B.C. issues protection order for Salmon River watershed as fish spawn

The British Columbia government has issued a temporary protection order for the Salmon River watershed, where chinook salmon have returned to spawn. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship aims to ensure enough water remains in the river amid ongoing drought conditions and low streamflow, which threaten fish survival.

Over 200 chinook have entered the watershed at a critical stage in their life cycle, and the order means 458 surface water and groundwater licences and transitioning groundwater users must stop using water for irrigation and other industrial purposes. The order will be rescinded as soon as possible once conditions improve sufficiently to protect fish populations and critical environmental flows.

Brief written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.