Sand and Gravel Management and Fish-Habitat Protection in British Columbia Salmon and Steelhead Steams

Sand, gravel and other sediments within and adjacnt to spawning and rearing streambeds are fundamental to the productivity of salmon and steelhead stocks. The high levels of production formerly seen in many of British Columbia’s chum, pink and sockeye populations were in part, the result of the conditions of spawning sediments, primarily gravel, available for these fish. For instance, the quality of the freshwater rearing environment for coho, chinook and steelhead is more crucial than the amount of spawning area.