Fraser River | Raincoast Conservation Foundation

An Influx of Information

Published on 2021 03 24 | by Lauren Mitchell, Wild Salmon Team Intern | in Notes from the Field

Lauren Mitchell, intern on Raincoast’s wild salmon team, is researching how to best to go about calculating the number of salmon the Lower Fraser River and estuary are able to support.

New video: The Terminal 2 expansion and Southern Resident killer whales and Fraser River Chinook salmon

Published on 2021 03 17 | by Alex Harris, Communications Associate | in Raincoast updates

Southern Resident killer whale in the ocean.

We have released a new video about the impacts of the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal 2 expansion on Southern Resident killer whales and Fraser River Chinook salmon.

Chinook salmon exhibit long-term rearing and early marine growth in the Fraser River, B.C., a large urban estuary

Published on 2021 01 20 | by Raincoast | in Scientific Literature

A tiny juvenile Chinook salmon in a viewfinder in the Lower Fraser River.

Using tiny salmon ear bones, or otoliths, Raincoast researchers and partners were able to demonstrate that Chinook salmon from Harrison River rely on the Fraser estuary for one to two months while they feed and grow. These findings underscore the critical nature of this habitat for the persistence and recovery of Chinook salmon…

Bringing a stewardship program to my home community

Published on 2021 01 06 | by Robin Buss | in Notes from the Field

Summer student, Robin Buss, worked with Raincoast Conservation Foundation to bring a stewardship program to her home community, the Tsawwassen First Nation.

Tracking Raincoast’s impact through 2020

Published on 2020 12 23 | by Raincoast | in Tracking Raincoast

These conservation efforts and our research have reached millions around the world. Tangible conservation success. 2020 was not all bad – let’s make 2021 even better…

Restoring the upper Pitt River

Published on 2020 11 04 | by Kristen Walters, Lower Fraser River Salmon Conservation Program Coordinator | in Notes from the Field

On three, we haul the lead line in. One, two, three! I kneel in the stream holding up the seine net and begin combing through debris of leaves, sticks and small rocks, looking for flashes of silver amongst the dull colours. Coho! My colleague, Ian Hamilton, a Fisheries Biologist and Habitat Restoration Department Head at […]

Federal Minister presses pause on Terminal 2

Published on 2020 09 16 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director | in Conservation update

In a six page letter (PDF) to the CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Canada’s minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, requested more information from the Port to assess the effectiveness of mitigation efforts in the proposed expansion of Terminal 2 on Roberts Bank. Wikinson’s letter conveyed the panel’s conclusion about likely adverse effects to fish, fish habitat and other at-risk species if Terminal 2 proceeds…

Toward a Vision for Salmon Habitat in the Lower Fraser River

Published on 2020 03 04 | by Raincoast | in Reports & Books

Salmon art with a forest on the side of the salmon and orange polka dots around it.

Our new report, Toward a Vision for Salmon Habitat in the Lower Fraser River sets bold recommendations to address the loss of salmon habitat that has been identified as a key factor in the crisis many recognize for Fraser River salmon…

Backgrounder: The 2019 fishery and endangered Fraser Chinook

Published on 2020 02 05 | by Raincoast | in Backgrounders

Chinook salmon on the bottom of the river bed.

This backgrounder on endangered Fraser Chinook has been produced by Raincoast Conservation Foundation, David Suzuki Foundation, and Watershed Watch…

Join us at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Vancouver

Published on 2019 10 21 | by Ross Dixon, Communications & Development Director | in Raincoast updates

A small coho salmon fry swim on the bottom of the lake.

Along with the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, Raincoast is chairing a traditional session at the upcoming Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference April 19-22, 2020 Vancouver Convention Centre Vancouver BC. The session, Toward a vision for Ecological Resilience in the Lower Fraser River, session ID1438, is accepting abstracts until November 1st. Our goal is to bring together […]

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…

Terminal 2 expansion at Roberts Bank jeopardizes salmon recovery efforts

Published on 2019 08 23 | by Chris Genovali, Executive Director | in For the coast

A container ship get loaded at a terminal near Vancouver.

Given the ecological challenges that Fraser River salmon, including juvenile salmon, face at this point in history, now is not the time to increase pressure on their rearing grounds in the Fraser estuary by increasing the footprint of the Terminal 2 project on Roberts Bank….