Combined with low river flows caused by drought, it’s contributing to declining salmon populations in the beleaguered estuary
A century of log booms in the Cowichan-Koksilah estuary have not only degraded critical salmon-bearing habitat, they’ve given harbour seals an unfair advantage over fish coming in and out of the river system.
Drought years are only making it worse, since the lack of water means salmon stay longer in the lower river and estuary as they wait for the opportune time to go upstream to spawn. More than 100 years of log-boom operations in the Cowichan-Koksilah Estuary have littered the sea bed with dead zones of cut logs, bark and sticks, causing widespread damage to salmon-dependent eel grass beds and forage fish populations.
“This study has delivered concrete data demonstrating the level of crisis our relatives, the salmon, are experiencing.” At their peak, log-boom operations in the Cowichan estuary covered about half the area. The current licence for log storage now covers just 5.9% of the estuary, but the report still calls for changes in industrial practices and legislation in order to restore a healthy ecosystem and mitigate the effects of long-term booming operations.
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