18. Fisheries Sensitive Watersheds of the SCNRD
The term “Fisheries Sensitive Watershed” or FSWs, is from the Forest and Range Practices Act. It is a designation intended to be applied to large fish producing watersheds to ensure that forest practices do not negatively impact fisheries values.
There are no FSRs designated in the Sunshine Coast Natural Resource District.
This means that these major fish bearing watersheds don’t receive any more forest management consideration than non-fish bearing streams.
The salmon spawning rivers of the SCNRD are a major driver of biodiversity. The diversity of salmonid species and salmon runs throughout the year are a major expression of biodiversity. The salmon are also a cornerstone species in that so much life depends on them. Think of salmon runs as delivering millions of tons of marine nutrients into estuaries, rivers and forests.
On the following page is a map of the major salmon rivers that should be designated as “Fisheries Sensitive Watersheds”. A link will take you to a picture, historical summary, and over a half century of returns/escapements in each listed watershed.
Please note in viewing the data and pictures that the major salmon watersheds have already been drastically degraded by logging and in some cases, by hydroelectric dams, especially the Theodosia and Lois rivers.
There is a dedicated section on our website about Fisheries Sensitive Watersheds where you can learn more.
Click the blue box above to view a list of pages in this section of the website.
Glossary of Terms
Biomass: refers to the total amount of organic matter (i.e., anything that comes from plants and animals).
Biogeoclimatic (BEC) Zone: the classification system used to identify an area based on the dominant type of vegetation, climate, and soil characteristics at its climax
Climax Old-Growth: the final stage of a forest stand when left undisturbed by humans
Biogeoclimatic Zone Abbreviations
- AT: Alpine Tundra
- BG: Bunchgrass
- BWBS: Boreal White and Black Spruce
- CDF: Coastal Douglas-Fir
- CWH: Coastal Western Hemlock
- ESSF: Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir
- ICH: Interior Cedar - Hemlock
- IDF: Interior Douglas-Fir
- MH: Mountain Hemlock
- MS: Montane Spruce
- PP: Ponderosa Pine
- SBPS: Sub-Boreal Pine - Spruce
- SBS: Sub-Boreal Spruce
- SWB: Spruce - Willow - Birch
SCNRD Landscape Units
- Bishop
- Brem
- Brittain
- Bunster
- Bute East
- Bute West
- Chapman
- Cortes
- Haslam
- Homathko
- Homfray
- Howe
- Jervis
- Lois
- Narrows
- Quatam