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.
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Restoring Sumas Lake is an important step in B.C. flood recovery, climate adaptation and reconciliation
We call on all governments to pause and reflect on an alternative path for the Sumas region – one that acknowledges the ongoing threat posed by climate-change-induced flooding, the cost and risk of “business as usual” and the need for innovative, informed and inspired regional planning to support climate adaptation and reconciliation.
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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.
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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…
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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…
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Big tree hunting on Salt Spring Island
Earlier this month I spent two beautiful days on the coast of the Salish Sea, hunting for big trees. I was fortunate to join a research group of passionate “tree people” including Dr. Tara Martin, head of the Conservation Decisions Lab in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC; her Research Assistant, Cassandra Holt; Tony MacLeod from the Salt Spring Conservancy, and Jeff Shatford from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development to measure some of the tallest trees on Salt Spring Island…
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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…
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Endangered species, decline of biodiversity, and more on Quirks and Quarks
This episode of Quirks & Quarks explores pressing conservation issues facing endangered species…
