Canadian Wildlife Federation: Salmon

Background

The Chinook Salmon (or King Salmon) is one of Canada’s most iconic fish species and is found throughout Canada’s west coast. Salmon are born in freshwater and undertake long migrations to saltwater to feed and mature to adulthood. After a few years in the ocean, salmon swim back up their home rivers and use their keen sense of smell to return to their birth sites to spawn. The Chinook Salmon life cycle ends after spawning, and their nutrient-rich bodies provide a critical resource for inland ecosystems. Salmon are also an invaluable component of Indigenous culture and support economically valuable commercial and recreational fisheries in Canada. Currently, salmon populations are threatened by overfishing, habitat fragmentation and climate change, among other factors. Many populations have been lost to extinction, while others are in severe decline.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has completed assessment on 15 populations of Chinook Salmon in Canada and determined that 13 are Threatened or Endangered. Policy at the provincial and federal level falls short at protecting salmon runs, or migration routes, from both habitat fragmentation and over-exploitation in commercial fisheries. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is working with committed government and industry partners to improve the status of local salmon populations through research and outreach and is taking a broader-scale approach at identifying barriers to salmon migration in Canada.

Interesting Facts

Chinook Salmon are also known as “King Salmon,” which refers to the fact that they are larger than all other salmon species, reaching over 100 pounds!

Adult Chinook Salmon may swim up to 3,200 km upstream to complete their spawning migrations, moving at a rate of ~50 km per day!

Adult male salmon develop a large hooked nose called a “kype.” The function of this structure is not fully understood, but is believed to help males compete for females.

Program Overview

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is using research and advocacy to learn more about Chinook Salmon behaviour, to identify important habitats for the species, and to increase support for protecting and recovering the species.

Program Lead

Nick Lapointe

Nick Lapointe works at the Canadian Wildlife Federation as the Senior Conservation Biologist – Freshwater Ecology. Originally from Ottawa, he completed his doctorate at Virginia Tech before returning home to work in conservation. Nick studies aquatic habitat, restoration and invasive species while working to protect freshwater fisheries, biodiversity and species at risk. He spends his free time fishing, hunting and foraging in Ottawa’s hinterland.

“The Chinook Salmon is an iconic Canadian species and one of our most revered fish. Today, salmon fisheries are not what they once were. Due in part, if not primarily, to decades of selective harvesting of the largest individuals, the largest Chinook Salmon are now extremely rare and have disappeared from many populations. Sadly, even more fisheries continue to close because of population decline. We need to better conserve and restore Chinook Salmon habitat and better manage the harvest of this species to ensure its recovery.”

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Key Achievements

Since 2016, CWF has partnered with Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Ta'an Kwäch'än Council, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Yukon Energy Corporation, Carleton University, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Yukon Fish and Game Association to develop a four-year research project on the migration of Chinook Salmon and the potential effects of barriers on this species. Through this research, we have:

Identified spawning sites of Chinook Salmon in the Upper Yukon River
Completed pilot studies to assess the effectiveness of fishways for Chinook Salmon
Conducted preliminary Chinook Salmon carcass surveys to develop long-term monitoring protocols

In 2018, CWF created a series of short films highlighting the work happening in the Upper Yukon River, and gave presentations to local communities on the conservation concerns for Chinook Salmon.
In 2019, CWF began building a database of barriers across rivers in Canada that may affect salmon movements.

Identifying Chinook Salmon Spawning

Are salmon spawning in unknown locations?

About the project: The Canadian Wildlife Federation partnered with Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Carleton University and the Yukon Energy Corporation, among others, to identify spawning sites used by Chinook Salmon in the Upper Yukon River.

Goal: Our goal was to identify spawning sites used by Chinook Salmon in the Upper Yukon River near Whitehorse, YT. This included understanding whether Chinook Salmon are using spawning grounds where they were once abundant, and whether there are new or previously undocumented sites.

History: In the summers of 2017 and 2018, we put small transmitters into adult Chinook Salmon to track their movements in the upper Yukon River. These transmitters were detected by receivers placed in strategic locations along the salmon’s migration route. We found that salmon spawn primarily in small upstream tributaries. These streams offer the ideal conditions to make spawning nests, called “redds.”

Future: We will return to the Upper Yukon River in the summers of 2019 and 2020 to complete this research project. The information gathered will be useful for restoring spawning habitat and recovering the stocks in the Upper Yukon River.

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Assessing the Efficiency of Chinook Salmon Passage Through a Vertical-slot Wooden Fishway

About the Project: The Canadian Wildlife Federation is coordinating a project to study the effectiveness of the Whitehorse Rapids Fishladder for allowing Chinook Salmon to move upstream beyond the Whitehorse Hydro Plant dam.

Goal: Our goal is to learn how Chinook Salmon behave when approaching the hydro plant. We want to determine whether some Chinook Salmon that approach are unable to find and move through a fishway intended to pass the fish upstream. Also, we’d like to determine how long it takes Chinook Salmon to pass and whether any fall back downstream after passing the facility.

History: Pilot studies were completed in 2017 and 2018 to identify the most effective capture and handling practices to employ as part of this study. Handling procedures have been optimized, and their effects on salmon migration appear to be minimal or negligible. These processes will be used in the final two years of this project.

Future: This project will begin its third field season in 2019, with the final field season in 2020.

~7000 km of migration data analyzed
240 hours of gill net fishing for salmon completed
138 salmon tagged with transmitters
Five salmon spawning sites identified or confirmed
Four organizations provided with training and experience in handling and tagging fish

Species Facts

Chinook Salmon - Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

The Chinook Salmon is a large-bodied species that completes an extensive round-trip migration between freshwater and saltwater to complete various stages of its life cycle.

Habitat: Chinook Salmon feed in the coastal and open ocean and spawn in streams with coarse substrate.

Range: Chinook Salmon are native to the Pacific Ocean and the streams that flow into it from California to Alaska, as well as from Russia. They have been introduced to the Great Lakes, South America and New Zealand, where viable populations exist.

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