Science

At the forefront of research to help salmon survive and thrive.

Science

At the forefront of research to help salmon survive and thrive.

Finding answers for salmon

PSF is conducting independent research to inform recovery actions, conservation, and policy decisions.

Our scientists are working to unlock the mysteries of salmon survival in both marine and freshwater habitats and to inform actions that support their recovery.   

We study the factors impacting salmon survival at every level, from disease mechanisms to how shifting food-web dynamics affect entire populations. We develop and apply innovative technologies, including DNA analysis to assess fish health and drones and AI to monitor salmon and their habitats. We work closely with First Nations and community partners to build local monitoring capacity. 

We bring this information together and make it accessible through our State of Salmon Report and online tools like the Pacific Salmon Explorer. Our independent science contributes to a shared foundation of knowledge that benefits the entire salmon community: governments setting policy, First Nations and communities working within their local watersheds, and academic institutions and researchers advancing our collective understanding of salmon.

What We’re Focused On

Our Salmon Health Team conducts research and publishes peer-reviewed science to better understand how environmental stressors—including infectious agents, disease, temperature, salinity, and oxygen levels—affect salmon survival.

We evaluate the impacts of open-net pen Atlantic salmon farms on wild Pacific salmon and advance innovative monitoring and diagnostic tools. Through this work, we produce the independent science needed to guide evidence-based actions and policies.

Established in 2022, the Salmon Health Team builds on the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative – a research partnership that was instrumental in developing new technology and building scientific consensus on how infectious agents affect the health of wild Pacific salmon in British Columbia.

What We’re Focused On

Understanding the bottlenecks
to salmon survival

Most salmon never return to their home rivers to spawn. Knowing where and why they’re lost is key to effective recovery planning. We track juvenile salmon from rivers through their first winter at sea and study how food sources like herring affect their survival.

Investigating salmon health and disease

Pathogens, disease, and environmental stressors such as warming water, low oxygen, and shifting salinity can weaken salmon and reduce their survival chances. We study how these pressures affect wild salmon, including the risks posed by open-net pen aquaculture and how conditions change once farms are removed. With First Nations and academic partners, we use genetic tools that link a salmon’s survival to the specific stressors it faces. 

Keeping watch on salmon
and their habitats 

Salmon returns vary widely, and monitoring has declined in many regions, making it challenging to see where salmon are most at risk. We track salmon and habitat status and develop new ways to detect emerging pressures, from drought and forest disturbance to barriers that fragment watersheds. We also equip First Nations and community stewards to monitor stream temperature and flow, so they can mobilize if conditions deteriorate.

Building the digital infrastructure
for salmon recovery 

Good decisions depend on good information, but salmon data are too often scattered across jurisdictions and organizations. We standardize and centralize this information in open platforms like the Pacific Salmon Explorer, which tracks more than 400 salmon populations across B.C. and the Yukon. Behind the scenes, we build and maintain the systems that keep it accurate, secure, and up to date.

Salmon Program Teams

Meet the teams behind our salmon science, from field and lab research to data analysis.

  • Habitat & Ecosystem Science

    Uncovering why salmon decline and how they recover, from the food web to disease and survival at sea.

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  • Salmon Health

    Part of Habitat & Ecosystem Science

    Independent research on the pathogens, diseases, and environmental stressors affecting wild salmon.

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  • Data & Assessments

    Turning salmon and habitat data into clear, accessible tools that guide conservation and recovery.

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New eyes on the water

From AI-enabled cameras that count returning salmon to drones and tracking tags, new technology is helping us see what’s happening to salmon more often and in more places. With First Nations and research partners, we’re piloting AI-counting systems across B.C. — just one example of how we’re using tech to drive innovation in salmon science.

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“By combining new technology with strong partnerships, we are better equipped to monitor salmon and their habitats and to understand where and when we may need to intervene to support their conservation.”

Dr. Katrina Connors
Senior Director, Pacific Salmon Foundation

Thank you to our funders

The North Family Foundation, Peterson Family Foundation, and B.C. Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund have provided vital support for PSF’s Salmon Health research.

Building on Past Work: Highlights

Strategic Salmon Health Initiative (2013 to 2020)

The eight-year Strategic Salmon Health Initiative was a partnership between PSF, DFO, and GenomeBC that embarked to better understand how infectious agents affect wild salmon health, where these agents come from, and interactions between farmed and wild salmon. The Strategic Salmon Health Initiative laid the foundation for PSF to launch our current Salmon Health research.

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Broughton Archipelago Research Partnership

PSF was a close partner on the former Broughton Aquaculture Transition Initiative, a project led by the Mamalilikulla, ‘Na̱mg̱is, and Kwikwasut’inux Haxwa’mis First Nations. Through this project, partner Nations and PSF researchers conducted regular monitoring in and around the active and decommissioned open-net pen salmon farms.

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News and Stories

An aerial view of ppen-net pen salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago in 2022. Photo by Brandon Deepwell.

Viral heart disease far more widespread on B.C. open-net pen salmon farms than previously reported, new study finds

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A new study has found that Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI), a disease caused by Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV), is far more widespread on open-net pen Atlantic salmon farms in B.C. than previously documented.
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Comment: Norway’s lesson for B.C.’s wild salmon

PSF’s Michael Meneer urges Canada to uphold its commitment to ban on open-net pens in British Columbia by 2029. Leading up to Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s visit to Ottawa, Canada's decision to ban open-net pens in British Columbia presents an opportunity to innovate our industry.
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Community Bursary Spotlight: Liam Archbold

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Liam Archbold is an emerging salmon leader, B.Sc. student at BCIT, and active volunteer with Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre in Port Moody. He is also a proud recipient of PSF’s Stewardship Community Bursary. Every year, this program awards multiple $2,500 bursaries to post-secondary students in B.C. and the Yukon pursuing careers related to Pacific salmon.
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