Freshwater Monitoring Protocols

You are here: / Freshwater Monitoring Protocols

Freshwater Monitoring

If your stewardship organization collects temperature and flow data during extreme drought conditions, download the monitoring protocols below for practical support.

Local First Nations and stewardship groups across B.C. collect invaluable data on stream temperature and flow, which can inform salmon conservation and management decisions. To integrate these efforts and help drive action for salmon, PSF has released new resources covering best practices for every budget and capacity level.

Learn More Download Now
— MARC PORTER, PSF SCIENTIST

Much of the freshwater data collected by community-led monitoring groups in B.C. is not being used effectively. Even small improvements in the way data is collected can make the difference and ensure that this information is accepted by agencies. Then, it can be compiled, shared, and integrated into salmon management decisions and emergency interventions. That distinction matters for the communities investing time and resources into this work, and for the salmon that rely on timely monitoring and interventions when habitat conditions deteriorate.

Clipboard Clipboard

EXPLORE PROTOCOLS

Review the suite of monitoring protocols and identify approaches or tools that fit your watershed, budget, and capacity.

Cog Cog

ADAPT MONITORING

Use these resources to make adjustments that improve data quality and ensure your observations can be integrated into province-wide efforts.

SHARE DATA

Submit your data to contribute to salmon management decisions and help fill critical information gaps across B.C. and the Yukon.

Why monitoring protocols?

Monitoring groups across the province operate with different budgets, different technical capacities, and different priorities. These protocols are designed to reflect that reality.

These protocols support data contributions to PSF’s Stream Temperature Database and PSF’s Pacific Salmon Explorer (PSE), consolidating stream temperature and flow records from over 1,500 monitoring sites across B.C. and the Yukon.

Standardized, comparable data helps partners:

  • Inform real-time emergency response decisions
  • Support salmon habitat restoration and recovery planning
  • Build a long-term record of potential climate impacts on salmon habitats

MONITORING PROTOCOLS

Water Temperature Monitoring

Water Level Monitoring

Discharge Monitoring

Supporting References for Monitoring of Stream Temperatures and Flows

CONTACT US
Comment Comment

If your organization monitors stream temperatures or flow conditions in salmon-bearing watersheds, we want to hear from you.

Reach out to mporter@psf.ca to ask questions, share feedback, request support, and more.

News and Updates

Drought conditions dried up a salmon-bearing river near Kamloops, B.C., leaving narrow channels and dried up habitat.

As B.C. enters another drought season, how will salmon fare?

,
Extreme drought conditions have impacted watersheds in British Columbia for several years, and 2025 is no exception. Emergency fish salvage and monitoring efforts are underway due to exceptionally warm and dry weather this year that has led to low flows and warm waters, causing life-threatening challenges for salmon.
Read more
Researchers hold water sample bags from the river, canal, and floodplain, demonstrating the productivity of invertebrates in the floodplain.

Reviving floodplains for salmon in the Fraser River

, ,
Floodplains provide critical, food-rich habitat for juvenile salmon. These low-lying areas adjacent to stream channels allow young salmon to grow healthy and strong before their journey to the ocean. Floodplains form seasonally when water…
Read more

Reconnecting salmon habitat damaged by B.C.’s atmospheric river

The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) has approved $7,000 in funding from the Climate Emergency Fund to support time-sensitive efforts in Ucluelet and Squamish to prevent salmon strandings and mortalities in light of recent heavy rains. An…
Read more