Posts / Articles : Habitat Protectors

It’s almost salmon season in BC and that means volunteers are needed more than ever. Read how volunteers find themselves inspired to become part of salmon conservation.

The seals are not going after just any salmon. They are targeting juvenile Coho and Chinook that are heading from freshwater out to the Salish Sea.

Like transit lines for wild salmon, over 50 freshwater streams used to flow through the City of Vancouver. Little St. George Creek, or te Statlew in the Musqueam language, is one of these historic waterways – a stream that once ran along St. George Street, from Kingsway to the False Creek Flats.

Salmon Sundays are an institution at the Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre in Port Moody. Visit any Sunday and you’ll likely encounter one of the founders – Ruth Foster or Rod MacVicar – and a cluster of volunteers.

Think of the Discover Salmon section at uninterrupted.ca as a pool of stories to dabble in – plus it’s a pathway to great organizations with a wealth of information and research already available online about wild salmon and their importance.

A pick up truck parks by a small creek, with 25,000 fry in the back. Gently scooped with a net, the young chum salmon are placed in pails light enough for a child to carry. Small hands hold pails of water as small feet make their way to the nearby creek, and parents murmur encouragement.

Nikki Wright inspires people to “sew” grass – eelgrass to be precise – lots of it and into the ocean floor. The marine vegetation is native to the west coast, and a lifesaver for young salmon. After they spend a year or two in freshwater, the salmon head out for the ocean where they are vulnerable to sharp-eyed eagles and other predators. The long eelgrass that grows close to the shoreline provides essential protection for the salmon and a food source of minnows and small insects.

Salmon stewardship is woven into the culture of First Nations from a history that goes back thousands of years. It’s seen as a sacred responsibility, reflected in stories that are passed from one generation to the next.