Fraser
Chinook, coho, and pink salmon are above average while other species are below average with concerning recent declines
Pink and coho salmon are showing promising signs of recovery, with spawner and total abundances currently well-above the long-term average. Coho are at levels not seen since before the crash of the 1990s, suggesting that reductions in harvest implemented as part of recovery planning for Interior Fraser coho may be paying off†. There was an exceptionally high return of Chinook to the Fraser in 2023, but time will tell if this was an anomaly or part of a positive trend.
Monitoring of Fraser sockeye dates back to 1893, and this 130-year record emphasizes how salmon abundance fluctuates through time. Despite an uptick in sockeye spawners in the early 2010s, the most recent spawner and total abundances are below the devastating returns in 2009 that triggered a federal inquiry†. Two of the last four years are the lowest total abundance on record, highlighting the persistent conservation concerns despite major reductions in fisheries.
Steelhead are well-below the long-term average and many populations face an imminent risk of extinction. Interior steelhead (Chilcotin and Thompson River populations) are listed as Endangered† by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
STATE OF SALMON - FRASER
OUR APPROACH
There are different ways to measure the state of salmon, and each approach tells us something unique about how salmon are doing.
CURRENT STATE is the spawner or total abundance over the most recent generation as a per cent anomaly from the long-term average and provides information on how abundant salmon are now relative to past years.
TRENDS measure the direction of change, either over the short-term (most recent three generations) or long-term (all available years). This is complementary information to the current state, and a species that has a declining trend may be a conservation concern even if the current status is above average.
Click on a species for an interpretation of the current state and trends.
Arrows indicate if the trend in abundance is increasing or decreasing
A horizontal line indicates if the trend in abundance is stable
A question mark indicates an unknown current state or trend due to a lack of readily accessible data
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How to Interpret this Graph
Each fish above shows the per cent anomaly of current spawner or total abundance over the most recent generation compared to the long-term average (horizontal line) for each region and species.
Interested in more learning more? Check out the Pacific Salmon Explorer for a data-driven look at Pacific salmon Conservation Units and their habitats within each region.
For more details on our assessment approach, view our Methods.
Well-above long-term average. No conservation concern.
Above long-term average. Current outlook is good.
At or near long-term average. Precaution is warranted.
Below long-term average. Current outlook is poor.
Well-below long-term average. Significant conservation concern.
Unknown current state due to a lack of readily accessible data.
REGION PROFILE
Fraser
Conservation Units are irreplaceable groups of salmon that have unique genetic and life-history traits. Maintaining multiple Conservation Units within a region strengthens the resilience of the species as a whole and helps it withstand and adapt to changing conditions. The number of Conservation Units provides a good indication of the salmon biodiversity in the region.
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Major Salmon-Bearing Rivers
The Fraser River Basin is the largest salmon-bearing watershed in British Columbia, draining an area almost the size of California. From its source in the Rockies, the Fraser River travels 1,375 kilometres to the Strait of Georgia. It consists of 13 sub-watersheds defined by major tributaries, such as the Harrison, Thompson, Adams, Nechako, Chilko, Chilcotin, and Lillooet rivers.
The region supports an incredible diversity of Pacific salmon. It boasts British Columbia's most abundant sockeye populations, with historical abundance of some populations in the millions. At the same time, the Fraser River Basin is home to three million people, nearly two-thirds of the total population in British Columbia. The region is significantly impacted by urban and industrial development. In particular, the land around the Fraser estuary is heavily populated, exposing salmon to the cumulative pressures of habitat degradation and pollution, yet the estuary is critically important to hundreds of populations of salmon across all six species of Pacific salmon including steelhead.
Historical and recent landslides have created a legacy of impacts for Fraser salmon. In 1914, a massive human-caused landslide in Hells Gate blocked passage for migrating salmon, causing significant declines in salmon populations which never fully recovered. A century later, a landslide at Big Bar near Lillooet in 2019 created a five-metre waterfall that trapped migrating salmon below the slide. A nature-like fishway was developed, but fish passage remains a challenge in other areas of the watershed, especially for early migrating sockeye in years of high flow. In summer 2024, a landslide in the Chilcotin River created a dam, temporarily blocking passage for migrating salmon and causing damage to salmon habitat. Although water breached the dam about a week later, the Chilcotin landslide is an evolving situation and the ultimate impacts on salmon remain uncertain.
