Upper Skeena Fish Passage Culvert Inspection

The purpose of this report is to present background information and survey results for fish passage inspections along the B.C. Rail grade located in the upper Skeena Watershed. In 2007, Gitksan Watershed Authorities (GWA) was retained by the Pacific Salmon Commission to conduct a Fish Passage and Culvert Inspection (FPCI) on all non-bridged B.C. Rail crossings of fish bearing streams in the upper Skeena Watershed. The primary objective of this project was to focus on increasing the abundance of fish stocks by opening freshwater habitat to salmon spawning and rearing. This project utilized the fish passage culvert inspection procedure developed to evaluate one of the most easily addressed fish habitat constraints: access to existing habitat. The methodology is based on the BC Government fish passage protocol outlined in Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection Procedures.