Conservation groups are celebrating after Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) ordered a halt to controversial gravel mining from a salmon-bearing stream near Mission, B.C.
But while opponents say they’re happy the work has been stopped, they’re concerned about how long it took the government to act.
Biologists John Werring and Marvin Rosenau started pushing the issue after they found a cluster of dead fish in a dried-up salmon spawning bed in December.
“It dewatered this massive wetland and salmon spawning and rearing area,” Rosenau said.
That creek is a tributary of Norrish Creek, where for years the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad had been removing gravel to lower the water level and protect a rail bridge.
But Rosenau and Werring believe so much gravel was taken out that it lowered the water table across the area, damaging vulnerable salmon habitat.
“(It’s ) hard to think we had to engage legal services to get any kind of response from DFO,” Werring said.
For months, they tried to get information and action from government, but say little happened.
Then, earlier this month, lawyers from Ecojustice fired off a demand letter that appears to have gotten attention.
Last week, DFO told Global News that no more gravel can be taken out without explicit authorization, and that the railroad will have to work with them on a remediation plan.
“This was a giant step for us,” Rosenau said.
In a statement to Global News on Friday, CPKC confirmed it was working with DFO and that no gravel removal will happen this summer.