Salmon Soaring at Parks Canada
Parks Canada is on a mission to revitalize salmon populations, in collaboration with Indigenous communities and partners in Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, and the Yukon. This effort combines habitat restoration and cutting-edge genetic research, all while celebrating the cultural importance of these iconic fish. It’s not just about saving salmon; it’s about reigniting hope for the “king of fish” and creating a brighter future for our ecosystems. Together, we’re making waves for a better tomorrow!
Salmon have been deeply important to the health of ecosystems, Indigenous Peoples, and coastal communities. They are fundamental to many traditional practices and play a crucial ecological role in how rivers function. However, both Pacific and Atlantic salmon numbers are declining across their ranges due to causes that are not fully understood. Parks Canada is dedicated to salmon revival, aiming to recover salmon populations, freshwater ecosystems, and cultural practices across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Yukon regions.
Dive in and explore how Parks Canada is committed to restoring salmon populations and habitats across the country while supporting the communities that depend on them.
Text transcript
Hi everyone, my name is Danielle.
I am a project coordinator with Parks Canada's Atlantic Salmon Conservation and Restoration project. I am here in Gros Morne National Park Come join us on some monitoring work today.
Gros Morne is one of the five national parks that are working together to recover Atlantic Salmon.
The other national parks are Fundy, Kouchibouguac, Cape Breton Highlands, and Terra Nova.
Salmon populations at these different sites are all at various stages.
Some are healthy, but others are threatened or endangered, and our aim is to study these populations and figure out exactly when we should be stepping in on our recovery actions.
Is it effective to come in once a population is already endangered, or should we be stepping in before when populations are still healthy?
Monitoring salmon populations across Atlantic Canada gives us the data needed to determine when recovery actions are necessary.
So right now I am going to put on a dry suit, which is basically similar to a wet suit, but you stay dry underneath so you can wear all of your clothing and you zip it up and then you’re water tight.
All right. We're going to start our snorkel survey.
And you'll notice behind me we have three people in the water and one person here on shore behind me.
And it's important to have a shore support to count all the salmon that we see in the water, as well as to provide safety support.
So the team is saying they're ready to start.
Everyone's good.
They're starting their survey all in a line.
This is to make sure that they're covering the entire area that we're monitoring.
Sean's putting up his hand, and that means he's seeing salmon.
They're communicating to Todd.
And Todd's writing all of these numbers down, and he's writing down the location that we're seeing these fish.
Snorkel surveys help biologists track the number of salmon returning to the rivers each year.
We can then look at these numbers regionally to see the peaks and the valleys of salmon abundance, and how they relate to our recovery efforts.
So we reached the end of our snorkel survey, and we have met up with the team doing biofilm sampling.
So let's go check it out.
Kurt... Yes?
What are we doing here?
So we are collecting biofilm from a number of rocks in the river to get an idea, an estimate of how productive these rivers are.
So this biofilm covers rocks.
It's that slippery stuff that everyone falls on when you're walking through a river.
And so we want to collect that.
We're going to scrape it off with this toothbrush.
As you can see, the water is getting greener.
And then from there we can we can measure how green, how much stuff is in there.
Very cool.
And why do we care about biofilm being in our rivers?
Right.
So biofilm is really important because it's the base of the food web.
And it feeds the little organisms like these guys right here.
These little, we call them macro invertebrates.
They're the river bugs. These are important because this is what salmon eat primarily when they're juveniles in the river.
And so the more biofilm there is, the more algae, the more food at the bottom of the food web, there's more food for these bugs.
That means there's more bugs for salmon to eat and we can sustain larger, healthier salmon, populations.
All right.
I'm out of my dry suit and the day is done.
Check out this awesome view behind me.
Now it's just time to pack up and head on out.
Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure today.
Bye bye.
The Parks Canada Atlantic Salmon Recovery Project aims to prevent salmon populations from further decline, disappearing from the region, or becoming at risk.
Learn more about salmon recovery across Canada at: parks.canada.ca/saumon-salmon
Regional perspectives
Atlantic Canada
Parks Canada is on a mission to revive Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), whose numbers have been declining for decades.
