Wild Salmon Stories

Most of us who work in the salmon farming industry also live in BC's coastal communities and it is important to all of us to protect what we see as an integral part of BC's character: our wild salmon population.

We recognize the concern about declining wild salmon populations in BC, which is why we support a range of salmon enhancement projects and education initiatives.

Salmon farming techniques grew out of those used for salmonid enhancement in wild stocks. Unlike hatcheries, which release the salmon for the portion of their life cycle, salmon farms around the world found ways to retain the fish to harvest size. But salmon farmers have never forgotten their roots.

“As British Columbians, especially British Columbians who live and work on the coast, we care about the wild salmon - it's part of our heritage. Fundamentally, it's about raising healthy fish. We have a passion for seeing them grow, we have shared technology, shared feeds, shared approaches to fish health.”

   - Mary Ellen Walling, January 2005

Many farms and feed companies on BC's West Coast actively assist hatcheries and enhancement projects. For more information on enhancement projects email us at info@salmonfarmers.org

Articles and studies of interest on wild salmon in British Columbia

Commercial salmon fishing declared failure
Losses in California and Oregon are estimated at $16 million based on cutbacks to protect returns to Klamath River...click here

Campbell River Fishing Report
for August 11 - 18, 2006...click here

Salmon run expected among best in 15 years
VANCOUVER -- As many as 17 million sockeye salmon are expected to reach the mouth of the Fraser River this summer in one of the highest returns in the past 15 years...click here

Poor salmon runs feared due to warming Pacific
The Pacific Ocean off British Columbia's coast was warmer and drier than normal last year, leading to an increased number of exotic species such as tropical squid, and a reduced growth rate in salmon, according to a new federal study.

The seventh annual State of the Pacific Ocean report, which was compiled by more than 30 scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, predicts poor salmon runs this summer and fall because of poor ocean conditions dating back three years...click here

Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council: First Nations Fishery Report Cites Conservation Challenges
First Nations must cooperate among their communities -- as well as with the commercial and recreational fisheries -- to rebuild and sustain British Columbia's wild salmon stocks. That is the conclusion of a background paper on First Nations salmon conservation perspectives released today by the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. click here

Millions of salmon eggs lost at gravel removal site
A "massive" die-off of baby salmon at a gravel removal site on the Fraser River was reported by Chilliwack sport fishermen to federal fisheries officials Wednesday. "It's got to be in the millions of alevins (salmon hatchlings) that are never going to get to the ocean," says Frank Kwak, a local member of the Fraser Sport Fishing Advisory Board. click here

Assessing the salmon stocks is explained
Williams Lake Tribune - Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada
This past fall naturalists were thrilled to see salmon heading up several waterways in the area including the Horsefly River and the Williams Lake River. click here

Millions of sockeye don't mean riches for fishery
A strong return of 17.4 million sockeye salmon to the Fraser River predicted for this year won't translate into a windfall commercial fishery, according to a federal fisheries department official. click here

Could a little Bono help save the world's fish? Overfishing a global problem - issue could use a higher profile
Around the world, the fishing industry cares only about short-term profit, the supposed government watchdogs are little more than lapdogs and the public finds the problems of ocean fishing boring. click here

Salmon fishing may be banned
Pacific Fisheries Council considers total ban along Oregon, Califonia coast click here

Fishermen Say Chinook Salmon Are Smaller
The Washington Post reports on a "worrisome ecological trend". Smaller Chinook salmon are returning to the ocean to spawn. A pair of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists released a study earlier this month that lends some scientific weight to that suspicion. This trend, according to the Post, has devastated other vital commercial fisheries. To read the article click here

Global warming can trigger extreme ocean, climate changes
Newly published research results provide evidence that global climate change may have quickly disrupted ocean processes and lead to drastic shifts in environments around the world. To read the article click here