Lia Chalifour walks through the tall grass of the Fraser Estuary hauling her equipment for the salmon ear bone study.

Unpacking new research on the Fraser Estuary’s importance to Chinook salmon

A new paper, “Chinook salmon exhibit long-term rearing and early marine growth in the Fraser River, B.C., a large urban estuary,” has highlighted the importance of the Fraser estuary as critical habitat for Chinook salmon. The researchers used salmon ear bones, or otoliths, to study how juvenile salmon were using the Fraser estuary, and found…

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

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

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…