The Kaouk River estuary is located on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, in the Treaty Settlement Lands of the Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h First Nations. Stretching across the widest point of this estuary is a causeway providing road access to Fair Harbour. This causeway was observed to decrease habitat connectivity throughout the estuary, specifically limiting juvenile salmon access to high‐quality rearing habitat in the tidal marsh. As such, the causeway was breached in 2019 and a bridge was installed. Juvenile salmon were observed using the new connection and were captured both up and downstream of the causeway immediately following breaching. Postbreach water chemistry (dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and temperature) near the causeway was recorded within the range of values observed throughout the estuary. Use of the breach by juvenile salmon and homogenized water chemistry indicate the project succeeded in improving habitat connectivity within the Kaouk River estuary and has enhanced juvenile salmon access to 2.7 km² of wetland rearing habitat.

中文翻译：

---

加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省考克河河口鱼类群落和水化学物质对堤道破坏和桥梁安装的即时响应

考克河河口位于加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华岛的西北海岸，坐落在“ Ka：'yu：'k't'h'/ Che：k'tles7et'h第一民族的条约定居地”中。一条横跨该河口最宽处的堤道为通往公平港的道路提供了通道。观察到该堤道会降低整个河口的栖息地连通性，特别是限制了鲑鱼进入潮汐沼泽中高质量饲养栖息地的通道。因此，堤道在2019年被破坏，并安装了一座桥。使用新的连接器观察到了幼鲑鱼，并在破坏后立即在堤道上下游捕获。漂洗后水化学（溶解氧，pH，盐度，在整个河口观察到的数值范围内记录铜锣附近的温度和温度。利用未成年鲑鱼违规行为和均质水化学技术表明，该项目成功改善了考克河河口内的栖息地连通性，并将幼鲑获得了2.7公里的通道²个湿地饲养栖息地。