The Declination of Pacific Salmon
in the Fraser River
By Valerie Chong Grade 6
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Have you ever eaten a salmon? Have you ever wondered where those fish came from in the tanks at a supermarket? Well, those fish are most likely farmed Atlantic salmon that were harvested for that reason. But out in the wild, Pacific salmon are struggling for their lives. Every year there are less salmon coming back to spawn.
This is an example of a coho salmon from the wild. These
salmon are caught by commercial fishermen to feed
families across the Lower Mainland. (Rollover) This is
an example of the wreckage some of the beaches wild
salmon have to live by.
The Fraser River is the largest salmon river in the world.
Click on the map for a larger version
This is a table showing the declination of the salmon reproduction rate.
B.C. Wild Salmon Stocks by Species, 1991-1995 (tonnes)
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
| Sockeye | 25,200 | 20,600 | 45,529 | 30,810 | 9,989 |
| Pink | 35,100 | 14,700 | 16,046 | 3,383 | 18,392 |
| Chum | 10,200 | 17,500 | 17,274 | 20,247 | 8,736 |
| Chinook | 5,100 | 5,300 | 4,817 | 3,574 | 1,240 |
| Coho | 10,100 | 7,300 | 4,316 | 7,712 | 4,039 |
| Total | 85,700 | 65,400 | 84,982 | 65,726 | 42,396 |
As you can see, they have gone down drastically. We must save the salmon!!