Steve Smith, chief of resource management with Fisheries and Oceans, said the sonar gives a more accurate count of the number of fish in the river system because it counts fish in most tributaries, not just the Fishing Branch.

"We can count the fish in order to provide for a first nation fishery and a weir that occurs somewhat after the fishery doesn't fulfill that need as well as a sonar might, which is downstream of the fishery before the fishery occurs."