New fish have been spotted in a recently revitalized section of Craigflower Creek in View Royal, B.C., thanks to a development site with an environmental focus.

Volunteers from the Friends of Bowker Creek Society say uncovering caddisfly larvae in the gravel beds of the stream show the water quality has improved to a level sufficient to sustain salmon and cutthroat trout.

In 2009, the numbers dropped down to just 500 pairs of Chinook returning. Yet, as of Tuesday, more than 8,000 Chinook had returned to their Cowichan River spawning grounds. The improvement is the result of years of conservation efforts by Cowichan Tribes, who have worked to restore the river to its course before logging operations changed the river.

A blue-green algae advisory is in effect for Prior Lake in Thetis Lake Regional Park after the toxic blooms were spotted in the water.

A blue-green algae advisory is in effect for Prior Lake in Thetis Lake Regional Park after the toxic blooms were spotted in the water.

A Vancouver Island watershed is experiencing such a severe drought the town of Lake Cowichan says it will start using pumps to keep the local river flowing.

Visitors advised not to swim in lake and keep dogs on leash

Drought levels have been raised already for parts of the province and Dave Campbell, with the B.C. River Forecast Centre, says the current forecast points to drought conditions provincewide in the coming weeks.

The Cowichan River is lower than it was in August last year, after the long extreme heat and drought. There might not be enough water in the river for newly-hatched salmon to swim to the ocean.

The carcass of a nearly four-metre-long bluntnose sixgill shark was found on Coles Bay Tuesday.

A pregnant bluntnose sixgill shark found on the banks of Coles Bay may have come in to shallow water to give birth and died from complications.

Plans are underway for raising the weir: a reflection of widespread concern, says Ken Traynor

Residents say mild weather makes toughing out the rain worthwhile

The Koksilah River is in trouble, with low flows threatening fish populations.

It’s likely a lot of Cowichan Lake residents think there’s plenty of water around for the summer of 2017, given the winter we’ve been having. But, according to Cowichan River watcher Parker Jefferson, “We’re just about where we were last year.”

On a field trip with Northwest Indian College Geology class to Chuckanut Drive saw water with apparent difference in color.