Fishing boats work the mouth of the Fraser River. (Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

The low levels of snow in B.C.'s mountains could spell trouble for spawning salmon this summer, according to one expert.

While the southern regions of B.C. are forecast to get a big dump of new snow by the end of the weekend, the amount of snow that has accumulated this winter in most of the mountainous regions of the province is actually below average, according to a report issued last week.

If those low snowpack levels persist, they will likely lead to lower water levels in rivers and streams during the summer, resulting in higher water temperatures. Those conditions will all make life tougher for spawning and juvenile fish, according to Mark Angelo, the chair of the Rivers Institute at B.C. Institute of Technology.

"All of those things will make it tough for salmon as they return to spawn," Angelo said. "It can make them more susceptible to things like disease and parasites.

"When you get water temperatures that start to push into 20 degrees [C], … that's certainly tough on fish.

"And, if you get really low flows in some areas, it certainly makes it a lot tougher on those fish trying to work their way up stream."

The low snowpack levels have been blamed on an El Nino weather pattern that has been producing warm conditions across much of B.C. this winter.