By Cheryl Jahn

Nechako Research

Nechako River research underway

Jul 23, 2019 | 4:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Rio Tinto has teamed up with UNBC to do research around climate change. Specifically, hydrologist Stephen Dery has launched a pilot program this summer to test water temperatures in the Nechako River.

“We installed five temperature probes at depths of approximately 1.5 metres in the river ranging from Vanderhoof to Prince George, including Finmore to get a better idea of how water temperatures vary across the river,” explains Dery.

He says water temperatures about 20 degrees can be fatal to fish in the watershed. Rio Tinto is also looking at the watershed. It is contributing $500,000 over four years to “study the impact of climate change on Nechako white species, namely sockeye salmon, chinook salmon and white sturgeon.”