Description du lieu patrimonial

The Meziadin Fish Ladder complex consists of a concrete passageway that allows spawning salmon to navigate Victoria Falls on the Meziadin River, a technical fish counting and sampling facility which extends over the Meziadin River, and a seasonal camp for fishery technicians. The complex is located approximately 50 kilometres east of Stewart, British Columbia, in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine.

Valeur patrimoniale

The heritage value of the Meziadin Fish Ladder is found in its early and ongoing contribution to the conservation of the salmon resource, in its cultural values related to First Nations use of the Meziadin River for fishing, and in its current use as a fish ladder and fish counting facility.

The current facility, constructed in 1966 by the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, replaced an earlier fish ladder, built in 1914, at the same location. It is important for its natural and geographical association with the Meziadin River and Meziadin Lake, an important spawning lake within the Nass River system.

Cultural significance is found in the past and current use of this locality on the Meziadin River for salmon fishing by First Nations, and in their traditional knowledge of the river and the fishery which has assisted government conservation efforts since the late 1800s. The historic place is called Lak-an-Zoq by local First Nations; it was the site of their daily fishing activity. Today, this significance is seen in seasonal fishing camps and smokehouses along the north bank of the Meziadin River, the monitoring of the fishery by technicians representing the Nisga'a and the Gitanyow First Nations, and the use of traditional dipnet fishing methods by the Gitanyow.

The Meziadin Fish Ladder is historically significant as an example of early fish enhancement policy and activities undertaken in northern British Columbia and demonstrates the early understanding of the importance of the Meziadin River in the Nass River salmon fishery. Most early fishways in British Columbia were constructed to mitigate barriers to fish migration caused by the construction of dams for hydro-electric generation or mining purposes. At Meziadin, however, it was the location, length and steepness of the Victoria Falls that prevented the passage of salmon upriver to Meziadin Lake. The value of the Meziadin salmon resource was first documented by provincial fisheries inspector C. P. Hickman in the early 1900s. This helped lead to provincial and federal government cooperation in the construction of the original fish ladder which opened in September 1914. Today, 70 to 80 percent of the Nass River sockeye run returns to the Meziadin system, which translates into an average of 200,000 sockeye counted each year at the facility.

The Fish Ladder is valued for its natural history, scientific and conservation importance, emphasized through the natural cycle of the salmon and the seasonal nature of fishing and fish counting at the site. The original unmaintained fish ladder was replaced by the current ladder in 1966, when hydro-electric development was considered on the Nass River and studies found that the 1914 ladder was no longer effective in allowing fish to reach the spawning grounds.

The 670 foot long Fish Ladder is valued for its engineering, design and physical form. Bridging both the upper and lower Falls, the Fish Ladder has 33 ascending pools providing access to spawning grounds above the falls. A concrete weir at the lower falls directs fish into the fish ladder, while a buttressed design of steel and concrete make the structure impervious to river currents. The vertical slot design allows fish to either freely navigate the ladders or to be manually directed by technicians.

The site is also important for its social, educational and interpretive values. The public can view fish leaping over the weir at the lower end of the Ladder, observe activities of fisheries technicians as they conduct daily counts of returning salmon and biological sampling, and understand the cultural values of the site through interpretive signs.

Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, Planning Department

Éléments caractéristiques

Key character-defining elements of the Meziadin Fish Ladder include:

-its remote location
-its direct connection and relationship to the Meziadin River and Meziadin Falls
-views to the Falls from the steel walkway over the fish ladder
-the public viewing area at the foot of the fish ladder, and views of operations at enumeration facility
-the concrete and steel fish ladder structure with its buttressed design
-the fish counting and sampling station
-site of seasonal camps along river bank
-continued use as a First Nations fishing and fish processing area along the river edge, below the falls
-interpretive signs