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Salmon are having a moment in British Columbia.

This year, better-than-expected numbers of sockeye returned to the Skeena and Fraser Rivers. In the summer, a Lower Fraser recreational sockeye fishery opened for the first time in three years.

On the south coast, you couldn’t miss the pinks jumping out of the water near the mouth of the Fraser River.

We are uplifted by these encouraging returns and celebrate that salmon are making national headlines.

South of the border, salmon are also seeing success. In September, a Chinook salmon passed through a fish ladder in the upper Klamath River in Oregon — the furthest a returning salmon has been recorded since four lower river dams were removed between 2023 and 2024. This is a major milestone for the watershed and a testament to the resilience of salmon and the power of collective action.

These ‘good news’ stories motivate us to build on this momentum and remain focused on advancing salmon recovery and resilience now and into the future. More than two-thirds of salmon populations in British Columbia and the Yukon are below their long-term averages, as reported in our data-driven State of Salmon overview (see more on pages six and seven).

Together, we can put our heads together to help recover salmon and their habitats, building on favourable ocean conditions and major restoration efforts underway.

In the Discovery Islands, PSF proudly joins a legacy of monitoring efforts that are seeking to understand if wild salmon are recovering following the removal of open-net pen Atlantic salmon farms from the area (see more on page five).

This has been decades in the making following years of research, and will help us understand how salmon are responding to the removal of the opennet pens over time. These kinds of long-term projects remind us that our collective efforts matter. Progress is possible through sustained efforts and investments.

For more than 35 years, PSF’s focus has been saving and restoring wild Pacific salmon. We thank you for your continued support that allows us to show up for salmon, so they can come back to rivers, streams, and creeks.

Together, we’re helping this salmon moment thrive — not just this year, but for generations to come.

Sincerely,
Michael Meneer
President & CEO, Pacific Salmon Foundation