Aerial View of Brem River

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Maximum estimated returns from 1947 to 2018 (retrieved from Department of Fisheries and Oceans, British Columbia) of Chinook, Chum and Coho salmon species for Brem River.

Maximum estimated returns from 1947 to 2018 (retrieved from Department of Fisheries and Oceans, British Columbia) of Pink salmon for Brem River.

The Brem River in Toba Inlet historically had peak annual escapements of 10,000 Coho (1970), 35,000 Pink, 7,500 Chum, 2,000 Chinook (1970) and 3,500 Steelhead. It was described as a very stable river and an excellent producer of Coho, Pink and Steelhead in 1959. Within a few years, the effects of logging were noted: in 1965, half the redds (egg nests) were lost due to unstable discharge; in 1979, a 20' change between the height of summer and winter flows was documented. By 1984, most of the lower river’s banks and channels were scarred and eroded. A Watershed Restoration Program proposal in 1994 indicated that the river still supported an important and uncommon summer run of Steelhead as well as a winter run of Steelhead, Cutthroat and Rainbow Trout, and Dolly Varden in addition to the salmon species. The proposal recommended road deactivation, slope stabilization and erosion control.

The Klahoose First Nation has lands located at the mouth of the Brem River and, in their Statement of Intent with the BC Treaty Commission (1994), claims traditional rights to the river. Fish stock assessments and escapement estimates were conducted in the 1990’s. In 2001, a Fish and Fish Habitat Inventory was released after it was identified by the Klahoose and the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks as a priority watershed for fisheries inventory/management.

The most recent maximum annual escapement data available for Pink is 2,500 (1989-98), Chum 361 (1989-98), Chinook 02 (1989-98), and Coho zero (1985-94).

The Brem is still considered (2009) a major potential system both for the production of Pink and Chum in the Inner South Coast which has operational management escapement goals of 35,000 and 15,000 respectively.