The Squamish Streamkeepers are working closely with Seacology, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in order to get permission to transplant herring eggs from our spawning nets at the False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf in Vancouver BC to nearby Coal Harbour Marina. The Coal Harbour Marina has natural spawning substrate called eelgrass that is still intact, and herring historically used to spawn here. The DFO have requested that we submit a report that includes the following: Executive Summery, Aquatic Organism Biology, Source and Destination, Monitoring and Risk Evaluation. The DFO states that this area of interest for the egg transfer project is quote: “outside the scope of our work as fishery managers and stock assessment biologists, as no commercial fisheries occur, or would be considered for the areas you are interested in”. Essentially, this means it’s up to us to follow through with this to get the job done. Douglas Swanston, Squamish Streamkeeper and Seacology Marine Biologist is working with Rory Cleveland an Ecological Restoration Msc Student from SFU and BCIT on this project. Currently, Rory and Douglas are drafting up the required report for the DFO. It’s likely the project will not be approved until 2021.
