Two-year Island drought affects salmon

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Today’s approx read time: 7 minutes

Since July 13, Vancouver Island has been in drought Level 5, making for an earlier dry season than last year.

Some experts say that smaller salmon bearing streams could face impacts from the early drought if no substantial and sustained rainfall begins.

Last year’s drought caused weeks of delay for salmon spawning, with the fish awaiting rainfall. This year is the first time that Jim Lane, manager of biologists with Uu-a-thluk, has seen extreme drought two years consecutively.

According to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, drought conditions cause lower water flow and increased temperatures in rivers and streams where salmon run. These conditions cause stress, an increase in the burning of energy, and a decrease in oxygen absorption.

“It’s hard to tell just what the losses are because they can come from very different sources,” said Lane. “You won’t really know until… three [or] four years from now, when you start looking at returns, adult returns, [and] if they’re significantly below… what is average.”

Read more about the issue here.

The Royal Society gives out the country’s highest honour for academic achievements—and 10 researchers from UVic have been awarded, the most to be honoured by the society at one time.

Selected by their peers for their academic excellence and contributions to their area of study and to Canadian public life, recipients will join Royal Society of Canada as fellows and members of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Fellows include:

• Jonathan Bengtson, a leader in library sciences
• Alison Chapman, an expert in Victorian poetry
• Eric Higgs, known for his unique projects on mountain research
• Cornelis van Kooten, a prolific forest economist
• Amy Verdun, a political scientist focused on Europe

New members of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists with the society include:

• Mohsen Akbari, who has done groundbreaking research in biology and mechanical engineering
• Magdalena Bazalova-Carter, who has advanced cancer treatment through her work in medical physics
• Doris Kakuru, whose research includes social studies on children through an anti-racism and decolonization lens
• Onowa McIvor, a leader in Indigenous language revitalization
• Marie-Ève Tremblay, who works to unlock the secrets of the brain

Saanich Peninsula Hospital emergency department will continue to close overnight because of a continued doctor shortage. Overnight closures were set to end two days ago, but Island Health has extended them. No timeline has been given for full reopening.

The 10pm-7am closures began two months ago; Island Health cited the need to prioritize the busy daytimes and early evenings. Since May, overnight ER capacity had been limited to “serious medical needs” from 11pm to 7am. There had also been a sudden full closure.

Island Health said in May that 8.5 patients would typically visit between 11pm and 7am. It told CHEK this week that 13 were typical for 10pm-7am and that based on patient addresses, three of those have shifted to VGH and Royal Jubilee. Island Health’s Marko Peljhan said others may be coming at different hours or have been from outside SPH’s main catchment to begin with.

Local surgical capacity is also reduced this fall, with VGH closing one operating room and Jubilee closing three.