Found: Signs of hope for Pacific salmon

Since last year, renowned B.C. science writer Terry Glavin has been preparing a major report for Outdoor Canada magazine on the state of the West Coast’s wild Pacific salmon. Due out in our forthcoming April issue, Glavin’s piece illustrates that while the salmon are getting hammered by everything from sea lice infestations to climate change, there remains signs of hope that the species can rally.

One example comes from a new study released last week by the Vancouver-based Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. Entitled Pacific Salmon in Canada’s Arctic Draining Rivers, With Emphasis on Those in British Columbia and the Yukon, the report predicts the Canadian Arctic’s Mackenzie watershed should see greater numbers of returning chum salmon as climate change continues to transform the earth.

The study also suggests pink salmon will eventually colonize the Mackenzie watershed as return spawners. A press release announcing the new study quotes Paul Leblond, chair of the PFRCC, as saying:

“While five species of Pacific salmon have been seen within these northern watersheds, this report shows that only chum have returned regularly to successfully spawn in these colder rivers. As climate change warms the north, we will likely see greater numbers of chum in the Canadian Arctic and possibly pink salmon as well, but regular monitoring is now needed to track these changes.”

The report bases its conclusions on studying salmon returns on the Liard watershed, where the Liard River, starting in the Yukon, runs along B.C.’s northern border and flows northeast through the N.W.T. before entering the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson.

However, the study also concludes that coho, chinook and sockeye salmon are unlikely to become regular fixtures in the watershed any time soon, due to a lack of suitable overwintering habitat.