ABSTRACT
Of the approximately 300 significant salmon spawning streams in the Fraser River system, about half are located in, or flow through, the urbanized area of the Lower Fraser Valley. These streams support spawning for all species of salmon, cutthroat trout, and many other fish species. They account for about 65% of the basin’s coho production and almost all of its chum production. Between 1880 and 1960, diking, dredging and filling, dam construction, and land clearing had a devastating impact on the valley’s fish habitat. Two million people now live in this rapidly growing area. Since the early 1970s, efforts have been made to protect salmon habitat in the face of continued urban population increase and sprawl. In 1978, land development guidelines were published in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of urban development on streams. These were inadequate, and new guidelines were implemented in 1992. In the face of unprecedented growth, these present guidelines are inadequately complied with and require upgrading. Even with the introduction of a “no net loss” policy in 1983, which requires that habitats lost to development be replaced with compensation habitat, a recent assessment of the pilot area in the Fraser Estuary shows that significant losses of fish habitat are still occurring. A radical societal rethinking of urban growth and sprawl is required to ensure that healthy urban streams survive the population growth projected for the Lower Fraser Valley. A new conservation strategy must be developed and implemented to protect streams and fish habitat. Without a new approach, the concept of sustainability of streams in such urban growth areas will be shown to be little more than what can be expected in a fool’s paradise.
