Known as one of the world’s most important salmon rivers, the “Mighty” Fraser River is also home to hundreds of invaluable species of flora and fauna. Recent salmon spawning migrations have been astonishingly low with many factors thought to be at play, not the least of which is habitat loss and pollution resulting from resource-based economic activities such as logging, mining, hydroelectric development, and agriculture.

The region faces a number of challenges imposed by industries old and new, coupled with the pressures of rapid urban development. Decades of heavy resource extraction and high pollution loads threaten to undermine the rich biodiversity that underpinned the success of the Fraser River Watershed and Vancouver in the first place. Salmon fisheries are depleted, and the future viability of mega fauna like raptors and Orca whales is jeopardized – signifying deeper systemic problems.

Just in the last few years, the declining fish populations have become more worrisome, but in 2009 there was a crisis in the sockeye salmon returns for the summer. Anticipated returns were high, but actual returns, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, were 9-11 million short. This isn’t because of late migrations runs, according to the department, but because the fish died sometime during migration. More studies are underway to determine this loss, but many are speculating some or all of the following to play a role: sea lice and fish farms, over-fishing at sea, global warming, and pollution.

The following video is from Calling From the Coast.

Lice Infestation on Fraser River sockeye from Twyla Roscovich on Vimeo.