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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 […]

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Genetics results for Chinook salmon are in!

Published on 2017 02 08 | by David Scott, Raincoast Lower Fraser Salmon Program Coordinator | in Notes from the Field

A salt marsh at the mouth of the Fraser River is used by juvenile salmon, other fish species, and thousands of resident and migratory birds. Photo: M. MacDuffee

When you picture a research biologist’s day you probably imagine them on a boat or in a forest, immersed in nature with a notebook in hand. However, for much of the year we are tucked away in labs or at our desks, analyzing data…

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