural fish passage91裸聊视频� by removing the blockage.
91裸聊视频淭he intention is to ensure that construction activities begin as soon as possible, and while water levels in the Fraser River are low,91裸聊视频� according to DFO in an update on Dec. 2.
READ MORE:
But the future impacts on Early Stuart and chinook from Big Bar blockage in particular constitute an emergency in the making right now, according to Sto:lo Tribal Council Grand Chief Ken Malloway, a Sto:lo fisherman, and member of the First Nations advisory panel on the Big Bar slide.
91裸聊视频淭he thing we91裸聊视频檙e concerned about, at this time of year with the water dropping, is there is still some very large rock that needs to be removed,91裸聊视频� said Malloway. 91裸聊视频淭hey need to be in there now blasting and removing rock.91裸聊视频�
Chief Joe Alphonse, tribal chair of the Ts虃ilhqot91裸聊视频檌n National Government, said the salmon stocks need 91裸聊视频渁ll the help91裸聊视频� they can get.
91裸聊视频淩ight now there are low water levels on the Fraser. So if anything substantial is to happen it has to happen by the month of January,91裸聊视频� Chief Alphonse said, not February or March. 91裸聊视频淭here is only a small window of opportunity. They have to get on it.91裸聊视频�
Last summer the Ts虃ilhqot91裸聊视频檌n were expecting to see a return of a million fish from the Chilko Lake run, the 91裸聊视频渉ealthiest, strongest run91裸聊视频� of sockeye on the Fraser, he said. But only about 170,000 sockeye returned.
READ MORE:
Responding to early slide reports in July 2019, an unprecedented government-to-government-to-government protocol was put in place, led by the Incident Command Post management team based in Kamloops. Unified team efforts brought together provincial, DFO, and First Nations, who all worked toward freeing the fish trapped behind the slide. Current Big Bar landslide updates can be found .
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
Like us on and follow us on .
