Wednesday Dec. 8, 2021 marked two years since I created this website as a way to make information on the conservation status of some key populations of these venerable species more accessible and transparent. Try looking at any BC Government or federal government website on fish and fisheries and you will see what I mean!
Since Dec. 8, 2019 a total of 4,791 users have viewed the page a total of 8,039 times. Canadians (80%) and Americans (18%) have been the most frequent visitors, but folks from Asia, Oceania, Europe, Central and South America have visited the site. Many of the same folks (16%) return to the site again and again.
I am very pleased that so many folks have taken an interest in, and perhaps now have a greater awareness of, the plight of our Pacific salmon and trout.
One visitor has written: "Thank you for your amazing blog. I am currently writing briefings ..., and your links have all the information I need."
Let the information flow continue!
July 7, 2025: 4,791 users/8,039 page views
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Below are brief summary statements about updates I receive on the status of particular runs of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout in British Columbia and Yukon waters. To cut to the chase, I have kept commentary to a minimum and just provided numbers and the source where you can find additional information about methods, threats, etc. If these figures bother you, let it be known to your local MLA, MP, the new Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Joanne Thompson; min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (Julie Dabrusin - ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca; all former Ministers have refused to list salmon and steelhead trout at risk of extinction under Canada's Species at Risk Act, SARA), and the BC Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (George Heyman - ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca).
As each year's final totals come in, I will replace the previous years' totals.
For regular updates, between annual summaries, scroll below and look for 
.
What are the root causes of these declines and what can be done about them? These are the billion dollar questions that cannot be answered here easily.
Certainly climate change and a changing ocean, habitat loss and degradation, disease and pathogens, "freak" accidents like the 2019 Big Bar rockslide,
and overharvest (in directed fisheries and from incidental "by-catch") have all contributed to the declines.
One recent summary of trends and the particular role of climate change can be found HERE. Not only do these declines result
in the loss of "made in BC biodiversity", they have significant economic impacts. The total numbers of salmon of all species caught (commerical and
recreational fisheries) in BC waters has declined from almost 15.6 million fish in 2013 to 1.4 million fish in 2019 (commerical catches alone totalled an average of ~23 million fishes annually
in the 1970s).
Catch statistics over time can be found HERE (look for "Canadian Salmon Catch and Enhanced Salmon Production").
Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon, August 15, 2025.
The Pacific Salmon Commission released its sixth report on sockeye and pink salmon returns to the Fraser River. The pre-season forecast (50% probability)
was for 2.9 million sockeye salmon (about the cycle average) and a massive 27 million pink salmon (again 50% probability of being correct). The
projected run size for sockeye salmon has now ballooned to 9.6 million fish given higher than projected (p50) returns past Mission so far. This is great news and
also illustrates the complexity of projecting run sizes based on myriad factors varying from conditions on the spawning grounds to the open ocean.
Actual counts for the Early Stuart run of sockeye salmon are WAY above expectations (725,000 vs 116,000 forecast). About 275,400 Early Summer, 2,038,200
Summer, and 77,900 Late run fish are estimated to have passed the Mission hydroacoustics detection point.
Pink salmon are only in the early stages of the run with about 46,700 having passed Mission (106,200 have been caught below Mission). Expected the run to surge after August 15th.
Migration flow in the Fraser River near Hope is 2,290 cubic meters per second (cms), which is about 30% lower than average for this date. Water temperature of the Fraser River at Hope on August 14 was 20.5oC, 1.9oC higher than average for this date. While flow levels will continue to drop as is normal, water temperature should also drop and improve migration conditions somewhat.
Follow the runs' progress HERE. Click on "Mission Hydroacoustics" at the top.
This week's report for the season can be viewed HERE.
Yukon River Chinook and chum salmon, Aug 15, 2025.
This year's seventh in-season report for Yukon River Chinook salmon is in. With 100% of the run complete through the lower river, 60,407 Chinook salmon
have passed by the lower river sonar station and 25,715 have passed the
upper river Eagle site. The Pilot Station count is down a bit from last year, and
well below the recent 10 year average, and the Eagle Station count (fish that enter Canada) is almost 4,000 fish more than for the same time last year, but still well below the most recent 10 year average (43,694 ~60% of run complete).
