Entrainment
The Trout Trust is spearheading a campaign to raise awareness of and lobby our government to address the issue of entrained trout and critical forage fish in irrigation canals across Alberta's flowing waters.
We believe that trout belong in our rivers and should not be salvaged or left to die in irrigation canals. We are starting with the Bow River.
The extent of the entrainment problem in Alberta is currently unknown, with only a small proportion of government funding allocated to identifying the extent of the problem. Historically the Alberta Government has funded external contractors with volunteer assistance to provide a short fish-rescue program immediately after irrigation canal drawdowns every autumn.
In 2021, the AEP identified entrainment as one of the key stressors on trout populations in the Bow River but they themselves, who manage and own the headworks to these canals, have largely ignored the problem far too long.
Recently has come some good news. In November 2023 the provincial government’s Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry has announced a planned study of “The Effects of Entrainment of Fish in Water Diversions and Canals on Bow River Sport Fish Populations.” The Trout Trust will watch this process carefully, report and continue to lobby for better practices, especially in light of proposed irrigation expansion in southern Alberta. We believe that exploring solutions to the cause rather than treating the symptoms is long overdue.
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Trout Trust Launch, A Call to Action
The formal launch of The Trout Trust is an invitation to join in our work of unifying angler’s voices to speak to government and industry about the issues our fisheries face today and will face in the future.
Please consider becoming a member and helping us spread the word through personal contact, and social media.