Salmon cannon at Big Bar landslide site proving to be effective

Officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans report that the newly installed “Whooshh system” is now in operation and helping fish migrate past the Big Bar landslide.

The pneumatic fish pump, also known as the salmon cannon, pumps fish up past the slide in a tube and ladder system along the Fraser River.

As of Aug. 5, more than 3,500 salmon have been reported at a Churn Creek sonar station about 40 kilometres upstream from the slide site.

“The increasing numbers of salmon detected at Churn is a positive indicator of successful migration past the barrier,” a recent update reported.

The slide, north of Lillooet, was discovered in June 2019 when the estimated 75,000 cubic metres of material was deposited in the river.

The debris created a five-metre wall blocking the river's flow and the thousands of spawning slamon.

To date, 3,315 salmon have been counted moving through the ‘salmon cannon,’ with another 114 moved via truck.