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

Advertisement

Advertise with us

VICTORIA - The British Columbia government has issued a new temporary protection order for the Salmon River watershed, where chinook salmon have returned to spawn.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government has issued a new temporary protection order for the Salmon River watershed, where chinook salmon have returned to spawn.

The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says in a news release that the order aims to ensure enough water remains in the river amid ongoing drought conditions and low streamflow, which threaten fish survival.

It says technical staff have been monitoring conditions since a previous temporary protection order was issued on July 28, and then rescinded on Aug. 8, as farmers and ranchers dealt with increased wildfire risk in the region.

In this photo taken Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, salmon, identified by biologists as a coho, left, and a Chinook, swim past viewing windows at a fish ladder where salt water transitions to fresh at the Ballard Locks in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, salmon, identified by biologists as a coho, left, and a Chinook, swim past viewing windows at a fish ladder where salt water transitions to fresh at the Ballard Locks in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The salmon are endangered and the ministry says more than 200 chinook have entered the watershed at a critical stage in their life cycle. 

The order now in effect means 458 surface water and groundwater licences and transitioning groundwater users in the watershed must stop using water for irrigation of forage crops, lawns, fairways and garden industrial purposes. 

The ministry says those impacted will be contacted directly with a copy of the signed order. 

It says provincial staff will continue monitoring streamflow, fish populations and watershed conditions throughout the season, and the order will be rescinded as soon as possible.

It says that will come “once conditions improve sufficiently to protect fish populations and critical environmental flows.”

“If a wildfire or firefighting occurs in the area of the temporary protection order, the Water Sustainability Act allows for water to be used,” the release says. 

It notes that programs are in place to support farmers who experience crop failure due to drought, noting B.C.’s Agriculture Ministry is available to answer their questions and respond to claims.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2026.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Costco breaks ground on new West St. Paul store

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Preview

Costco breaks ground on new West St. Paul store

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026

Construction has begun on the American retailer's newest Manitoba location which developers expect will open in August 2027.

Read
Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026

Ramifications of the high cost of pet care

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Ramifications of the high cost of pet care

Editorial 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

They are widely considered to be, as the timeless adage reminds, our best friends. In most cases and contexts, there’s almost nothing we wouldn’t do to ensure they’re safe, healthy and happy.

But caring for a pet has become decidedly more complicated and burdensome of late, owing in part to the rising cost of the veterinary care that is now an inevitable element of the pet-ownership experience.

Recent reporting shows a sharp increase in the number of pets being surrendered to animal shelters as a result of their owners’ inability to cover the costs of veterinary bills while dealing with the overall increase in the cost of living.

A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Humane Society said 150 animals were surrendered there in July alone, primarily because their owners could not afford vet care. The Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter reports at least 200 pets surrendered this year by owners who cited finances as the reason for their difficult decision.

Read
2:00 AM CDT

ATV, generator stolen from Manitoba cottage

1 minute read Yesterday at 9:53 AM CDT

RCMP are seeking the public’s help to identify a person of interest after an all-terrain vehicle and other belongings were stolen from a cottage in southern Manitoba.

The theft happened near near Provincial Road 440 in the Rural Municipality of Louise, about 150 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, on Aug. 11.

Police said surveillance video showed a man walking onto the property at about 2:30 p.m. while covering his face and holding power tools.

A grinder was used to open a locked shipping container, where a 1982 Honda ATC200 all-terrain vehicle, a Honda EU2000i generator and a Stihl FS90 trimmer were among the items stolen, RCMP said. One of two Spypoint trail cameras was also reported stolen.

Edmonton not the same old Elks as Bombers get ready for road clash

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Preview

Edmonton not the same old Elks as Bombers get ready for road clash

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Yesterday at 7:04 PM CDT

Edmonton’s CFL team has been a complete, utter mess for the majority of the past decade.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers took full advantage of their once-prominent West Division foe falling on hard times by shellacking them time and time again.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

The Blue and Gold defeated the Elks three times in a span of five weeks in 2021 — including a 30-3 beatdown on Chancellor Matheson Road on Oct. 8.

Read
Yesterday at 7:04 PM CDT

Carney asks provinces to return U.S. alcohol to stores

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Carney asks provinces to return U.S. alcohol to stores

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:41 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked provinces to restock American alcohol on their shelves as Canada finalizes a trade deal with the U.S. 

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would put a three-day pause on 50 per cent tariffs that would have hit an array of Canadian goods just after midnight Wednesday.

The two governments are now finalizing the language of the deal.

Carney, who briefed cabinet ministers and premiers about the draft plan Wednesday, said the deal it builds on Canada's existing trade advantages with the U.S.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 8:41 PM CDT

Man pleads guilty to shotgun slaying

Erik Pindera 5 minute read Preview

Man pleads guilty to shotgun slaying

Erik Pindera 5 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

A WINNIPEG drug dealer has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a March 2025 killing that saw the body of a 30-year-old man dumped in a garbage bin and dragged to a West End alleyway.

Frederick Francis Mathias Baker, who was 28 upon his arrest early last year, shot Bronson Emery Dale Kequahtooway once in the thigh with a sawed-off shotgun and left him with a fatal wound, Crown prosecutor Matt Armstrong told Court of King’s Bench Justice Brian Bowman on Wednesday.

A split second after Baker shot Kequahtooway in the thigh, the victim was shot in the head with a sawed-off .22 rifle. The man accused of being armed with the rifle, Eric Matthew Morrissette, remains before the court on a second-degree murder charge.

“Either wound would have been fatal on its own,” said Armstrong.

Read
2:01 AM CDT