Executive Summary

Since 2020, the Society for Ecosystem Restoration Northern British Columbia (SERNbc) has been actively involved in planning, coordinating, and conducting fish passage restoration efforts within the Bulkley River and Morice River watershed groups, which are sub-basins of the Skeena River watershed. In 2022, the study area was expanded to include the Zymoetz River watershed group and the Kispiox River watershed group, followed by an extension in 2023 to encompass sections of the Kitsumkalum River watershed group, particularly where Highway 16 intersects the watershed. This has resulted in an extremely large study area with thousands of crossings and numerous restoration options involving multiple stakeholders.


The primary objective of this project is to identify and prioritize fish passage barriers within these study areas, develop comprehensive restoration plans to address these barriers, and foster momentum for broader ecosystem restoration initiatives. While the primary focus is on fish passage, this work also serves as a lens through which to view the broader ecosystems, leveraging efforts to build capacity for ecosystem restoration and improving our understanding of watershed health. We recognize that the health of life - such as our own - and the health of our surroundings are interconnected, with our overall well-being dependent on the health of our environment.


Although the main purpose of this report is to document 2024 field work data and results, it also builds on reporting from field activities conducted from 2020 to 2023 and all reports can be considered living documents that can be updated and improved over time. In addition to the numerous assessments at sites undocumented in past years of the project, field activities in 2024 were also conducted at sites where habitat confirmations were previously documented within the reports linked below. The reports for these sites were edited and updated with 2024 data.

Fish passage assessment procedures conducted through SERNbc in the Skeena River Watershed since 2020 are amalgamated in Tables 4.1 - 4.2 which includes links to project reporting for each site.


  • Field assessments were conducted between September 17, 2024 and October 03, 2024 by Al Irvine, R.P.Bio., Lucy Schick, B.Sc., Tieasha Pierre, Vern Joseph, Jesse Olson, and Jessica Doyon.

  • In 2024, A total of 16 Fish Passage Assessments were completed, including 9 Phase 1 assessments and 7 reassessments.

  • During the 2024 field assessments, habitat confirmation assessments were conducted at 8 sites within the Morice River, Kispiox River, and Bulkley River watershed groups. A total of approximately 6 km of stream was assessed.

  • In 2024, fish sampling was conducted at 15 sites within 5 streams, with a total of 313 fish captured. Fork length, weight, and species were documented for each fish.

  • In 2024, engineering designs for remediation of fish passage were completed for the following sites:

    • Waterfall Creek – PSCIS 124421 - 11th Avenue. This crossing is within New Hazelton. Waterfall Creek flows into Station Creek downstream of this site. Remediation efforts, led by Gitksan Watershed Authorities, in collaboration with SERNbc, Skeena Fisheries Commission, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Gitsxan House representives, the Chicago Creek Community Environmental Enhancement Society and the District of New Hazelton are tentatively planned for summer 2025. Through this year’s project - SERNbc funded the engineering design for a bridge to replace the open bottom culverts - drafted by Pacific North Coast Consulting Services.

    • Tributary to Owen Creek – PSCIS crossing 197378 is located on Klate Lake Road. Through 2024/25 project activities SERNbc funded an engineering design completed by Pacific North Coast Consulting Services. Proposed works include the replacement of the existing 1.0m wide round culvert with a 12m free span bridge. This site has been earmarked for replacement through the Bii Wenii Kwa Restoration/Recovery Plan which is a collaboration between the Wet’suwet’en Treaty Society, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Ministry of Forests, and Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Morice Water Monitoring Trust, and Northwest Research and Monitoring. The Bii Wenii Kwa Watershed Restoration and Recovery Plan aims to improve watershed health and support both resident and anadromous fish while helping the Wet’suwet’en, and Federal and Provincial governments address habitat risks by enhancing and restoring fish habitat, consolidating existing data, prioritizing restoration work with cost estimates, and providing monitoring recommendations (Morgan and Reese-Hansen 2024).

  • In 2024 - PSCIS crossing 198217 on a Tributary to Skeena River - Sik-E-Dakh Water Tower Road was replaced with a clear-span bridge with remediation work led by the Gitskan Watershed Authorities.

  • Five streams where habitat confirmations were conducted in the past were revisited in 2024 to gather data to further inform prioritization and or to provide data for effectiveness monitoring. Below are sites visited:

    • Stock Creek - PSCIS 195943 - Barrett Station Rd (electrofishing). Bulkley River watershed group.