The reasons for the decline are mostly unknown, but changes in the ocean environment may be playing a big role. The Inner Bay of Fundy salmon population was declared Endangered in 2003, with an estimate of only about 200 salmon left in the population. While the population is still listed on the Species at Risk Act of Canada as Endangered, the positive impact of recovery work on ecosystems and local communities has been profound.
Atlantic salmon are vital to the health of freshwater and forest ecosystems in the Bay of Fundy. Salmon are unique because they make an incredible journey from rivers to the ocean and back again. While travelling from saltwater to freshwater, they enrich the river environments with essential marine nutrients that help feed the plants and animals in that ecosystem. Beyond their ecological benefit, these fish also hold deep cultural significance for Atlantic communities, especially for Indigenous Peoples, symbolizing tradition, and connection to the land.
Since the early 2000s, Fort Folly First Nation in New Brunswick worked alongside Fundy National Park to restore the inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon. This conservation work has progressed into a leading conservation collaborative called Fundy Salmon Recovery. Fort Folly First Nation now manages their own salmon recovery branch of Fundy Salmon Recovery on the Petitcodiac River.
Elder Betty Ward, Indigenous Knowledge holder from Metepenagiag First Nation, highlights connections between people, salmon, and the ecosystem in Fundy National Park:
They are so important to the fabric of New Brunswick— They are the "king of fish"
While work in Fundy was successful on a local level, a regional approach was needed for a cohesive conservation outcome. Enter the Atlantic Salmon Recovery project—an example of teamwork at its finest. This initiative brings together over 40 partners, including First Nations, scientists, industry, nonprofits, and local communities. Together, they’re working to not only conserve and restore Atlantic salmon populations but also to rekindle the deep spiritual and cultural connections to this iconic fish.
The learnings and research from the Atlantic salmon recovery project are actively shared between the five Atlantic national parks and their partners.
Fundy, Cape Breton Highlands, Gros Morne, Kouchibouguac and Terra Nova national parks study conservation actions across different populations at the same time. The regional Atlantic Salmon Recovery collaborative is teaming up on conservation efforts to align ecological and social perspectives of salmon conservation, creating a cohesive Parks Canada approach.
Fundy National Park
Fundy National Park’s innovative approach to salmon restoration has led to the establishment of the world’s first marine conservation farm dedicated to wild Atlantic salmon. This sets a new benchmark for conservation efforts and continues to work with various partners to boost endangered Atlantic salmon in the Upper Salmon and Point Wolfe Rivers.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is partnering with Indigenous, academic, government and local groups to revitalize wild salmon and the Clyburn Brook ecosystem. For over 30 years, the park has been actively monitoring the adult salmon population in Clyburn Brook, playing a key role in this vital restoration effort.
Kouchibouguac National Park
Kouchibouguac National Park is collaborating with Indigenous communities and nonprofits to boost Atlantic salmon in the Kouchibouguac and Kouchibouguacis rivers. Kouchibouguac National Park captures returning salmon in the fall, spawns them and places salmon eggs into the river to promote hatching success and to support struggling salmon populations.
Terra Nova National Park
Terra Nova National Park works with the local community to manage salmon in the Northwest River. Thanks to collaborative stewardship, the abundance of salmon returning to the river each year has allowed for a community fishery since 2003! This is a success because the goal for every river is to renew the relationship between people and salmon by having enough salmon to sustain a harvest.
Gros Morne National Park
In Gros Morne National Park, since monitoring began in 2001, the Trout River salmon population has consistently fallen below the conservation target, unlike other rivers in Gros Morne. In 2013, fishing was banned to allow salmon to recover. Since 2019, targeted recovery actions have aimed to boost the salmon population. The park increased enforcement against poaching, delivered an outreach and education program, and established a Trout River Salmon Stewardship group.
British Columbia
Text transcript
[Gloria Frank] Without salmon I would feel like there’s an empty hole in my heart. I really think that our world as we know it would cease to exist.
