Kitwanga River Side Channel Habitat Improvement Project

The Kitwanga River drainage is a tributary to the Skeena River located 90 kilometres northwest of Terrace, B.C. The Kitwanga River side channel habitat improvement project completed at the Gitanyow Fisheries Authority (GFA) permanent fish counting facility in 2004, located approximately 4 kilometres upstream from the confluence of the Kitwanga River with the Skeena River (Figure 1.). The rationale for this project was to provide improved juvenile rearing habitat for salmonids (especially coho salmon). The intake of the side channel was excavated to remove debris and sediment to ensure a consistent water flow throughout the entire year.