A small, slimy fish gets scooped up from a bucket and wiggles its way out of a human's hand. The slippery Salish sucker flops onto the grass, evading being measured for now.
It's like back-to-back wrestling matches as, one by one, people go up against the endangered species during a population count and research project at Manuel Park in Chilliwack.
The vast majority of these folks have never touched a Salish sucker before. As they reach into a bucket to grab one of the dozens of fish swimming around in it, these people are very lucky, said Steve Clegg with SAY Lands (Skowkale, Aitchelitz and Yakweakwioose).
Due to its status as a threatened species under Canada's Species at Risk Act, a permit is needed to handle the Salish sucker.
But on this day, under the guidance of Pearson Ecological, about two dozen people get to help measure, weigh and determine the sex of each Salish sucker.
Not only is the mild, sunny spring weather perfect for doing this research, but the location is ideal as well.
Of all the waterways throughout the Lower Mainland, Manuel Park is "the best location," said Justin Munroe from Pearson Ecological.
The company specializes in field-based projects involving freshwater fish, species at risk, and aquatic habitat restoration.
Munroe and his team have been to several other waterways from Surrey to Hope with little success trapping the Salish suckers. In some locations, they've only caught about 10 in two weeks, whereas in the ponds at Manuel Park, they've caught 150 over one night.
“I would say that they’re thriving pretty well here,” Munroe said, adding that Manuel Park is “one of a kind.”
The Catostomidae (sucker) family has fossil records dating back millions of years. The Salish sucker itself evolved its distinctive characteristics while isolated from other longnose sucker populations during the last ice age (about 10,000 to 20,000 years ago), according to the Province of B.C.
The Salish sucker is only found in the Fraser Valley and parts of Washington State.
On May 23, Pearson Ecological collaborated with Ts'elxwéyeqw Tribe, SAY Lands and others for the population research project.
They set two traps overnight using dog food and salmon roe as bait. When the traps were hauled out of the water the following morning, several dozen Salish suckers were inside.
Clegg referred to it as an educational session where folks from Tourism Chilliwack, Fraser Valley Regional District, Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, City of Chilliwack, Red Cedar Environmental and others had the rare chance to help count and record information on the fish.
He noted this day's work was part of a bigger process connected with habitat restoration work being done along Chilliwack River Road. They did trapping on Chilliwack Creek two years ago, before the restoration project had begun, and found no Salish suckers.
“Now, with this crew doing the Salish sucker trapping, we've been able to confirm that we've invited Salish sucker higher up into the system, up into those same spots, into our restoration sites that were funded by Ts'elxwéyeqw Tribe,” Clegg said.
“So, through the partnership with Ts'elxwéyeqw Tribe, we've got an endangered species higher out of critical habitat out into new areas for them, which is a pretty big deal.”
Manuel Park is connected with Chilliwack Creek. The waterway starts at the park located at the southeast corner of Vedder and Manuel roads, and is culverted underneath Manuel Road and the field at Sardis Elementary. It connects with Luckakuck Creek at Spruce Drive which then goes to Chilliwack Creek.
Clegg wants people know that not only are there species at risk in the waterway, but that urban spaces and streams are “critically important for nature, for wildlife corridors, and especially for species at risk.”
He stressed how important it is to protect waterways such as Manuel Park and Chilliwack Creek.
In this Salish sucker hot spot in Chilliwack, they don’t have to worry because there are so many of them. Other places, they’re getting choked out, or the environment is changing for them, with the water getting shallower and warmer.
“A lot of the problems we have is there's not enough oxygen in the water for them, so they tend to move away from those spots,” Munroe said.
Joelle Krol with Pearson Ecological noted how unique Manuel Park is.
“Habitat loss from urbanization is a really big reason that their populations have been crashing in the last 10 years, which is why this site in particular is so exciting because it is so urban and it’s in the middle of everything,” Krol said.
