Fishing guides get

Terrace Review — Wednesday, June 1, 1988 21

first-hand look at habitat damage

Biology and botony instructor Jorma Jyrkkanen, of the NWCC Fishing Guide Training

Program, took his class on the road recently to look at habitat damage caused by man. The Fishing Guide Training Program is sponsored by the Terrace and District Angling Guides Associa- tion to develop a labor force of capable and knowledgeable fish guide assistants in the north-

west.

by Tod Strachan

_Jyrkkanen and his students visited sites on the Copper and ‘Kitimat Rivers, where they could see the effects activities such as logging, roadbuilding and the construction of hydro lines on the environment. The idea, he said, was to familiarize prospec- tive fish guides with those

features of fish and aquatic’

biology and the associated en-

vironment that would enable

them to become better-rounded . fish guides.

“What we were looking at were the results of man’s ac- tivities on the fish habitat,”’ said Jyrkkanen. ‘‘A lot of human ac- tivities impact on fish.”

As examples, he explained that removing ground cover ex- poses the ground to direct sunlight, raising of the temperature of ground water which, if extensive enough, will ultimately raise the temperature _of. nearby creeks with an undesired impact on the fish.

Also, loss of large organic debris, mostly old conifer logs that have been embedded into the bank and substrate of the streams, has a negative effect. ‘This debris, Jyrkkanen said, helps to form pools and water ‘spilling over the logs provides ‘good aeration of the water and enhances spawning.

He said this was a very impor- tant finding of the Carnation Creek study, an intensive 15-year study on Vancouver Island which closely examined man’s impact on one eco- system, ‘‘Large organic debris is one of the most important things that is reduced by logging,’’ said Jyrkkanen.

Another major difficulty caused by erosion, says Jyrk- kanen, is the movement of fine sands and gravels. The move- ment of fine sand into creek beds fills the spaces between small rocks that the fish spawn in, and the eggs may suffer an oxygen-shortage or the fry may

generation of fish. He said chum and steethead are most often af- fected,

‘On the Copper River we saw examples of erosion from a variety of sources including power line cut lines, logging slash and some mechanical clearing of brush — right up to the river in some places. Also, the tool that had been used there had in fact turned up the ground quite a bit, causing damage,”’ Jyrkkanen said.

As the students looked at each example, Jyrkkanen described a guideline that would help to pre- vent, or at least minimize, the impact. ‘The most important, of course, is to follow the fish- forestry guidelines which the province has implemented.”’ .

“They'll be making a living from fish, they'll want to ensure that they know when something is happening to fish habitat that they can apprise the proper authorities of it. Also, it gives them a more general back- ground so they can talk to the people they’re guiding about the various things that affect the fish and their habitat,’’ said Jyrkkanen.

The Fish Guide Training Pro- gram is an 18-week course of

‘study which includes a variety of

training: industry orientation, equipment maintenance and small engine repair, water navigation and boat handling, map use and interpretation, biology and botany, tackle, fish handling regulations, guide- client relations, setting up camp, report writing, radio com- munications, legal requirements, marketing and survival first aid.

New lineman

TERRACE — V.J. (Veikko) Kammonen, B.C, Hydro Skeena Area Manager, recently an- nounced the appointment of C.K. (Cam) Simon as Line Supervisor of B.C. Hydro Customer Services operations for Terrace and Kitimat.

Simon joined B,C, Hydro in 1967, and has served in a number of capacities since that time. He first worked with the B.C. Hydro Construction Department, and joined the Customer Services Group in 1978,

Simon replaces Bill Mc- Caveney, who recently transfer-

Terrace biologist Jorma Jyrkkanen recently took a group of local fishing guides out in the field to examine damaged fish habitat. The trip was one segment of an intensive 18-week Fish Guide Training Program offered by Northwest Community College.

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