Project Description

The Salish Sucker (Catostomus sp. cf. catostomus) is a small freshwater fish found in only a small number of watersheds in southwest British Columbia, and northwest Washington State. The Salish Sucker is vulnerable to severe hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen), increased predation from aquatic invasive species, habitat fragmentation and destruction, seasonal lack of water, and riffle loss due to beaver activity. This species was thought to have been extirpated (locally extinct) in the Little Campbell River watershed until 2011, when an A Rocha Canada intern rediscovered the fish in the main pond at Brooksdale Environmental Centre. 

Since then, A Rocha Canada has established a long-term inventory and monitoring project focusing on the Salish Sucker in the Little Campbell River watershed. This has involved conducting trap surveys throughout the main stem of the Little Campbell River and its tributaries, as well as mark-recapture studies at key locations in the watershed known to be regularly occupied by the species. Salish Sucker surveys are typically conducted in the spring and in the fall. The survey data collected by A Rocha Canada in partnership with Pearson Ecological and Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk has helped to inform species management and has contributed to the inclusion of the Little Campbell River watershed in Salish Sucker Critical Habitat.

Conservation Status

Jurisdiction Authority Year Status
B.C. Conservation Data Centre 2019 S2* Red List
Canada SARA 2005 Threatened
Canada COSEWIC 2012 Threatened
International IUCN n/a Not designated

*S: Subnational status; *2: imperiled.

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