On October 28 of this year, over 735 people met on the banks of the main diversion canal for the Bow River Irrigation District to assist Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) in an effort to save fish and bring attention to the present water policies in Alberta which could be causing the death of thousands of sport fish in the Province. According to TUC, about 141,500 fish were rescued from near-certain death by the efforts of the volunteers.

Courtesy Trout Unlimited Canada Click For Larger Image & Photo Gallery

Over half of the rescued fish were sportfish. Kerry Brewin, a biologist and manager of Trout Unlimited Canada's Alberta Council, said "The majority of sportfish were juvenile mountain whitefish, but we had many large trout as well including one rainbow trout that was nearly nine pounds this year."

The rescuers used siene nets to rescue the fish. Although the canal is 66 km (40 miles), the rescue took place throughout just the first 8 km. After being caught, the fish were counted and sorted by species. They were then returned to the Bow River.

Primarily an agricultural area, Southern Alberta has become dependant upon irrigation canals for water during the dry summer months. When these canals are closed off in the Autumn, thousands of fish become trapped and will most likely perish not long after.

The fish that were rescued are from the Bow River, which has been touted as a world-class fly fishery for many years. It begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows eastward toward the City of Calgary, and from there, the river continues its long journey where it meets with the Oldman River in the south-east of Alberta.

Other Resources: Photo Gallery - Look at images from the TUC Fish Rescue. TUC Projects - Take a tour of some of the many projects on the go. Bow River Shut Off - The press release issued by TUC back in July, 2000.

About 65 Km (40 miles) from Calgary, near the town of Carseland, the main diversion canal begins. When it is opened up in the spring, it provides water to many communities and has made it possible to grow crops such as sugar beets, corn, wheat and other cereals while also supporting a large cattle feeding industry. Of course, when the canal is opened up, fish swim into it.

When you consider the fact that the Trout Unlimited fish rescue only covers about 1/8 of the length of the canal, it is obvious that the number of fish that are trapped in the canal after it has been closed off is enormous. The canal, which is owned by Alberta Environment has not been equipped with any type of fish exclusion device. The cost of developing and installing such a device is estimated at $400,000.00 (Canadian Funds) by Brewin. Alberta Infrastructure, a Provincial Government agency, has developed an exclusion device that they are testing on the Pine Coulee Reservoir. According to Brewin, TUC "have been told that this device shows some promise for wider use."

The problem with high velocity fish screens is that they may also impede upon the amount of water flow into the canal. During this past summer, the weather in Southern Alberta was very dry and there were periods of time where great amounts of water were diverted from the Bow into the canal. A Press Release issued by Trout Unlimited Canada on July 21, 2000 expressed concern that the Bow River would in fact run dry below the town of Bossano because of the quantities of water that going to be diverted into canals. If that amount of water is needed by the communities and farmers that the canals serve, they would be concerned about anything that would impede upon water flow.

Brewin suggests that there may be other fish exclusion systems that could also work, including those that make use of sound, strobe lights or electricity. There is even the possibility of developing a "perceptual" exclusion device which would affect the fish's perception to the degree that they will not enter the canal because of how it appears to the fish.

Southern Alberta's economy has long depended upon irrigation canals. When Irish explorer Captain John Palliser first arrived in the area in the mid 19th century, he found a dry parched land that, in his opinion, could not be used for agriculture. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, Europeans and Utah Mormons settled the area. With the expertise of the Utah immigrants, irrigation canals were built and the land very quickly became productive. The Bow River irrigation project began in 1903. In 1999, almost 200,000 acres of land were irrigated by the Bow River system.

Presently, irrigation and water diversion is controlled by Alberta Agriculture and is governed by the Province's 'Water Act'. This piece of legislation provides rights to households and landowners to divert water for home and agricultural use. On the other hand, the Government of Canada's 'Fisheries Act' clearly indicates that fish must be protected and the Act makes it illegal to act in any manner other than by fishing that causes harm to them. Tony Blake, Alberta TUC Council President wonders "whether the federal Fisheries Act takes precedent over Alberta's Water Act."

Trout Unlimited Canada realizes that there is no simple answer to the problem of canal trapped fish. "We still have lots of questions and we have many diversion canals in the Province that are fed by rivers and that no-one has ever looked at to determine how many, what species and ages of fish, and when the fish, are entering the canals," says Brewin.

Until some solution is worked out, TUC will probably be calling upon volunteers every fall to help rescue thousands of fish.

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