[Jessica Hutchinson] Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is made up of a network of small stream systems. Historically, these small streams were very productive. They supported healthy populations of wild Pacific salmon. Close to 30% of the Park was logged prior to the land being set aside for National Park purposes. This logging severely impacted healthy stream habitats and caused the salmon to almost disappear. Parks Canada, along with local First Nations and Central Westcoast Forest Society, are working to restore these streams and bring salmon back to the park.
[Yuri Zharikov] Just before the Park was established about a quarter of this area was logged. In those years often creeks were logged to the bank so there wasn’t even a buffer left around those creeks. So, with the trees removed and the extensive rainfall that we get here a lot of debris, sediment, and everything should not be in the creek ended up in the creek.
[Jessica Hutchinson] And this caused the stream to not flow properly. It caused sediment to back up and fish could no longer access because they couldn’t get through these debris jams and the sediment sort of in-filled and buried the natural spawning gravels.
[Yuri Zharikov] When salmon decline all the other things, in response, they decline as well. For example, bears rely on salmon in order to acquire fat reserves to hibernate. If salmon runs fail, bears suffer.
[Jennifer Yakimyshin] Pacific salmon are unique in their life history compared to other fish species because they rely on both fresh water and marine systems to complete their life cycle. Young salmon start out their life in the freshwater creeks and they’ll spend a short time in these creeks until they make their migration into the ocean. In the marine environment, in the oceans, they’re able to feed on rich marine foods and, basically, pack it on and they get bigger faster than they could ever get in the freshwater creeks. And after 2-4 years they’re able to come back to their natal streams and they’re able to do this by a process of chemoreception, which basically means they smell their way back to those creeks. And in these creeks, that’s where the adults are going to spawn and give birth to the new young of the next generation.
[Warren Wartig] Once they spawn they die, and they become a great protein source for dozens of different species. And the bears and eagles and seagulls will pack the morts, the dead fish, way up into the forest and actually fertilize the forest.
[Yuri Zharikov] So in essence you could say that salmon accessing and spawning in those streams they feed the trees that grow on stream banks. So that’s why those trees grow the largest: they actually have salmon in them.
[Joe Martin] And you know as the people on the West Coast here have a saying, Hishook ish tsawalk, everything is one. Or, everything is connected. And so it’s important that we all understand that.
[Yuri Zharikov] The Pacific Rim has been established to protect a piece of temperate rainforest, and salmon-bearing streams are a key feature of such a forest. Overall, the degradation of this area as a salmon producing environment has been considerable. And so any restoration that we can afford surely helps to revert that trend and that condition.
[Gloria Frank] There was tonnes of salmon here, every kind of salmon…right from Coho to Sockeye. There was really lots; there was more than enough to go around. But we only took what we needed; never more, never less.
[Joe Martin] You know the people have been here for thousands of years, and we’re not newcomers to this part of the world. So, people did have an intimate knowledge of all these areas, you know? And those songs and those dances that our people do have, they’re basically teachings about natural law and, you know, we all live under natural law. And we’re not allowed to just go there and take and, you know, not be aware of the consequences.
[Jessica Hutchinson]We’re hoping to restore this area by bringing back the habitat required to support healthy salmon populations. And we do that by repositioning and removing some of the large and small woody debris that was dumped into these creeks and placing this large woody debris to provide certain habitat features that are required by salmon. We also add spawning gravel to improve the spawning grounds. We plant stream-side vegetation and trees to help restore the vegetation on the banks so they’ll provide shade and cover for the salmon in the streams and help regulate water temperatures.
[Warren Wartig] One key thing that we look for are barriers. Sometimes there’s a real bad culvert that was put in, and some of them we call hung culverts because the drop out of the culvert is higher than what a fish can jump to get to the upstream. By replacing one culvert on Sand Hill Creek we opened up 18 kilometers of habitat.
[Jessica Hutchinson]Through our monitoring efforts we have been able to measure a great number of successes where we’re seeing individual rocks that have been place in the stream being used by salmon as cover, or we’ve seen logs placed into the streams scour deep pools. Then we’re seeing rearing salmon grow in these pools. We’re seeing wild Pacific salmon return to their natal streams, habitat that was previously inaccessible.
