Starting at Elk and Beaver Lake, the Colquitz watershed winds its way through a complex system of intensely urban, agricultural, natural and restored environments to make its way to the sea.
A variety of fish species call the creek home, sometimes a highway. Right now, volunteers alongside the leadership of Peninsula Streams and Shorelines count and document them for a cross-year comparison and assessment of population health.
Each morning, volunteers gather to head over to the trap adjacent to the busy Burnside Road, currently next to the construction of Highway 1 bridges overhead. Late March through early June is peak migration for the particular salmon they're tracking, explained Kyle Armstrong, executive director for Peninsula Streams.
They’re looking for juvenile coho – or smolts – on their “silent migration” through urban waterways, including the Colquitz River, navigating culverts, pollution and development on their path to the sea.
Alongside the native stocks, the volunteers see introduced species such as pumpkinseed fish, the occasional catfish and once, a lamprey.
But they’re after specific information on the smolts that spend a year in freshwater before migrating out. These fish are good indicator species of the freshwater system's health – important information for the society focused on waterways across the south Island.
“It’s important because it’s a really good indicator of how the system is doing,” Armstrong said. “As we do our restoration, we’re often looking at how the coho are responding. This gives us a really good picture across years of how the coho are doing.”
In the river, a smolt fence works as a weir blocking passage, except for a small opening that herds the fish to a large box. They funnel into the opening and hang out until volunteers check in once or twice a day.
Standing riverside watching as others fish the fish from the box, second-year volunteer Ted Leaker says the work is an educational and worthwhile endeavour.
“I’m interested in the rehabilitation of the salmon and trout population. It helps improve the aquaculture, it helps improve the streams, and it’s good for the environment. Because I like to fish, it’s also good for the fishers to have a healthy population of fish to be able to catch them,” he said.
New volunteer Lori Tosczak, a marine project coordinator for the Esquimalt Nation, came out alongside a half dozen others on a sunny Wednesday morning for fun and learning, with Peninsula Streams providing the gear and knowledge.
“I’m just trying to learn a little bit more about some of the stewardship initiatives that are taking place in Lekwungen territory,” Tosczak said. “I learned a lot about some of the species in the territory.”
Staff and dedicated volunteers are out daily for the next few weeks, carefully counting and identifying juvenile salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout as they pass downstream. The information collected helps assess the health of fish populations and the broader ecosystem, guiding ongoing habitat restoration efforts.
“Between Saanich, First Nations, Peninsula Streams, there’s an ongoing effort to revitalize this system and ensure the salmon populations stay healthy, as well as all the other populations of species that depend on healthy riparian habitat,” Armstrong said.
“This invisible migration is a powerful reminder that even in the heart of our cities, wild salmon are still trying to survive and thrive. Through this work, we can create awareness about our local waterways while measuring their health.”
To celebrate and support the work, the Peninsula Streams Society hosts its Smolt Soirée in Central Saanich on Saturday, April 26. The evening of food, music, awards, and stories of resilience runs alongside an online Silent Migration fundraiser auction, where all proceeds fund stream and shoreline restoration projects across Greater Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula.
Visit www.peninsulastreams.ca to learn more or donate.
