A record-low Interior Fraser steelhead return is a conservation crisis that must be addressed before the species of trout is wiped out, the B.C. Wildlife Federation said Thursday.

“Steelhead are heading to extinction faster than all the other fish, and so if we can’t take care of them, we’re not going to be able to take care of other threatened or endangered populations,” said Jesse Zeman, executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation on Wednesday.

Zero steelhead have been captured this year in test fisheries that produce the data used to forecast the abundance of spawners in the spring, according to a status update from the B.C. Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Ministry.

The update also said the spawning population forecast for the Thompson watershed is less than 19 steelhead,

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