chinook | Raincoast Conservation Foundation

Guide government action on Southern Resident killer whales before March 23

Published on 2020 03 18 | by Raincoast | in Conservation update

A researcher puts a breath sampler in the water from a long pole while a killer whale swims in another frame.

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We are headed to the Supreme Court for Southern Resident killer whales

Published on 2019 11 05 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director & Paul Paquet, Senior Scientist | in For the coast

Southern Resident killer whales on the surface of the blue Salish Sea.

Today, Raincoast takes our work to protect Southern Resident killer whales from the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Working with Living Oceans Society and our legal team at Ecojustice, we have filed an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. We are arguing that the […]

Research: Habitat use by juvenile salmon, other migratory fish, and resident fish species underscores the importance of estuarine habitat mosaics

Published on 2019 09 09 | by Raincoast | in Scientific Literature

An expansive view of a Raincoast scientist working in the field in the Fraser River estuary.

Pacific salmon, especially Chinook and Chum, reside and feed in estuaries during downstream migrations. But the extent to which they rely on estuaries, and which habitats within estuaries, is not well understood. We need to understand this complexity if we are going to enact effective conservation policies. This is especially important in urban systems where habitat loss is ongoing, and at different rates across the estuarine mosaic. The Fraser River estuary, for example, supports a multitude of fish species…

Approval of Trans Mountain expansion puts Fraser River salmon and Salish Sea estuaries at risk

Published on 2019 07 09 | by Misty MacDuffee, Dave Scott, & Chris Genovali | in For the coast

Salmon circle on the rocky bottom of the Fraser River.

The Fraser River in British Columbia remains one of the world’s most productive salmon rivers. Equally significant is the Fraser River’s estuary, which serves as vital habitat for fish, bird, and mammal species that are linked across thousands of kilometers of the Northeast Pacific Ocean. All Fraser River populations of salmon…

The Fraser River estuary is fragmented by structures that alter the flow of water

Published on 2019 06 21 | by Alex Harris, Communications Associate | in Inform

Salmon fry pool in the estuaries of the Fraser River.

The first phase in Raincoast’s five-year restoration project in the Fraser estuary was making breaches in the Steveston jetty to allow young salmon access to Sturgeon Bank, a safe, marshy habitat that gives them an easier transition from river to ocean…

Great news: juvenile salmon moving through habitats reconnected after 100 years

Published on 2019 06 19 | by David Scott, Raincoast Lower Fraser Salmon Program Coordinator | in Conservation update

Raincoast Fraser River crew sampling juvenile salmon in the east breach.

Since the removal of sections of the Steveston jetty in February, we have been sampling our new jetty ‘breaches’ and have consistently caught juvenile salmon moving through them! This is a huge success and was realized just weeks after…

Breaking new estuary ground on the Steveston Jetty

Published on 2019 02 27 | by David Scott, Raincoast Lower Fraser Salmon Program Coordinator | in Notes from the Field

Steveston Jetty on a grey day, with overset diagrams showing some of the work we're doing.

When we began our research in the Fraser estuary in 2016, the presence of multiple barriers, including the Steveston Jetty, became a significant concern. With the announcement of the Coastal Restoration Fund in 2017, an opportunity to begin addressing these barriers appeared…

No mitigation measures can protect Southern Resident killer whales from the noise of Trans Mountain’s tanker traffic

Published on 2019 02 22 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director | in Conservation update

J16 spy hops: Southern Resident killer whale.

While we disagree with the NEB’s conclusion, we acknowledge that their review of the effects on killer whales accurately portrays the complexity and severity of the situation.

Government declares “imminent threat” to survival of Southern Resident killer whales

Published on 2018 06 08 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director | in Conservation update

Southern Resident killer whales: J2 (right) and juvenile J45 (left) chasing a salmon.

Last week, the government announced fisheries closures in some key Southern Resident foraging areas. While welcome news, the measures only partially address our concerns over food availability and disturbance to endangered killer whales…