    • Taman Creek- PSCIS 197967 - Highway 16. Construction activities took place to replace this crossing between 2022 and 2024.
      Effectiveness monitoring was conducted in 2024 with results of the 2024 monitoring presented in Taman Creek - 197967 - Appendix. Bulkley River watershed group.

    • Waterfall Creek – PSCIS 124421 - 11th Avenue. In addition to the aquisition of a design for PSCIS crossing 124421 on 11th Avenue discussed earlier - in 2024 a field visit was conducted which included a habitat survey covering the area from 10th avenue (Highway 16) to the waterfall located above town. Additionally an aerial survey was conducted with a drone to map the historic Waterfall Creek wetland areas located north of Highway 16/10th avenue (east of Churchill Street) to support restoration planning. Bulkley River watershed group.

      • Tributary to McDonell Lake - PSCIS 8547 - McDonell Forest Service Road. This site was visited in 2024 with the intent of conducting electrofishing to support an engineering design commissioned by SERNbc (in collaboration with Giotsxan Watershed Authorities) through this project. However, water temperatures were too low for effective sampling at that time. Although preliminary data was collected to inform an engineering design, resources were ultimately redirected to Waterfall Creek in New Hazelton. This decision followed an assessment of the stream by DFO, which suggested the stream was unlikely to support a salmon-bearing cohort. Because the associated grant funding provided to the Gitxsan Watershed Authorities was from the Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund the site was not pursued further under that funding stream. Zymoetz River watershed group.

    • Sandstone Creek - PSCIS 8530 - McDonell Forest Service Road. Electrofishing was conducted at the sites below to understand fish community composition as part of both the prioritization process and baseline monitoring. Salmonids with fork lengths >60mm were PIT-tagged to facilitate long-term tracking of health and movement with data amalgamated into past reporting here. Zymoetz River watershed group.


A major challenge in advancing fish passage restoration is the complexity of working across jurisdictions and with multiple stakeholders—rail and highway authorities, forestry ministries, licensees, and private landowners. These partners are often being asked to accommodate priorities that originate outside their mandates and budgets. Convincing them to invest in difficult, high-cost interventions—like modifying crossings or relocating infrastructure—requires navigating uncertainty about costs and ecological outcomes, as well as a disconnect between the benefits to watershed health and the internal pressures or performance goals of these agencies. It’s a tough ask: to take on massive, uncertain projects when they’re already stretched thin with their own responsibilities.


Fish passage restoration within the Skeena and across British Columbia is further complicated by the legacy of infrastructure deeply embedded in the landscape. Roads, railways, highways, community infrastructure and private assets often constrain floodplains and disrupt natural hydrological processes. While targeted repairs to individual barriers are essential, they won’t resolve the broader systemic issues without rethinking and restructuring how infrastructure interacts with watershed function. Loss of riparian vegetation and intensive beaver management only add to the degradation. Addressing these challenges means making strategic, well-communicated choices—picking battles carefully, building trust, and staying committed to a longer-term transformation.


In 2024, all field activities since 2020—including fish passage and habitat confirmation assessments, fish sampling, drone imagery collection, engineering design, remediations, and effectiveness monitoring—were consolidated into a centralized interactive table. This tool enables multi-criteria querying (e.g., by watershed group, stream name, road name, PSCIS ID, or top-ranked sites) with direct links to supporting documentation.


While preliminary top remediation priorities are provided by watershed group, these rankings are inherently subjective and can depend on the capacity and willingness of infrastructure owners and tenure holders to support implementation—both financially and over the often multi-year project timelines. In practice, we must often act opportunistically, pursuing simpler, lower-cost options to maintain momentum and achieve near-term progress.


Government, community groups, landowners, non-profits, industry and other stakeholders should work collaboratively to address high and moderate priority barriers identified in Table 4.2. Although the table presents many options, linked reports specify whether each site is a low, moderate, or high priority. Progress on any front is meaningful, and aiming to remediate at least one high-priority site per year per watershed group—regardless of its overall rank—is a practical and effective approach.


Of key importance as well - the placement and design of infrastructure often drives floodplain disconnection and watershed degradation. Thus, sustainable restoration must extend beyond culvert upgrades toward reimagining how infrastructure interacts with the landscape—supporting reconnection of floodplains, wetland restoration, and coexistence with keystone species such as beaver, which create wetlands and slow flows, and salmon, which deliver marine nutrients and cultural richness to upstream ecosystems. Foundation species like cottonwood and old-growth conifers further support watershed health by stabilizing banks, shading streams, and contributing organic material, and their restoration and conservation must be integrated alongside fish passage reconnection in any comprehensive watershed planning effort.


