When salmon is affected,we all are

Aug 6, 2018 | 8:47 AM

KAMLOOPS -Shortly after we moved to Kamloops in August of 2012 we were told of a not-to-miss event unfolding every fall in the Adams river: the annual salmon run, peaking every four years. The 2010 run had been a successful one, ‘the river was red with fish’ one acquaintance said, and though the big runs happen every four years, the 2012 was expected to be a good one nonetheless. 

Come October, we went to the then-named Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, now Tsútswecw. There was salmon alright. Not a river running red with it, but there was salmon to tell the tale. And what a tale it is. Salmon truly ties the various ecosystems of this province like a ribbon, holding everything together functioning perfectly and ensuring the continuity of life, year after year. 

Based on the four-year cycle predictions, 2018 is supposed to be a big one. For the sockeye salmon, the predicted numbers are in the millions. Around 14, to be precise. But if you consider the reality of warm waters (20.7 degrees Celsius is the maximum recorded these days in the Fraser River near Hope,) a grimmer picture emerges, with much lower returns – between 8.5 and 5 million fish. The unusually warm ocean waters have not been welcoming to the salmon either, which has considerably affected their survival rates. 

The chinook populations are not doing much better. The declining stocks have been evident in recent years, with some fisheries seeing but 20 percent of their average returns. According to data compiled by the Watershed Shed Salmon Society in August 2017, out of the 15 south coast chinook populations belonging to the Fraser River fishery, nine were listed as a severe conservation concern due to their low returns. 

Overall, annual counts of spawning streams have declined by 70 percent since the 1980s, according to a 2017 study by two SFU researchers, Michael Price and John Reynolds. Also, the authors concluded, approximately 50 percent of all wild salmon populations on British Columbia’s north and central coast are not monitored by the DFO. In other words, who knows where they stand, but let’s hope all’s well. 

All’s not well though. Commercial and recreational fisheries are fully closed or partially restricted to help the declining fish populations. A decision by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in May 2018 to cut the allowable catch of Chinook by up to 35 percent to help the endangered resident southern killer whales is a positive step but perhaps too small a step if we are to see both the salmon and the orcas have a fair chance to improve their numbers and well-being levels, respectively. As it stands now, there are 75 orca whales left and some of them in poor health, mainly due to lack of food, the bulk of which is Chinook salmon. The added trouble is compounded by pollution and increased boat traffic, which stresses the whales and affects their ability to communicate. 

While I am usually cautious when it comes to any animal in distress becoming the darling of the media and social media alike, the recent story of an orca mother carrying her dead calf for hundreds of kilometers for over 10 days is worth mentioning. it is heartbreaking, by anyone’s standards, not just a mother’s. It is hard to watch the video without cringing with guilt. No, we did not collectively kill the whale calf. But we did. The attention given to the grieving mother brought the plight of these endangered whales once again into the limelight. Recently, a lethargic calf was spotted in the same pod, most likely weakened due to malnourishment. Given that orca mothers share their food with the calves, the implications of this discovery are sad. There is just not enough food. Chinook salmon that is. 

The low wild salmon stocks are also affecting the grizzly bears along the coast of British Columbia. When the fish stocks are depleted, recent studies have determined, bears show higher levels of stress, which affects their overall well-being, reproductive rates, and longevity. And it does not stop there. The coastal rainforest has been built on salmon, as they say. The big circle of life that has functioned like clockwork for thousands of years is showing signs of trouble. The iconic B.C. species, which are the salmon, bear, and orca, are the canaries telling of the existing trouble, but there are many others that are suffering too. 

There is no perfect or unique solution to this complex problem. The challenges are multiple and some not clear yet. More research is needed and better monitoring to start with, to know where we stand. Every act of advocacy in favour of these species and all the others that depend on them, humans included, is a step in the right direction. Not a moment too soon that is.