Special Bulletin

Notice of Fish Population Protection Orders in the
Salmon River and Bessette Creek Watersheds

This special bulletin provides an update on drought conditions and water levels in the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds only.

Overview

Streamflows in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds have fallen far below levels needed to support fish and aquatic ecosystems. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship has taken several steps to try to improve the situation, including investigating unauthorized water use, working with partners to monitor conditions and remove barriers to fish passage as needed, actioning research and drought resiliency projects in the watershed, and asking water users to voluntarily reduce their water use. Agriculture Water Resource Consultants contracted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food have also been working with agricultural water users in these watersheds to improve irrigation efficiency, reduce their water use, and explore opportunities for coordinated irrigation scheduling. The Province recognizes the contributions of water users who have voluntarily reduced their water use, are actively monitoring their usage, and who continue to collaborate and engage with provincial staff in the region through regular discussions and working groups. Unfortunately, despite these combined efforts, streamflows remain critically low.  

As a result, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship has issued Fish Population Protection Orders for both the Salmon River watershed and the Bessette Creek watershed, effective September 8, 2025.  

The Orders require that irrigation for the production of forage/grass crops including, but not limited to, grass/legume, alfalfa/grass and corn must cease as of September 8, 2025. Diversion and use of water for industrial lawn, fairway and garden watering must also cease. Authorized irrigation for the production of non-forage/grass crops, including market vegetables, fruits, nursery/tree containers may continue.  

Authorized water users in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds who are impacted by a Fish Population Protection Order can expect to receive a copy in the mail shortly, however the Orders are in effect as of the date specified in the Order.  

Please see the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship’s Information Bulletin for more information including contact information.  

What you should know about Fish Population Protection Orders

• A Fish Population Protection Order is a regulatory tool under the Water Sustainability Act that temporarily suspends the rights of water users on a stream, its tributaries, and any hydraulically connected aquifers to protect the survival of fish populations. These orders are only used as a last resort after other efforts have been made to reduce the impacts of pumping on streamflows (e.g., voluntary water use reduction requests, unauthorized water use investigations/orders, orders to release stored water into streams). 
• Fish Population Protection Orders do not follow the system of First in Time, First in Right (FITFIR). Their purpose is to restore streamflows as quickly as possible to protect fish populations.
• When deciding which regulatory tool to use, the Province relies on a combination of scientific and socio-economic data and considers the impact across industries, sectors and the environment. In some areas, using First in Time, First in Right (FITFIR) has the potential to impact critical services, like drinking water supply or livestock watering. Decision-makers take all of these factors into account. See the Water Use During Scarcity webpage for more information about regulatory tools that the Province may use to address water scarcity impacts.

How are agricultural water users considered in a Fish Population Protection Order?

• The Minister may only issue a Fish Population Protection Order after giving “due consideration to the needs of agricultural users” (Water Sustainability Act, Section 88). The Ministry of Agriculture and Food provides information representing the interests of all agricultural sectors to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship for consideration in the decisions.
• All water users in the watershed, including licensees, holders of use approvals and other authorized users are reviewed when considering a Fish Population Protection Order. Agricultural water users (e.g., those irrigating) are not specifically targeted, but they may feel impacted more than others because some water uses have been excluded from the order either to reduce the total impact to the community (e.g., drinking water supply, livestock watering, high-value perennial crops) or due to there being little to no expected impact on flow recovery if they were included.
• In the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds, most of the water licenses are for agricultural purposes (forage irrigation). 

What are the current conditions in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek Watersheds?

• Water levels in both Salmon River and Bessette Creek are insufficient to support fish and the short-term health and proper functioning of their aquatic ecosystems, which are facing a high likelihood of significant or irreversible harm. 
• Provincial drought levels cover broad areas and may not reflect local drought conditions. Flows in both Salmon River and Bessette Creek are below normal for this time of year.

The above hydrographs for the Salmon River and Bessette Creek stations display 2025 daily streamflow (solid black line), median streamflow (solid grey line), 2024 daily streamflow (dashed black line), the Fish Population Survival Threshold (dashed red line), and the historical streamflow percentiles (as of September 8, 2025), all in cubic meters per second (cms). Streamflow percentiles allow the Province to compare current streamflow levels to historical records to help assess how typical or unusual conditions are. Flows are below average for this time of year for Salmon River and for Bessette Creek. With the persistent hot and dry weather that has been observed and the limited rain that is forecast for the region, Salmon River and Bessette Creek flows are anticipated to stay below the level that is considered critical for the survival of fish populations (Fish Population Survival Threshold) without this further action being taken.

*stay updated on drought conditions in the South Thompson basin on the BC Drought Information Portal

What can agricultural water users do in response to the current drought conditions?

• If you hold a storage licence, rely on stored water to sustain irrigation while the Fish Population Protection Order is in effect. 
• If you have crop insurance coverage, contact your Ministry of Agriculture and Food Production Insurance representative by email at ProductionInsurance.Abbotsford@gov.bc.ca or by phone at 1-888-332-3352. Crop losses occurring as a result of drought and/or regulatory orders issued in relation to drought are covered if you are enrolled in the program.
• Access information and resources on drought and water management to help you respond to drought conditions at the Drought in agriculture webpage:
  • Review the Pasture and hay rejuvenation factsheet for guidance on options to rejuvenate overgrazed or drought-affected pastures or forage fields.
  • Refer to the B.C. Livestock Drought Management Guide for information on livestock feeding and strategies to address potential shortages, forage crop considerations and strategies, and how to analyze business and economic decisions.

Who do I contact if I have questions?

• Please contact AgriService BC at AgriServiceBC@gov.bc.ca or 1-888-221-7141 for questions about supports for agriculture (e.g., project funding, financial assistance, drought resilience information), workshops and training activities. 

• For general information on drought or provincial drought response measures, please contact DroughtOps@gov.bc.ca. 

• For questions specific to the Fish Population Protection Orders issued for the Salmon River or the Bessette Creek watersheds, please contact Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship  regional water managers by email at WaterAllocation.DOS@gov.bc.ca. 

Visit the AgriServiceBC website and follow our Facebook page for more information on drought resources and tools