Why Are Hundreds Of Thousands Of Salmon Dying In The Northwest?

Each year, around July 1, thousands of sockeye salmon pass the Columbia River’s Bonneville Dam on their way to their spawning grounds in northern Washington and Canada. Centuries ago, sockeye salmon runs could be as large as three million fish. Last year — in the largest run since the construction of the Bonneville Dam in 1938 — 645,100 sockeye made the trip from the Pacific through the Columbia River.

Sockeye Salmon Inquiry In British Columbia To Wade Into Fish Farms And Disease

VANCOUVER - After months of hearings in relative obscurity, the public inquiry into the decline of sockeye along British Columbia's fabled Fraser River is finally bound to grab some headlines.

Starting Monday, the inquiry will begin hearings into some of its mandate's most sensitive topics: the salmon-farming industry and the science of fish-borne diseases.

The federal commission of inquiry was ordered after a devastating collapse of stocks two years ago and has spent months listening to testimony on a range of issues, from the inner workings of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to the aboriginal fishing industry.

But the upcoming testimony has prompted commission staff to warn groups participating in the inquiry that seats in the gallery of a federal courtroom in downtown Vancouver will be limited.

Cohen inquiry to shed light on fish farm secrecy

Each fall millions of sockeye salmon return home to the mighty Fraser River to spawn. Over the next several months, the silvery fish will head upstream, slowly turning brilliant red as their bodies adjust to fresh water. After years at sea, they return to the very gravel, the very river in which they were born.

This year's estimate run totals are close to four million fish. This may be a far cry from the 33 million sockeye that returned last year, but it is a return to the new normal for our salmon runs. The Fraser used to teem with wild salmon returns every fall. Over the last 20 years, productivity rates of the Fraser sockeye have been declining, with fewer and fewer fish returning every year. In 2009, this trend culminated in the mysterious disappearance of almost 90 per cent of the anticipated run.

The tale behind the fate of the missing fish has puzzled scientists, government officials and activists alike. The federal government struck a task force to investigate this issue. The Cohen Inquiry into the Decline of the Fraser River Sockeye has spent more than a year gathering evidence, examining witnesses and exploring topics ranging from habitat destruction to fisheries policy.