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There has been a dam at the outlet of Comox Lake on the Puntledge River since 1912, then operated by Canadian Collieries Dunsmuir Ltd. In 1953 the facility was purchased by the BC Power Commission and upgrades to the facilities ensued. During construction on the Impoundment Dam at Comox Lake, an earthen filled coffer dam failed with many tons of sediment covering existing salmon spawning beds downstream.
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Author: Laurent Frisson
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Old Reference Number: F18-PUN-DFO-1
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Old Reference System: FWCP - Fish Wildlife Compensation Program Coastal
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Date Published: Sep 2018
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Report ID: 58092
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Audience: Government and Public
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In 1958, after construction of the facilities was completed, salmon and steelhead trout could no longer migrate to their natal spawning grounds. A formal commission (the Angus Commission), was called to review, address and make recommendation regarding impacts to Puntledge River salmon from the hydro facilities. The commission reviewed historical abundance of salmon and their spawning areas in the Puntledge River and reviewed scientific information addressing why the salmon and trout populations declined since the upgrades to the hydro-electric facilities. In summary, the report stated that the B.C. Power Commission Ltd. and Environment Canada (now Fisheries and Oceans Canada) would work cooperatively to restore the dwindling salmon stocks in the Puntledge River watershed. In 1965, a spawning channel and associated infrastructure was constructed as compensation at a location adjacent to the Diversion Dam, known as the Upper Site. This channel was not successful so with additional effort and resources, artificial propagation was initiated in 1972. At the onset of DFOs Salmonid Enhancement Program in 1977, the program expanded to include a second hatchery (Lower Site) immediately below the existing generation station. This facility was primarily for egg incubation and rearing of Fall Chinook, Chum and Pink salmon while the original Upper Site continued to be utilized to rear and release juvenile Summer Chinook, Coho and steelhead trout. The Upper Site was also utilized to capture and hold migrating Summer Chinook adults over the summer months until they were artificially spawned in early fall. Poor water quality (high temperature, high total gas pressure and low oxygen) at the site resulted in high mortality of juvenile Coho as well as Chinook adults during the summer months. DFO Biologists believe that the early returning Summer Chinook migration was aided by spring freshets from snow melt and precipitation events. When the high river flows subsided in the summer, a natural migration obstacle resulted, ensuring delineation between the Summer and Fall runs of Chinook. Fishways built between the two hatchery sites in the 1960s and 1970s, to assist in salmon migration, may have created an overlap in the spawning areas to which the two runs can migrate, resulting in possible hybridization. DFO geneticists assure, through DNA analysis, the uniqueness of the Summer Chinook is still intact. Recent studies have revealed that during the months of July and August when water temperatures and recreational users of the river peak, adult migrant mortality could be as high as 50 percent in the river between the two hatchery facilities (Reach C). In 2010, BC Hydro and DFO initiated discussions regarding the decommissioning of the Upper facility. Information from studies, biological strategy changes in SEPs programs along with the desire by B.C. Hydro to reduce liability, led to a plan and agreement by the two parties to decommission the Upper facility. A formal arrangement between the two agencies included funding by B.C. Hydro for added infrastructure at the Lower Site (chiller, tubs, storage, stand-by generator) as well as annual funding to support Summer Chinook enhancement. In 2012 the Upper facility was decommissioned by B.C. Hydro. The annual contribution from BC Hydro is presently administered through the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Program.
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Report Type
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Fish and Aquatic Habitat Information |
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Subject
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Fish Species - Chinook Salmon - Oncorhynchus tshawytscha |
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Fish Species - Coho Salmon - Oncorhynchus kisutch |
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Fish Species - Steelhead - Oncorhynchus mykiss |
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Region - Vancouver Island |
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Fish and Fish Habitat - Conservation Biology |
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Fish and Fish Habitat - Habitat and Stream Assessment |
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Fish and Fish Habitat - Management |
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Watershed Groups - 920 - Vancouver Island (East) Rivers |
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