The fish at Pilot Station are also about 6% smaller (shorter) than the 10 year average length. The Porcupine River has seen 333 fish detected (now a little lower than last year's 448 fish). The count at the Whitehorse fish ladder is 176, way up
from 3 at the same time last year and well above the 10 year average of 134 fish (21% of run complete). With a "rebuilding target" of 71,000
Canadian-origin Chinook salmon, and the run well below this point, no harvesting of any kind is likely in the Yukon (or Alaska).
Chum fall run salmon counts have not yet begun (but only about 20,000 are expected to enter Canada at the Eagle Station and about 8,000 fish are expected in the Fishing Branch River, a tributary of the upper Porcupine River in Canada). Stay tuned. This week's report for the season can be viewed HERE and includes information on a new conservation agreement between Canada and the US.
Skeena River summer steelhead trout, August 19, 2025.
"Tyee Test Fishery operations began on June 10th. The cumulative Skeena River summer steelhead index to Aug 18th is 38.11. The average to this date = 79.67 (range: 19.23 (2021) to 207.13 (1998)). The escapement for Skeena summer run steelhead to Aug 18th is estimated to be 9,337, the average to this date = 19,519 (range: 4,711 to 50,747). To this date, the 2025 steelhead abundance estimate ranks as the 9th lowest year out of 70 years of operation."
Source: Province of BC, MWLRS, Skeena Region
Columbia River Fish Counts. Aug 15, 2025. A total of
72,028 sockeye salmon have been counted through Wells Dam,
the last dam on the Columbia River before fish reach the Okanagan River (located 26 km upstream) and have a chance to enter Canada another 137 km upstream.
This is well down from about 489,408 fish counted at about the same time last year. See HERE for updates (scroll to the bottom).
March 18, 2023. Parliamentary Committee Report on DFO Science released.
An all federal party parliamentary committee was struck to investigate how DFO conducts and communicates scientific research in the service of making decisions regarding Canada's public fishery resources.
It does not make for pretty reading.
The report is very critical of how DFO conducts some research (other aspects of its research program are justifiably laudable) and, most importantly, how such information is reviewed and transmitted to both the public and the Minister in order to make decisions on various fisheries. The overall conclusion is that the current processes are quite damaging to efforts to sustain wild Pacific salmon populations, particularly with respect to DFO Aquaculture Management's overly 'cosy' releationship with the fish-farming industry. You can read the report (and its 49 recommendations) HERE. Regional DFO Director General Rebecca Reid's response to the committee's conclusion of DFO's conflicted mandate (made by others many times - see HERE) that DFO: "...understands its role and responsibilities for the management of wild salmon and aquaculture and does so appropriately" speaks volumes. Talk about out of touch!
All this in the wake of the deeply flawed DFO report on fish farms and sea lice incidence described as "a scientific sin" in a letter signed by 16 academics and scientists independent of DFO (I was not one of them, but I agree completely with them and independently came to many of the same conclusions on how poor the DFO analyses and report are - see HERE and the previous update just below) and the critical report by the Auditor General's Office on how DFO manages the aquatic species at risk file (see below also).
If there was ever a time for fundamental change in how DFO operates and what its mandates are it is now. The Parliamentary Committee has concluded the same thing. In particular their Recommendation 41 states:
"Given the conflict of interest between DFO’s mandate relating to aquaculture versus the application of the precautionary principle and the ongoing crisis for the health of wild Pacific salmon stocks, that the government implement, on the West Coast only, Recommendation #3 in the Cohen Commission report on the state of wild salmon: “The Government of Canada should remove from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ mandate the promotion of salmon farming as an industry and farmed salmon as a product.”
Just to be be clear this is the second time that this fundamental restructuring of DFO has been recommended.
Come on - Just do it!!
Auditor-General's Office Report on Protecting Aquatic Species at Risk. Canada's Office of the Auditor General has just released its
report on protecting aquatic species at risk (including salmon and steelhead). One of its major conclusions (page 29) is that: "...Fisheries and
Oceans Canada, in collaboration with others, did not adequately protect selected aquatic species assessed as at risk. For the areas we examined,
Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada did not adequately contribute to meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable
Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water)...". You can read the full report and recommendations (all of which DFO agreed with) HERE.
Have a comment or want to be informed of updates? etaylor@zoology.ubc.ca