Status of the Salish Sucker, Catostomus sp., in Canada

Abstract

The salish sucker, Catostomus sp., is an undescribed fish closely related to the longnose sucker, Catostomus catostomus . The species is part of the Chehalis fauna, and in Canada its distribution is restricted to the headwaters of the Campbell and Salmon rivers and Bertrand, Pepin and Salwein creeks in the lower Fraser River valley. Numbers have declined in all populations over the last decade and it may already be extirpated in the Campbell River. The main cause of the decline appears to be habitat change associated with urbanization. In British Columbia, this sucker is clearly endangered.