STATUS OF FISH HABITAT IN EAST COAST VANCOUVER ISLAND WATERSHEDS

The Vancouver Island boundary of the Georgia Basin is 1 of the fastest growing areas in British Columbia. The area has an abundance of small, second-order streams, most of which originate in private forested lands, then run through rural and urban environments. We examined the instream habitat of 14 watersheds in that area. We found reduced pool area in 41% of the watersheds, a lack of large woody debris (LWD) in 93%, reduced instream cover in 50%, and excessive fine sediments in 88%. Our analysis shows summer low-flow problems in 155 of 165 streams examined. We found an average of 25.4% development in the 14 watersheds as a result of urban, agricultural, golf course, and/or rural residential land use. We make a number of suggestions for improving the protection of east coast streams, including more public involvement in watershed planning and the development of Official Community Plans (OCPs) and bylaws that provide for the protection of small stream habitat during and after development. We also recommend how