Concerns raised over alleged cuts to North Coast salmon monitoring

B.C. conservation groups are sounding the alarm over a cut to a government program they claim poses a serious threat to fish stocks.

British Columbia conservation groups are sounding the alarm about a cut to a government program they say poses a serious threat to fish stocks.

The program involves crucial salmon monitoring at the peak of spawning season.

Aaron Hill with Watershed Watch Salmon Society said the deployment of a small group of professionals to see first hand how fish are doing in remote areas is critical to allow for fisheries to safely open.

“(To) know that we have enough abundance, to do that we have to know how many fish are in our rivers and streams,” he told Global News.

Hill said in most years that information has been gathered by contractors hired by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

This summer, he said, there appeared to be a disruption on two of B.C.’s most important salmon rivers.

” What happened is this year DFO for some reason didn’t get it together to get proper contracts for these folks at the beginning of the season,” Hill said.

The Rivers in question are the Nass and Skeena rivers on the North Coast.