| Gitandoix
River Provincial Recreation
Area
Mountain goats, moose and all
5 species of Pacific salmon
can be found in the valley of
the Gitandoix River, a major
intertidal tributary of the
Skeena located about 45 kilometres
inland from Prince Rupert. Surrounding
the Gitandoix, a vast 56,800
hectare wilderness recreation
area encompasses the northern
reaches of Alastair Lake at
the river's headwaters. The
lake is the site of one of only
3 known British Columbia nesting
sites for trumpeter swans, the
rarest swans in the world. Access
to Alastair Lake is available
by charter aircraft from Prince
Rupert, or boat travel via the
Skeena River.
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The Skeena's Sturdy
Steelhead
At an average weight of 4 kilograms, the
sturdy, streamlined steelhead is a titan
among trout and a legend among anglers.
In the waters of the Skeena and its Sustut,
Babine, Kispiox, and Bulkley tributaries,
home of the largest runs of wild steelhead
in the world, the trophy trout is truly
colossal, routinely reaching record weights
of 10 - 16 kilograms.
Tough Trout:
Both individually and as a species, the
steelhead is characterized by its toughness
and durability. A sea-going, or anadromous,
version of the smaller but genetically similar
rainbow trout, the steelhead migrates to
the Pacific Ocean to feed and fatten before
returning to spawn in the rivers and streams
of North America's Pacific coast. With a
wide range, a staggered, year-round spawning
schedule of summer and winter runs, the
ability to spawn repeatedly, and a relatively
lengthy lifespan of up to 8 years, the steelhead
is a versatile and viable species. Large,
taut and muscular, rugged steelhead run
far and leap high, often surviving the punishing
rigors of spawning to return, at least once,
to their ocean feeding grounds.
Eulachon:
The Rich Fish
For seals, sea lions, eagles and gulls,
March is meal time at the mouth of the Skeena
River. Schools of mouth-watering smelts
known as eulachon (or oolichan, pronounced
ool-i-kan) are on Mother Nature's menu,
attracting a host of hungry predators as
the spawning fish begin their upstream journey.
Small, scaly and skinny, the finger-sized
spawning eulachon is known not for its appearance,
but for its rich taste. Its popularity,
with wildlife and humans alike, lies in
the astonishingly high oil content of it
flesh- so high that the fish can be dried,
fitted with a wick through the mouth, and
lit as a candle! (The eulachon's scientific
name, thaleichthys pacificus, is derived
from the Greek word, thaleia, meaning rich
and ichthys meaning fish.)
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Khutzeymateen Grizzly
Bear Sanctuary
With its undisturbed estuary,
rugged mountain tops, old growth
rainforests and natural wetlands,
Canada's only grizzly bear sanctuary,
about 45 kilometres north of
the Skeena River on the British
Columbia coast, provides protection
to a rich wildlife population
that includes moose, wolves,
black bears, mountain goats,
martens, wolverines, porcupines,
river otter, beaver, harbour
seals, shorebirds, waterfowl,
whales and several species of
salmon. Fishing, hunting and
camping are strictly prohibited
in the 45,000 hectare sanctuary,
which is home to about 50 grizzlies
(about 2.5% of the Pacific Coast
grizzly population). Limited
wildlife viewing from the estuary,
supervised by commercial guides
or a park ranger, can be arranged.
No visitors are allowed on shore.
For more information, visit
Canadian
Parks, Khutzeymateen Grizzly
Bear Sanctuary. |
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Valuable Condiment:
Traditionally, eulachon fish have been eaten
fresh, smoked and dried, as well as being
rendered into oil. Unlike other fish oils,
eulachon lipids are solid at room temperature,
with the colour and consistency of butter.
Composed of oleic, stearic and palmitic
acids, the oil is high in vitamins A, D,
K and E. Eulachon "grease," extracted
through a process of decomposition, heating,
skimming and straining, has long been a
dietary staple of the Skeena River Tsimshian,
Gitksan and Nisga'a tribes. It has also
been used for food preservation, medicinal
and lubricating purposes.
For centuries, First Nations traders from
the Nass, Skeena and Bella Coola valleys
followed well-trodden "grease trails"
far into the western interior, back-packing
heavy boxes of valuable eulachon grease,
held in place by cedar rope "tump-lines,"
attached to headbands. Some trails, operating
on a relay system, extended as far as the
prairies. When Alexander Mackenzie made
his famous overland journey to the Pacific
Ocean, he followed an ancient grease trail
from the Upper Fraser to the Bella Coola.
Food Chain Feature:
Like salmon, eulachon play an important
role in the Pacific coast ecosystem. As
ocean-going juveniles, they are preyed upon
by sturgeon, dogfish, salmon and halibut.
As spawning adults, their early spring arrival
provides a tasty, timely, calorie-packed
end to the winter hunger of bears, eagles
and many other birds and mammals. Even in
death, the spent bodies of the spawned-out
fish contribute to the nutrient cycle of
the land and water.
Smelt Sensitivity:
Although spawning eulachon have been found
in over 30 British Columbia rivers, the
Skeena, Nass, Fraser and Klinaklini are
considered to be the species' major spawning
river systems. Historically, the range of
the eulachon has corresponded roughly to
that of the coastal temperate rainforest,
extending from northern California to Alaska.
In the past decade, however, puzzling variations
in eulachon spawning runs have been noted,
ranging from a complete disappearance in
California, to dramatic seasonal drops in
formally stable rivers such as the Fraser.
Furthermore, researchers have observed that
an abundance of eulachon in marine waters
does not always guarantee a high biomass
of spawning fish in the river systems. Ocean
warming, marine pollution, and toxic run-off
from urbanization and agriculture affect
the eulachon's ability to spawn - if conditions
aren't right, the diminutive, but sensitive,
fish will stay in the ocean and wait another
year to fulfill their biological destiny.
Eulachon Life Cycle
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Bears
in Black and White