Ecologist worried lack of snow will have an impact on sockeye run

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The weather is great but you may not be barbecuing as many salmon this summer.

At least one ecologist is worried our dry winter could affect the sockeye run.

Dr. Craig Orr with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society is very concerned about low water levels in rivers expected in the summer.

“A lot of the spawning tributaries in the fall will be lower than normal and again, this will be related to possibly higher temperatures when these fish get back. They’re already stressed when they’re heading back to the Fraser, and this is an additional stress,” he explains.

“A low snowpack is one more cumulative impact on fish like sockeye and other salmon that are trying to swim up the river that’s getting hotter and may not have as much water for them,” adds Orr.

He says the proper amount of water is needed to maintain flows of migration and cool things down to prevent stress which can lead to low survival rates and fewer eggs spawned.

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