Alouette River Management Society, (ARMS), has purchased a new underwater camera allowing them to study salmonoids in their natural habitat.
The camera was purchased in June last year for $720 after ARMS received a short-term grant from Pacific Salmon Foundation, and it is a “big game changer”, said Sophie Sparrow with the environmental organization that takes care of the Alouette River.
Online Sparrow noted that over the past 9 months they have been able to deploy the Go Pro in different aquatic systems throughout the Alouette Watershed.
She said it it is helping them better understand the salmonoids’ behaviour, monitor habitat conditions, identify species, and determine potential environmental stressors.
“Not only does this allow for non-invasive monitoring, reducing stress on the fish, it also strengthens our ability to document spawning success, habitat use and changes in stream health over time,” she said.
Kristen Munk, watershed projects manager with ARMS told The News they needed to conduct underwater video monitoring during habitat assessments.
“Staff and volunteers were trained to deploy and retrieve the camera in stream environments, record underwater footage of salmon activity and review and analyze footage to identify Pacific salmon species and assess population presence,” explained Munk.
“This method allowed us to collect detailed observational data without physically handling fish, significantly reducing stress on salmon.”
So far the camera has been used more than 25 times by 27 volunteers and staff.
They are planning to use the footage to support scientific data collection, guide habitat restoration, and enrich community education and advocacy efforts.
“The project addressed the need for non-invasive monitoring techniques, improved accuracy in identifying salmon species, better documentation of spawning success and habitat use, and enhanced data collection to inform habitat restoration and conservation advocacy,” said Munk, adding the tool has proved incredibly valuable for observing natural behaviours, identifying which species are present, and assessing the success of restoration projects during post-habitat monitoring.
“By capturing real-time underwater footage, we’re able to gather meaningful insights while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem we’re working to protect.”
The Pacific Salmon Foundation, founded in 1987, is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to making transformational change for the benefit of Pacific salmon at every scale – from the smallest streams to the open ocean.
Alouette River Management Society is dedicated to proactively protecting and improving the Alouette Watershed and surrounding areas by creating a healthy environment connecting parks, trail systems, public centers and waterways.
The society was then formed in 1993 by a group of passionate community members who recognized the urgent need to address fish passage and preserve wild salmon species in the Alouette Watershed after the construction of the Alouette Dam.