Bring Salmon Back to the Fraser River

In 1808 Simon Fraser undertook an epic canoe trip down the river that now bears his name. During the journey Pacific salmon in the Fraser River were diverse and abundant, likely numbering 100 million strong. The culture and economies of the first nations communities Fraser encountered centered on these salmon.

Two hundred years later Pacific salmon in the Fraser River are in trouble. Across the Fraser watershed, total returns of sockeye, once the most abundant and economically important salmon species, number less than two million fish in both 2007 and 2008. Of even greater concern is the threat of reduced salmon diversity.

Diversity, or the number of genetically distinct salmon stocks, gives salmon the ability to endure and adapt to challenges such as increased temperatures and diseases brought on by climate change.

Two populations of Fraser salmon (Cultus sockeye and Interior Fraser coho) have both been officially identified as endangered by independent scientists. Many other populations have suffered similar declines.

However, it’s not too late for Pacific salmon in the Fraser River, and across Western Canada. Some salmon populations remain relatively strong, and there have been positive changes to fisheries management in recent years. Endangered salmon like the Cultus and Interior coho stocks though, continue to be caught at harvest rates too high to ensure the sustainability of the fishery.

Act now for Fraser River salmon. Write to your federal candidates to tell them more endangered salmon must reach their spawning grounds.

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