The Alouette River Management Society is reminding the public that salmon are now spawning, and asks they keep their dogs, horses and themselves out of the river.
Chum, coho and chinook salmon are currently making the journey back to their spawning grounds in the waterway that cuts through Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. They also use many of the tributary streams that flow into the Alouette for spawning, and it's the same story in river systems across the Lower Mainland.
As these species near the end of their spawning and begin to die, which will take until mid November in the Alouette, sockeye salmon will begin to appear in the river. They leave eggs that may not hatch if they are disturbed.
"You don't want people, horses or dogs in the river until February," said Greta Borick-Cunningham, the executive director of ARMS.
"Stay out of the river until February, and give the fish a chance to spawn."
ARMS has spawner survey teams on the river and watching creeks. At its fish fence, ARMS will collect more than 100 female and male chum, to harvest some 600,000 eggs that will be used to rear fish in Lower Mainland hatcheries.
"They're on schedule, and doing pretty well," she said of the local salmon runs. "They're hanging out in pairs, which is wonderful to see."
The Alouette and its feeder streams get thousands of salmon, not tens of thousands, but Borick-Cunningham said it has been restored to a valuable salmon habitat.
"The fact we have all five species in the system speaks to how important the Alouette is," she said.
Arms points out that over a long trek from the ocean back to the fresh water they were born in, salmon are met with lots of obstacles, so it's important that we as humans not add any unnecessary stress to them during this journey. ARMS advises the public:
• These salmon have travelled a long way, are tired, nearing the end of their life cycle, and they also can become stressed easily. So admire them from afar.
• Keep dogs on a leash and avoid stepping in the water on foot or on horseback – these fish use their remaining strength to create the hole in the gravel for their nest, also known as redds, which are very sensitive and easy to step on and destroy.
• Minimize your impact – spawning areas can become popular for hundreds and thousands of visitors wanting to witness this migration. Ensure you’re being respectful of the fish, stay on the trails, respect private property and bring a pair of binoculars to keep your distance.
According to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, chinook and pink salmon are abundant on Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland inlets, coho and sockeye are slightly below but near long term averages, but chum are below long-term averages.
The Foundation offers information about where to spot salmon on its website at psf.ca
