Terms of Reference

Effects of Cowichan Lake water management on Vancouver Lamprey in British Columbia and identification of possible enhancement opportunities

Regional Peer Review – Pacific Region

January 18, 2023
Virtual meeting

Chairperson: Paul Grant

Context

Vancouver Lamprey (also known as Cowichan Lake Lamprey; Entosphenus macrostomus) is listed as a threatened species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). This species is endemic to three interconnected lakes on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Cowichan Lake, one of the lakes in which this species resides, is a water reservoir managed to meet the downstream conservation and anthropogenic needs of the watershed. Currently Cowichan Lake water levels and outflows to the Cowichan River are controlled in part by the water control weir at the outlet of Cowichan Lake. Recent droughts in the Cowichan River watershed have resulted in lower than normal summer water levels in the lake which has resulted in reduced outflows to the river as well as dewatering of lake margins. This includes critical habitat for the Vancouver Lamprey that is protected under SARA, through a critical habitat order that was enacted in 2020. Decreased lake water levels potentially have a negative effect on spawning and rearing critical habitat for this species.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP) has requested that Science Branch provide science advice on the effect water management has on Vancouver Lamprey spawning and rearing habitat, as well as identification of other conservation issues and enhancement opportunities for critical habitat.

The assessment and advice arising from this Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Response (SR) process will be used to inform resource managers on the water management of Cowichan Lake and support the development of current and new water use policy. It may also inform future water management decisions related to the design/operation of the new weir.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this review are to:

1. Evaluate what range of water levels are required to provide maximum protection to Vancouver Lamprey and its critical habitat by life stage for adults (spawning), eggs (incubation), and ammocoetes (feeding and rearing), and when these water levels are required by the species for these life stages (i.e., biologically significant periods).
2. Evaluate how much critical habitat (in square meters or hectares) is being affected by lake draw downs, and at what lake elevations critical habitat starts being affected within the normal range of current water management (full supply level and zero storage with minimum release of 7.08 m3/s into the Cowichan River).
3. Identify conservation issues for Vancouver Lamprey and the types of potential enhancement or rehabilitation opportunities that may exist for this species in the Cowichan Lake watershed.
4. Examine and identify uncertainties in the data and methods.

Expected Publications

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, Ecosystem Science Division, Ecosystems Management Branch)

• Other Invited Expert (e.g. Cowichan Watershed Board)

References

• COSEWIC. 2008. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Vancouver Lamprey Lampetra macrostoma in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 39 pp.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2019. Action Plan for the Vancouver Lamprey (Entosphenus macrostomus) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Action Plan Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. iv + 39 pp.
• Vancouver Lamprey Recovery Team. 2007. Recovery Strategy for the Vancouver Lamprey (Lampetra macrostoma) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa, ix + 21 pp.