Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Stream stewards no longer need to brave wild weather, winds and rain each autumn to count spawning salmon entering Village Bay Lake on B.C.’s Quadra Island. Now, volunteers can monitor returning salmon from the comfort of their kitchen table with the help of a high-tech surveillance system, said Lauren Miller of the Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society (QISES). The Quadra salmon conservation group has rigged up a motion-sensor fish camera system that snaps images of passing coho salmon as they head into the lake to reach their natal creeks further afield.

Downloading the footage

Volunteers simply have to download the footage and related data from the system, and review it at their leisure, Miller said.

“Some people joke about us being salmon paparazzi,” Miller said.

Salmon counts before the camera

For two decades, before the camera was installed, volunteers had to make their way to the fish fence at the lake twice daily through October and November, no matter the weather, to open a gate to let the salmon continue upstream and record their numbers.

It was a task that could take hours in some pretty miserable conditions, Miller said.

“We developed the system in a large part out of safety concerns,” she said, adding the fish fence is accessible only by water and volunteers often worked alone.

“Plus, it’s better for the fish.”

Groups of salmon milling in front of the closed gates stressed the fish, especially in warmer weather, and made them easy pickings for otters, she said.

The Motion sensor fish camera

Accessing a gap in the fish fence across the creek, salmon swim through a lighted chute covered in plexiglass along the top and one side, with an angled mirror to provide a side view. The motion-triggered camera above the chute records a short clip if any object passes its view.

“We’ve seen a lot of maple leaves,” joked Miller, adding there aren’t nearly as many false positives as the group was expecting.

The system has recorded thousands of migrating salmon, along with sculpins, crayfish, mink and otters that have enjoyed the shortcut into the lake system since it was set up in 2017.

Not only is the system infinitely more convenient, it’s led to better-quality data.

Viewing and identifying fish with the camera is much easier and provides far more accurate numbers, especially as many salmon swim through during the night, Miller said.

Top photo credit: Volunteer streamkeepers Doug Richardson and Lauren Miller check on the Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society’s motion-sensor fish cam. Photo by Rochelle Baker