Salmon fry are mysteriously dying in a stream near Terrace, and as a result the City is reminding residents to take care to keep storm drains free of contaminants.
Over the past few months, officers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and City staff have documented dead coho salmon fry in a small stream at the junction of Eby St. and Graham Ave. The stream is a rearing habitat for salmon and flows into the Skeena river.
The DFO has been unable to pinpoint the reason behind salmon mortality in the stream, but suspect harmful substances in the city’s storm drainage system to be the cause.
In response, the City has started a project marking drains in the area with yellow fish to highlight the sensitivity of salmon habitats, and reduce harmful substances entering those habitats. Anything that enters storm drains goes directly into streams and is not treated.
The City of Terrace asks anyone that has information on the possible source of salmon fry mortality in the area call the Terrace office of the DFO at 250-615-5350.
Ben Bogstie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Interior News
