A project in British Columbia is rejoicing as two tagged adult sockeye, which were released as juvenile fry two years ago, have been detected returning up the Columbia River. These adult fish are part of a group of 10,000 fry that were released near Castlegar under the Bringing the Salmon Home project. The initiative, led by the Syilx Okanagan, Secwépemc, and Ktunaxa nations in collaboration with the federal government and the province, aims to reintroduce salmon to the Columbia River.
Mark Thomas, a Shuswap Band councillor and chair of the initiative’s executive working group, emphasized the significance of this achievement, highlighting that even though only two fish were detected, the impact is monumental. Thomas mentioned that the return of these fish showcases their ability to navigate back to their origins and guide others to follow suit.
The Columbia River spans 2,000 kilometers, originating from the Kootenay region of B.C. and flowing into the ocean at Astoria, Oregon. One of the sockeye was traced nearly 800 river kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Columbia River near Wells Dam in Washington State, while the other was located near the Rocky Reach Dam, approximately 60 kilometers south of Wells Dam. These locations represent the current limit of fish passage upriver.
The salmon revitalization initiative noted that there are no fish passageways at the Chief Joseph Dam or Grand Coulee Dam, further upstream from where the two tagged salmon were found. Historically, the Columbia River basin supported returns of up to four million salmon, but the construction of 12 major dams has significantly reduced salmon populations in the Canadian portion of the river for over 80 years.
According to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the absence of salmon in the region has had a profound impact on the indigenous communities, including the inability to pass down traditional knowledge and cultural practices. The Bringing the Salmon Home Initiative has secured approximately $5.2 million from the B.C. Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund’s second phase, which is jointly funded by the provincial and federal governments.
