It turns out some good came out of the flooding of Okanagan Lake earlier this year.
“If you look downstream from the trap you see a nice gravel bed with fish on it right now, starting to dig beds and spawn,” said Paul Askey, a biologist with the Freshwater Fisheries of B.C. Society.
In a normal year, gravel carried downstream during the freshet would have been carried out into the lake, he explained. But this year, with the lake level so high, it stalled just above the bridge over Penticton Creek near the art gallery.
“By luck this year, we ended up with a natural spawning bed,” said Askey, adding that it will probably be gone again next year. “By chance, it ended up being a good thing.”
Askey was helping the Penticton Fly Fishers’ Society with the annual harvest of kokanee eggs, part of the overall restoration of Penticton Creek, trying to undo some of the damage when the creek was channelized after the 1948 floods.
“We’ve had this project going on for a few years with the Penticton Fly Fishers,” said Askey. “We each year come and collect Kokanee, take eggs from some of the females, take them up to the Penticton Fly Fishers hatchery.”
The eggs are then incubated, which is what would normally happen in the gravel, and released back into the creek in the spring.
“We’re trying to recover habitat first, but in the meantime, we are doing this,” said Askey “The other valuable information we get is we count every fish that goes up the stream, so we get a good sense of the run size. We will be able to see improvements in the run size as we improve habitat and our efforts in stocking the fish.”
“The Restoration Committee has been working toward a comprehensive strategy around addressing some of the flood protection infrastructure and fish habitat,” said Bryn White, chair of the Penticton Creek Restoration Committee. “The master plan has been completed and it is available for the public to come down and learn more about what is being planned and provide some feedback.”
Related: Penticton Creek restoration set back a year
Opportunities for the community to get involved in the Penticton Creek Master Plan kick off this weekend. Watch the fish count in Penticton Creek on Sept. 16, starting at 9 a.m. Drop by the fish fence in Okanagan Lake Park next to the art gallery, to see volunteers counting kokanee. A walking tour from the fish fence to the Ellis Street bridge gives a view of the restoration work. The Penticton Creek Master Plan will be on display on Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the community market. Committee members will also be on-hand to provide information and take your feedback.
Residents can also visit shapeyourcitypenticton.ca to review the plan and share feedback about the work before the end of the month.