Accommodations are cosy, close to nature, and government-subsidized: they’re also for fish.
The District of North Vancouver recently wrapped up work on the Lynn Creek estuary leading to Burrard Inlet in the hopes of creating a refuge for juvenile fish and spawning salmon.
The $335,000 project involved three excavators passing 100 logs into the creek’s gravel bars. If the plan works, the bars will grab hold of the debris that makes for good fish habitat. The project also included building intertidal islands at the head of the bar earmarked for plant life.
Workers pulled blackberry, ivy, holly, and broom from the shores of the creek, replacing the invasive species with grass and clover. After the pull, workers put down fabric designed to stop the unwanted plants from cropping up again.
Prior to the work, the gravel bars were too rocky for plants to take root. However, an accumulation of sediment should allow the district to plant seagrasses, according to Stephanie Smiley, District of North Vancouver spokeswoman.
The DNV project was done in partnership with the City of North Vancouver, Port Metro Vancouver, the BCIT Rivers Institute and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Fisheries and Oceans Canada made the biggest contribution with $100,000 while the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation chipped in with $50,000. Viterra, a grain company, contributed $40,000.
When it comes to returning salmon, it will take several generations to see if the project was a success, according to Smiley.
