Low river levels across southern Manitoba are posing problems for fishers in the area and prompting advocates to call on less human intervention in water systems.
Fishing near the Lockport Dam Monday morning, Corey Quesnel hadn’t many nibbles as of yet.
The area resident said he’s been to areas near the Brokenhead River and close to Selkirk but neither have been great for casting lines.
“Everything is low,” he said.
Wayne Dabrowski said fishing this year has been average compared to prior years, like three years ago when a dry spell brought the province’s waterways to a historic low.
“You could almost walk halfway across the river,” he said, referring to the Red River which he just finished fishing on.
According to provincial data, the community of Fisherton, Man., has seen the most precipitation since May 1 with 259 mm recorded, while the community of Cartwright in Central Manitoba has seen the least, with only 48 mm recorded.
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The average precipitation for the Central Manitoba area is 201 to 244 mm.
Bruce Owen, media relations officer for Manitoba Hydro, said little rainfall has left some parts of the province in a near-drought.
Elsewhere, this year’s rainfall has helped rivers recover from prior years which saw little precipitation but advocates are staying vigilant.
Save our Seine managing director Ryan Palmquist said the Seine River is still seeing low levels year after year.
“The river ceasing flow is not something that should be happening on a regular basis,” he said.
Palmquist thinks as time goes on, ecosystems across the province will continue to be stressed due to climate change.
“We are going to need to draw back some of the more direct impacts that humans beings have on these rivers if they are going to be able to thrive in a more stressful environment,” he said.
Owen said Hydro is holding more water than usual for this time of year due to little rainfall, but it’s not yet a cause for concern as the year is only half-over.
“We’re not at that warning bell state right yet.”
Coming off a kayak from the Seine River, Keith Macpherson said he’s hoping the waterway will rise a few more inches yet.
“We all pray for rain so we can keep paddling because this is the best river to paddle on.”
— with files from Katherine Dornian
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