Trip Leaders Deborah Simpson and Joan Lopez 

Report by Deborah Simpson, Joan Lopez, and Sheila Byers

On 26 November, 2021, a rare sunny morning, our group of 10 met up for a walk along the upper reaches of Stoney Creek in Burnaby with the hope of seeing some spawning salmon. Stoney Creek is one of the few places in an urban environment where you can see salmon spawning up close. It is home to coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon, as well as threatened or endangered species such as Nooksack dace, steelhead trout, and the western brook lamprey. 

Stoney Creek has been the subject of a major restoration work by local volunteer stream-keepers that has spanned the last 60 years. For much of this time, there were no salmon at all spawning in the creek. It was only in 2004 that the salmon were seen returning. Today, largely thanks to the dedicated work of the Stoney Creek Environment Committee (SCEC), the creek is one of the most successful spawning grounds in the province. Although the numbers of returning salmon have declined in the past several years, hundreds were seen earlier in the spawning season, which is October to December for chum and coho. 

As our trip was past the peak return time, we only saw a chum, a few coho and some jack salmon – a male salmon that matures and returns one year earlier than other adult salmon that can sneak in beside other males to fertilize eggs. See Jennifer Ingram’s video of a large coho in the current. 

In the trees along the creek, we saw a varied thrush and a pileated woodpecker. Although we didn’t see any on this trip, herons and eagles are often see in the neighbouring properties.

We were fortunate to have Jim Wolfe come along with us. Jim is a past heritage planner for the city of Burnaby and author of the Burnaby streams map. He shared some of his vast knowledge of the Stoney Creek watershed. We were surprised to learn of the large number of streams that feed into Stoney Creek, as seen in this MAP  of the waterways of Burnaby. Stoney Creek is on the right side, just under the SFU Campus. 

Stoney Creek is still highly threatened by pollution and environmental degradation. For example, raw sewage flowed into the Creek in June 2021 and was thought to be a possible cause of a salmon die off of approximately 300 fish. In the past few weeks, due to the above average rainfall brought on by atmospheric river events, more sewage has been seen spewing from manholes and flowing into the Creek. As well, the above average amount of water flowing through the creek due to the storms is most likely disturbing the redds (nests) and the viability of the roe (eggs). 

The efforts of the SCEC to clean the creek are ongoing, and they are in need of support. Learn more about their work and opportunities to get involved HERE. Also, please consider sending a letter to elected officials expressing your concern for this very special place in Metro Vancouver and the critical role it plays in reestablishing local, historical salmon populations, as well as its impact on the surrounding forest. Nutrients in the salmon are scattered throughout the terrestrial ecosystem by animals that eat the salmon such as bears, herons, and eagles. These nutrients fertilize the soil and help sustain the plant life in the area.

We would like to thank the father/son team George and Luka Kovacic for background information about Stoney Creek and recent status updates. Check out Luka’s (age 12) YouTube channel for videos of salmon and other animals that live in the creek and surrounding areas. 

Stoney Creek is a beautiful place to walk all year round. If you go, the entrance to the trail is just north of North Road and Rathburn Drive in Burnaby. There is ample street parking, and it is a 15-minute walk from the Burquitlam Sky Train station. We are looking forward to returning for another field trip next year earlier on in the spawning season. 

• 

• 

•