[Jennifer Yakimyshin]It’s amazing, these animals will go through a gauntlet of different predators and barriers just to come back to the streams, and if we here in the Park can ensure that we have the stream that is healthy and has the spawning gravel and has the habitat for the young fish… it’s really, if we can give them at least that one piece we know we’re doing our part.
[Joe Martin]And the forest, for the whole world, is a very important thing. It’s, you know, like our lungs of the world. If we don’t restore it, you know, we’re gonna be in big trouble on this planet.
[Gloria Frank]What my hopes for the future are is that we can establish a healthy ecosystem so that my great- grandchildren can enjoy the same things that I do.
Without salmon, I would feel like there’s an empty hole in my heart. I really think that our world as we know it, would cease to exist.
Wild Pacific salmon play an important role in west coast ecosystems and are important to Indigenous Peoples.
Salmon are essential for both people and wildlife. For millennia, Indigenous communities on the west coast have depended on them for food and culture. And when salmon die, their bodies enrich the temperate rainforest, providing vital nutrients to the soil. This rainforest and the rivers they support then offer a haven for spawning and young salmon, completing a cycle of life.
Here’s a peek at some of the revolutionary efforts in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve:
Reviving streams and boosting salmon populations
Transcript
[Parks Canada Beaver Logo]
[Music only]
A dark green illustrated map of Canada shows Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a large island off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia in the Pacific Ocean. The map zooms in to focus on Cheewaht Lake - čaaxʷiyt and a stream that empties into the lake. Two logs representing debris are shown across two points of the stream.
A string of red and orange dots of different sizes appears along the stream, but stops before the second log. The date “2018” is indicated in the top left corner. A legend in the bottom right corner reveals that the dots indicate the number of Sockeye Salmon that have been counted in each section of the stream (an extra small red dot is 100, a small dark orange dot is 200, a medium-sized light orange dot is 400, and a large yellow dot, not yet visible on the stream, is 600). The stream itself and log debris are also shown on the legend.
By 2019, the debris has blocked so much access to sections of the stream, that many orange dots have been reduced to red dots. This indicates that less salmon are present in sections of the stream that have been blocked by the debris.
During this year, the debris is removed from the stream, allowing both waterflow and salmon to access previously blocked sections of the stream. In 2020, small dots that were formerly red and orange have turned into large yellow dots, indicating that salmon counts have increased in the newly opened up sections of the stream. Salmon counts continue to increase in these sections of the stream into 2022.
[Ditidaht First Nation Logo]
[Government of Canada logo]
In 2020, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve worked with Ditidaht First Nation to revitalize 1.1 km of streams, to enhance important habitat for sockeye and coho salmon, and help these iconic fish thrive!
The restoration of the Cheewaht streams has brought together various groups and dedicated individuals, creating a collaborative effort that goes beyond just fish.
This initiative not only supports the recovery of sockeye salmon but it also enhances the health of the local ecosystem and community. While the full Cheewaht restoration—encompassing both ecological and cultural aspects—will take time, its potential benefits are significant.To learn more details, read about the Parks Canada salmon stream restoration process!
Using environmental DNA to track Chinook and chum salmon and support the recovery of Southern Resident Killer Whales
Scientists are studying the role of Chinook and chum salmon as a food source for Southern Resident Killer Whales. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, with Ditidaht First Nation, Huu-ay-aht First Nation, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, Toquaht Nation and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, are using environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess Chinook and chum salmon in streams. This technology detects genetic material such as skin, scales, or feces in collected water samples.
In the fall of 2022, 2023 and 2024, stream systems in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve—historically habitats for salmon populations—were chosen for eDNA assessments. This was guided by the insights of First Nation partners and was informed by current low population numbers of Chinook and chum salmon on the west coast of Vancouver Island, low occurrences of recent observations in streams, and the difficulty in accessing these sites. Identifying these important stream systems helps prioritize future restoration projects.
The eDNA research also addresses key threats to Southern Resident Killer Whales within or adjacent to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve waters. These killer whales primarily rely on Chinook salmon for their diet. Together, these efforts are making waves throughout the entire ecosystem they support.
