West Vancouver Island
Chinook and sockeye remain above average spawner abundance, while steep declines in chum, coho, and steelhead are cause for concern
Chinook on West Vancouver Island have above-average spawner abundance, though 2025 had the lowest number in over a decade. Two Vancouver Island Chinook populations have been assessed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, with straying of hatchery-origin spawners raising concerns about potential impacts on the genetic diversity of wild Chinook within the region.
Barkley Sound sockeye, including those in the Somass River, are also above average spawner abundance and total abundance. Coho, however, have declined steeply over the past decade and are hovering near their long-term average while chum and steelhead are far below their long-term average spawner abundance.
There have been very few pink salmon in rivers on West Vancouver Island in recent decades, though historical data from the 1970s suggest they were once abundant.
State of Salmon - West Vancouver Island
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.
An exclamation mark indicates critically low abundance.
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How to Interpret this Graph
Each fish above shows the per cent anomaly of current spawner abundance or total abundance over the most recent generation compared to the long-term average (horizontal line) for each region and species.
Interested in 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.
Critically low. At risk of local extinction.
Unknown state due to a lack of readily accessible data.
REGION PROFILE
West Vancouver Island
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.
Notable Salmon-Bearing Rivers
The West Vancouver Island Region spans 17,674 square kilometres west of Vancouver Island's mountain ranges, stretching from San Josef Bay to Sooke. Characterized by remote inlets, small coastal streams, and a mosaic of islands, the region supports rich and diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, decades of industrial logging have stripped much of the old-growth forest and significantly altered salmon habitats.
Chinook salmon here are notably large, often exceeding 13 kilograms. They are a key food source for the endangered Southern Resident killer whale, which relies on the west coast of Vancouver Island as a critical foraging area. These Chinook also support socially and economically valuable fisheries from Vancouver Island to southeast Alaska. However, changes in the marine ecosystem have affected the survival rates of juvenile Chinook and wild diversity is being undermined by interbreeding of hatchery fish and size-selective fishing. In recent years, drought has also impacted these rain-dominated streams, affecting the ability of salmon to access spawning grounds.