Although subject to revisions and updates, this report provides a snapshot of the current state of fish passage restoration within study area watershed groups in the Skeena River watershed. It is intended to inform and engage stakeholders, including Indigenous communities, government agencies, and the public, in the ongoing work of restoring fish passage and improving watershed health. We hope that this report will inspire further collaboration and action to address the challenges of fish passage restoration in the context of overall watershed health.


Recommendations for potential incorporation into collaborative watershed connectivity planning include:

  • Government, community groups, landowners, and other stakeholders should work collaboratively to address highest ranked barriers identified in Table 4.2. While the table presents a wide range of options, the linked individual reports indicate whether each site is a low, moderate, or high priority. Progress on any front is valuable, and aiming to remediate at least one high-priority site per year per watershed group—regardless of its overall rank—is a practical and effective approach.

  • Continue collaborating with Gitksan Watershed Authorities and Skeena Fisheries Commission to implement fish passage restoration at Waterfall Creek – PSCIS 124421 (11th Avenue, New Hazelton) within the Bulkley River watershed group. Lessons from the successful 2024 replacement of crossing 198217 on a Skeena River tributary near Sik-e-dakh Water Tower Road can now inform work at Waterfall Creek. Restoration here has a rich history with coho transplants by the Chicago Creek Community Environmental Enhancement Society beginning in 1990 [donas2022MissionCreek]. Despite impacts from urban and industrial development, the greater Station/Mission Creek watershed offers strong potential for public engagement and ecosystem function gains. Collaborative efforts—led by Gitksan Watershed Authorities, Chicago Creek Community Environmental Enhancement Society, Skeena Fisheries Commission, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, SERNbc and others aim to build on 2024 engineering designs and fieldwork to advance these goals in collaboration with the District of New Hazelton, CN Rail, Ministry of Transportation, Kispiox Band, Gitksan House representatives, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition and others.

  • PSCIS crossing 197378 is located on a tributary to Owen Creek along Klate Lake Road, within the Morice River Watershed Group area. Through 2024 project activities - the site now has a completed design, with a proposed replacement of the existing 1.0m culvert with a 12m free-span bridge. We recommend moving forward by coordinating with the Bii Wenii Kwa Restoration/Recovery Plan to secure funding, define delivery partners, and schedule implementation. This initiative brings together the Wet’suwet’en Treaty Society, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Ministry of Forests, Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Morice Water Monitoring Trust, and Northwest Research and Monitoring to support collaborative, priority-driven habitat restoration across the watershed.

  • Integrate fish passage restoration planning with other restoration and enhancement initiatives in the region to maximize benefits to fish populations as well as for communities within the Skeena River watershed. This includes working with the Gitskan Watershed Authorities (GWA), Skeena Fisheries Commission, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Wet’suwet’en Treaty Society, Morice Watershed Monitoring Trust, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Provincial Regulators, Bulkley Valley Research Centre, the Environmental Stewardship Initiative (Skeena Sustainability Assessment Forum) and others to leverage funding, knowledge and resources for fish passage restoration towards other projects related to watershed health in the region. Examples of where this is already taking place is leveraging of Morice River watershed group fish passage sites into the Bii Wenii Kwa Restoration/Recovery Plan and incorporation of Upper Bulkley River sites into the Neexdzii Kwah Restoration Planning (Irvine and Schick 2025).

  • Continue to refine the prioritization tools using the metrics established in reporting since 2024—such as habitat quality, habitat quantity, species presence, remediation cost, and other relevant factors. Integrate these metrics into a more accessible format by linking interactive mapping outputs to the filterable table presented in the results section of this report. Continue to update and clarify individual site memos, incorporating additional contextual information to improve cross-stakeholder communication and facilitate funding and implementation efforts.

  • Develop strategies to explore cost and fisheries production benefits of stream crossing structure upgrades alongside alternative/additional restoration and enhancement investments such as land conservation/procurement/covenant, cattle exclusion, riparian restoration, habitat complexing, water conservation, commercial/recreational fishing management, water treatment and research. Ideentify and pursue opportunities to collaborate and leverage initiatives together in study area watersheds (ex. fish passage rehabilitation, riparian restoration and cattle exclusion) for maximum likely restoration benefits.