Province suspends fishing in Salmon Arm Bay

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The province is suspending fishing in Salmon Arm Bay where the Salmon River and Shuswap Lake meet. This action is because of conservation concerns and low stream flows.

Effective this weekend, Sept. 11, until the end of the year, all fishing in Salmon Arm Bay west of Engineer's Point and Sunnybrae Point is prohibited.

The closure has been put in place to protect fish stocks, which are particularly vulnerable due to the low stream flows. The low water has led to conservation and compliance issues, particularly for migrating chinook and coho salmon.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has also closed the same area and the two closures will support one another. Fishing closures are enabled through the British Columbia sport fishing regulations of the Federal Fisheries Act.

This is not the first fishing suspension this summer. Angling was prohibited on the Middle Shuswap River and water restrictions were placed on the Coldwater River to protect the salmon. The province also released water from Nicola Lake to the Nicola River to combat low streams and aid salmon spawning.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.