Thank you for being a Habitat Hero

Pacific salmon are facing increasing pressures year on year from development and climate change, plunging roughly half of Pacific salmon populations into various states of decline. Salmon need people like you now more than ever, so thank you for your commitment to protecting and restoring this incredibly important keystone species.

Jump in

We made this monthly donor page just for you!

Thanks for joining us as a Habitat Hero for salmon! Here you will find regular updates on the impact of your gift and exclusive content on projects that you are helping to support, as well as contests and invites to special events. Jump in, the water’s fine!

ENTER TO WIN!

Enter to win a "Why we love Pacific salmon" tea towel! We'll draw a winner on April 14th.

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

What is your favourite memory or experience involving salmon?(Required)

Please confirm that you are a current monthly donor:

Check this to confirm that you are a monthly donor.

What makes a salmon survivor?

The salmon life cycle is one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles. Pacific salmon are anadromous, meaning they are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean and then make the long and arduous return to their natal rivers to spawn before they die.

Yet the migratory nature of salmon is both its greatest marvel and its biggest mystery – this vast journey makes studying salmon survival at different life stages incredibly challenging. We hope you enjoy this advance glimpse into how PSF scientists are helping build a broader picture of secret lives of salmon, information that we can use to take action to give them the best chance at survival.

“I get excited about this project because I feel like we’re finally peeling up the edges of that black box and peering underneath. We’re starting to answer some of those questions around what’s happening to the salmon,” – Samantha James, PSF

Salmon School

How many distinct salmon populations are the in B.C.?
There are more than 9,000 salmon populations (species and stream combinations) in B.C., organized into about 450 conservation units applied in resource management.
How many eggs does a female salmon lay?
Females lay thousands of eggs, usually between 2,000 and 10,000 depending on their size and species. Unfortunately, at present less than one percent of these eggs survive to the next generation.
What is the biggest Pacific salmon species?
Chinook, also known as Tyee (meaning King), generally weigh between 30 and 40 lbs. They live the longest of Pacific salmon (up to eight years) and prefer larger river systems. Their size and splendour make them wonderful catches, but it also contributes to their scarcity relative to other Pacific salmon.
How long can a spawning salmon go without eating?
Once salmon return to freshwater from the marine environment to spawn, they do not eat. Adult spawners can go 6 months without eating, all the while transferring body fats into their gametes for reproduction.
What effect does warming water temperatures have on salmon?
As water temperatures rise, salmon can suffer from decreased swimming performance and early signs of stress and slow migration—it’s like trying to run a marathon in a sauna! With an increase of a couple more degrees, salmon are more prone to pre-spawn disease and even mortality.
How many Chinook salmon can an adult killer whale eat each day?
Chinook salmon makes up at least 80% of Southern Resident Orcas’ diet. An adult must consume between 18-25 salmon to meet its daily energy requirements. The whales’ ability to produce offspring is also highly dependent on salmon availability.

News & Updates

What makes a salmon survivor?

Blog, Salmon Steward

The salmon life cycle is one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles. Yet the migratory nature of salmon is both its greatest marvel and its biggest mystery – this vast journey makes studying salmon survival at different life stages incredibly challenging.

Survival at Sea

Blog, Salmon Steward

The future of Chinook salmon from the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI) hangs in the balance. They are currently threatened and at risk of becoming endangered, according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The…

Tagging salmon for catch and release study in British Columbia

Rethinking Release Strategies

Blog, Salmon Steward

Sturgeon Bank — a stretch of the Fraser River delta located off the west coast of Richmond, British Columbia — has lost at least 160 hectares of tidal marsh habitat over the last three decades due to dredging, dikes, and other human interventions.

River flows restored just in time for returning sockeye

Blog, Climate Adaptation Series, Salmon Steward

During the extreme flooding event in November 2021 that severely impacted the Fraser Valley, the right arm of Big Silver River was blocked by debris and disconnected from Harrison Lake when water levels dropped in the summer months.

Groundbreaking herring research begins in B.C.

Blog, Salmon Steward

A window of opportunity to prevent silent steelhead extinctions

Blog, Salmon Steward

Sturgeon Bank — a stretch of the Fraser River delta located off the west coast of Richmond, British Columbia — has lost at least 160 hectares of tidal marsh habitat over the last three decades due to dredging, dikes, and other human interventions.

Thank you for being a Habitat Hero

We made this monthly donor page just for you!

ENTER TO WIN!

What makes a salmon survivor?

“I get excited about this project because I feel like we’re finally peeling up the edges of that black box and peering underneath. We’re starting to answer some of those questions around what’s happening to the salmon,” – Samantha James, PSF

Questions? Ask Krysten!

Salmon School

How many distinct salmon populations are the in B.C.?

How many eggs does a female salmon lay?

What is the biggest Pacific salmon species?

How long can a spawning salmon go without eating?

What effect does warming water temperatures have on salmon?

How many Chinook salmon can an adult killer whale eat each day?

News & Updates

What makes a salmon survivor?

Survival at Sea

Rethinking Release Strategies

River flows restored just in time for returning sockeye

Groundbreaking herring research begins in B.C.

A window of opportunity to prevent silent steelhead extinctions

Join our Newsletter