The Salish sucker is an endangered species of freshwater fish found in only a small number of watersheds in southwestern British Columbia. In the 1970s, this species was determined to be extirpated (or locally extinct) in A Rocha’s study area, the Little Campbell River watershed. In 2011, an A Rocha intern rediscovered a Salish sucker in the main pond at Brooksdale Environmental Centre. Since then, our Conservation Science team has been trapping for Salish suckers all over the watershed. We have set traps every 100 metres along almost all of the accessible stretches of the main stem of the Little Campbell River, as well as several of its tributaries.
Between 2011 and 2015, we successfully captured and released 25 Salish suckers. We have found this species at various locations throughout the watershed, but never in large numbers. We theorize that there may be a central river or wetland location where many of them are found, that feeds these smaller groups. In 2015, despite extensive trapping efforts in the spring and in the fall, only one sucker was caught. In some ways we felt that our options for new locations to trap within the watershed were running low. Then last week, the team set four traps in the main stem of the Little Campbell River near the trail bridge at Langley Municipal Nature Park. We had caught individual Salish suckers at that location in the past, but after only capturing one sucker in the last year and a half we weren’t overly optimistic. The next morning we pulled the traps: no suckers in the first two traps, one in the third, and three in the fourth! One was a juvenile, which is quite encouraging to see. These successful captures bring our total up to 29 since 2011.
We will continue trapping in the coming seasons, as well as looking into environmental factors (such as dissolved oxygen) and how these might affect this species. It is certainly good news to continue to see the Salish sucker in our watershed!