Yukon
Text transcript
[Soft suspenseful music]
Parks Canada and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations are trying to solve a mystery.
Why did this population of Kokanee Salmon undergo a decade-long decline?
Kluane National Park and Reserve is Canada's only national park with a wild population of Kokanee Salmon.
This species is an important food source for many animals.
Kokanee have been monitored in the park for over 40 years.
The First Nations' Land Guardians join Parks Canada's team during the spawning season.
They count how many salmon reproduce at the end of their life and collect some of the carcasses for research.
[Kokanee spawning counts]
[Year]
The number of reproducing salmon or spawners shows the health of the population.
In 2009, spawners dropped to an all-time low of 20 fish.
[Upbeat positive music]
Amazingly the population bounced back to 5500 fish in 2015 & 2016, but by 2017 dropped to 1000 spawners.
Our team, along with researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada and University of Waterloo are trying to learn why the number of salmon changes so often.
Naturally occurring turbidity and metals like aluminum and selenium in the water may hold the answer.
Levels of selenium for each year of a salmon's life can be found in Otoliths.
Otoliths are bone-like structures that act like ears.
Otoliths grow annual rings just like trees.
Much is still unknown about the impacts of sediment and metals on Kokanee.
While research continues Park visitors have an important role.
[Non-Spawning Kokanee Salmon]
[Spawning Kokanee Salmon]
Release all Kokanee Salmon So they may return to spawn the next generation.
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Parks Canada
A message from the Government of Canada
Parks Canada has been monitoring kokanee salmon as they return to spawn in Sockeye Creek for over 40 years!
Kokanee salmon are often called the "red jewels" of freshwater lakes in North America. These bright, colourful fish are important for lake ecosystems. They help balance the environment by being both predators and prey. Kokanee are actually sockeye salmon that became land-locked in the past.
Kluane National Park and Reserve protects the most northern population of wild kokanee salmon in Canada. This population collapsed in 2002, remained low until an unexpected increase in 2015 and has since fluctuated from very low to moderate abundance.
Kluane National Park and Reserve is co-managed with Kluane First Nation and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. The Kluane National Park Management Board also provides input into cultural and conservation initiatives like understanding the highly variable kokanee population.
To help restore these “red jewels”, Kluane National Park and Reserve is collaborating with Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and regional knowledge holders to identify objectives and guide future investigations about kokanee.
Kluane National Park and Reserve collaborated with the University of British Columbia, the University of Waterloo, and Environment and Climate Change Canada to explore the genetic diversity of kokanee salmon and the chemistry of the spawning creek and waters flowing into this important habitat.
Recent research indicates that kokanee salmon have low genetic diversity, both before and after their population decline. This suggests they have some resilience, but it also raises concerns about their vulnerability. The main source of metals in their habitat comes from natural geological sources. However, climate change is likely increasing the transport of sediment that was previously trapped in frozen materials of headwater streams, adding to the environmental challenges these fish face.
By exploring the environmental conditions that influence the productivity and reproductive success of the kokanee salmon, Parks Canada and partners are working hand in hand to enhance the health of this vital ecosystem and secure a sustainable future for these remarkable fish. Together, we’re enriching our understanding and commitment to preserving this important species!
Learn more about ecological monitoring in Kluane National Park and Reserve.
Get involved!
Parks Canada is leading an essential mission to revitalize salmon populations across various regions. Parks Canada’s approach includes extensive habitat restoration, advanced genetic research, and strong partnerships with Indigenous communities. This effort not only aims to restore important ecosystems for salmon but also respects and preserves the cultural significance tied to these fish.
By supporting these initiatives, you’re playing a key role in shaping the future of salmon and protecting our natural environments. Your involvement will help these ecosystems thrive, allowing salmon populations to recover and flourish.
You can contribute by:
- choosing sustainable seafood: Opt for seafood, especially salmon, that follows guidelines from organizations like Ocean Wise
- participating in local events and volunteering: Engage in community events and volunteer opportunities focused on salmon conservation to support hands-on restoration and raise awareness
Dive in and be part of the change! Together, we can create a healthier environment and a vibrant legacy for future generations.
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