Department of Fisheries and Oceans have been an invaluable partner in our collective efforts in helping to restore the Squamish River Estuary ecosystem. One of the many important functions that the DFO Restoration Team does is conduct fish salvage when needed including March 24 & 25, 2025 at the isolated areas inside the cofferdams to replace culvert 2.

Using seines and pole seines over two sessions, while dewatering the isolated areas (using fish exclusion screens), the DFO Restoration staff salvaged approximately 1,600 fish in these areas temporarily isolated from the river and estuary.

 

By species: ~200 coho smolts, ~300 chum fry, ~ 10 chinook fry, ~800 threespine stickleback, ~300 sculpin, ~10 starry flounder juveniles, and many many 2-3 cm shrimp.

 

All fish were safely released to a pool in the estuary tidal channels approximately 150 m from the work site. 

It is a great reminder of the amazing biodiversity of the estuary.