Poor water quality in the Cowichan River could lead to an earlier summertime fishery closure than usual.
Mark Frisson, the recreational fisheries coordinator for the east coast of Vancouver Island for the federal government, said he has been advised by the province that water quality in the river has deteriorated quite rapidly in recent days.
He said high pH and ammonia levels, combined with increasing water temperatures, are creating a challenging environment for trout and salmon in the river, and conditions are expected to worsen over the coming days and weeks.
“As a result, the province is looking to initiate the summertime fishing closure early this year,” Frisson said.
“Typically, the summer time closure is from July 15 to Aug. 31, but the province will be looking to move the beginning of the closure up so that it begins on or near June 15 this year.”
Frisson said the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the province are continuing to monitor the river and a final decision on when the fishery closure on the river will begin this summer will be made in the coming weeks.
However, he said it’s not anticipated that an early closure will significantly affect recreational angling on Cowichan River as fishing on the river has greatly decreased over the last few weeks.
“The water is the river is warm and the levels are low, so the fish are inactive and fishermen are not catching very many,” Frisson said.
Brian Houle, environment manager at the Catalyst Crofton mill which owns and operates the weir at Lake Cowichan, reported in late May that water levels in Cowichan Lake were lower at the time than the same time in 2023, which is considered to be the worst drought year in the watershed in recent memory.
The severe drought that struck the region in the summer of 2023 lowered water levels in Cowichan Lake and the Cowichan River dramatically, and resulted in the deaths of approximately 84,000 fish in the river.
Catalyst had to use 20 pumps for more than a month in September and October of that year to pump water over the weir to sustain water levels in the river.
That led to a new approach to managing water inventory in Cowichan Lake, and both provincial and federal fisheries are now aligned on what actions are needed as the dry season of 2025 approaches.
