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The Tsolum River
The Tsolum River is a 258 sq. km watershed on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The Tsolum River tumbles off the northern and eastern slopes of Mount Washington from as high as 1500 metres. In the valley bottom, the Tsolum meanders for 40 km in a north-south direction, before joining the Puntledge River downstream from the Condensory Bridge in Courtenay. The anadromous salmon habitat is low gradient, low elevation and tends to be warm for a salmon river in this area.
There are 4 major tributaries to the Tsolum: Portuguese Creek; Dove Creek; Headquarters Creek; and Murex Creek; as well as many smaller ones. There are 9 larger lakes in the watershed including Wolf Lake, Anderson Lake, McKay Lake, Regan Lake, Blue Grouse Lake, Lost and Little Lost Lakes, Hell Diver Lake and Kalmia Lake, as well as many smaller lakes and wetlands.
The Tsolum River joins with the Puntledge River to form the Courtenay River which flows for 2 km before emptying into the K’omoks Estuary. The estuary is of major ecological and archeological importance.
The upper 2/3 of the watershed is private managed forest lands (TimberWest). The middle reach of the mainstem flows through agricultural land (dairy, meat and other farms). The lower reaches are dominated by a populated urban/rural interface interspersed with small patches of remaining forest and with the City of Courtenay at the mouth. Private land holdings along the river tend to be acreages in the Agricultural Land Reserve. The watershed is also largely within area ‘C’ of the Comox Valley Regional District with a small part in area ‘B’.
The Tsolum River is a 258 sq. km watershed on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The Tsolum River tumbles off the northern and eastern slopes of Mount Washington from as high as 1500 metres. In the valley bottom, the Tsolum meanders for 40 km in a north-south direction, before joining the Puntledge River downstream from the Condensory Bridge in Courtenay. The anadromous salmon habitat is low gradient, low elevation and tends to be warm for a salmon river in this area.
There are 4 major tributaries to the Tsolum: Portuguese Creek; Dove Creek; Headquarters Creek; and Murex Creek; as well as many smaller ones. There are 9 larger lakes in the watershed including Wolf Lake, Anderson Lake, McKay Lake, Regan Lake, Blue Grouse Lake, Lost and Little Lost Lakes, Hell Diver Lake and Kalmia Lake, as well as many smaller lakes and wetlands.
The Tsolum River joins with the Puntledge River to form the Courtenay River which flows for 2 km before emptying into the K’omoks Estuary. The estuary is of major ecological and archeological importance.
The upper 2/3 of the watershed is private managed forest lands (TimberWest). The middle reach of the mainstem flows through agricultural land (dairy, meat and other farms). The lower reaches are dominated by a populated urban/rural interface interspersed with small patches of remaining forest and with the City of Courtenay at the mouth. Private land holdings along the river tend to be acreages in the Agricultural Land Reserve. The watershed is also largely within area ‘C’ of the Comox Valley Regional District with a small part in area ‘B’.
Tsolum River Recovery Plan Documents
We have developed a comprehensive recovery plan for the Tsolum Watershed. Click the button below to read the long term restoration plan and to access supporting documents.
Riparian Planting: Who wants trees?
The TRRS provides free potted native trees to landowners along rivers and creeks in the Tsolum Watershed. We have a variety of potted conifers available. We will even plant them for you if you like. Contact Angela Spooner, Project coordinator at trrs.projectcoord@gmail.com
The TRRS provides free potted native trees to landowners along rivers and creeks in the Tsolum Watershed. We have a variety of potted conifers available. We will even plant them for you if you like. Contact Angela Spooner, Project coordinator at trrs.projectcoord@gmail.com
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Volunteers are extremely important for helping us accomplish all that we do.
Thank you so much for your dedication and time. 
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Fry Salvaging
If you observe fry stranded in shallow pools, due to fluctuating water levels, contact the TRRS Project
Coordinator Angela at (250) 650-7637
If you observe fry stranded in shallow pools, due to fluctuating water levels, contact the TRRS Project
Coordinator Angela at (250) 650-7637
Out-Migration 2017
The Rotary Trap is currently fishing the 2017 out-migration. Numbers for chum are looking high, pink are low as expected considering the low adult returns to the river last fall. Stay tuned for complete estimate of numbers once the counting is complete. If you want to be part of this volunteer work, send us a note on our Contacts page.
The Rotary Trap is currently fishing the 2017 out-migration. Numbers for chum are looking high, pink are low as expected considering the low adult returns to the river last fall. Stay tuned for complete estimate of numbers once the counting is complete. If you want to be part of this volunteer work, send us a note on our Contacts page.
Record breaking out-migration of Pinks in 2016
2015/16 Pink Salmon Run
2015 was an amazing year for Pink salmon in the Tsolum River, with our dedicated volunteers counting 125,000 fish! Not only are these record breaking numbers, the returning fish are wild (not from our hatchery)! The 2016 fall fish count was cancelled due to poor weather, high flows, and low numbers of Pink. Chum returns in fall 2016 were huge, with fish finding their way up smaller creeks and even ditches throughout the watershed. We are hoping for big Pink returns in the fall of 2017, in keeping with the "odd/even" two year Pink cycle.
2015 Pink Salmon Returns
Fish, Flows, and Future Generations make up our current strategic direction. Click on the images to learn more.
Fish
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Flows
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Education and Outreach
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