Meet Allison Dennert, Raincoast’s new Quantitative Salmon Ecologist
Allison Dennert has joined our Wild Salmon Program team as a Quantitative Salmon Ecologist.
New research proves that nutrients from the sea can increase terrestrial plant growth and reproduction
The relationship between terrestrial and marine environments within an ecosystem is essential. Newly published research from Simon Fraser University shows that salmon and marine plants increase both growth and reproduction in terrestrial plants. The findings, “Experimental addition of marine-derived nutrients affects wildflower traits in a coastal meta-ecosystem,” published in Royal Society Open Science show that…
Meet Auston Chhor, Raincoast’s new Wild Salmon Governance and Policy Analyst
Auston Chhor has joined our growing Wild Salmon Program team as a Governance and Policy Analyst. He will focus on addressing the myriad of threats facing salmon habitats in the Lower Fraser River by progressing governance frameworks, policies, funding structures, and field research initiatives. Auston has a BSc in Biology from Queen’s University and a…
Bold, sustained action can revitalize wild Pacific salmon in the lower Fraser River
New research shows that Wild Salmon populations in the Fraser can recover if action is taken now.
Quantifying lost habitat for Pacific salmon in the Lower Fraser
Salmon have lost access to as much as 85 per cent of their historical floodplain habitat – the biologically rich wetlands next to a river or stream that typically harbour wildlife – due to dikes and similar infrastructure.
Chinook salmon exhibit long-term rearing and early marine growth in the Fraser River, B.C., a large urban estuary
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…
Research: Conservation in heavily urbanized biodiverse regions requires urgent management action and attention to governance
A new open access research paper led by Dr. Tara Martin at the UBC Conservation Decisions Lab applied a novel conservation decision making tool called Priority Threat Management to identify the most cost-effective management strategies needed to address the threats facing 102 species at risk identified in the area…
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…
Salmon species diversity predicts salmon consumption by terrestrial wildlife
Research by scientists at Spirit Bear Research Foundation, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and the University of Victoria, led by Christina Service, shows that salmon species diversity – the number of spawning salmon species available – is far more important and positively related to salmon consumption in coastal black bears than biomass abundance…
Criteria for a good catch: A conceptual framework to guide sourcing of sustainable salmon fisheries
The proposed new framework for identifying sustainably harvested salmon suggests that individual retailers develop criteria (or adopt others) that comply with this place-based foundation. Patagonia Provisions is one retailer requesting this high standard of certification because their customers want higher standards than are currently available…
Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy: an assessment of conservation progress in British Columbia
This paper, lead by scientists at Simon Fraser University and co-authored by two Raincoast biologists, finds that Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy has failed to improve the conservation of Pacific salmon since its adoption in 2005…
The ecology of conflict
New study from Raincoast and partners finds that when salmon abundance is low, human conflict with bears increases.