Extent of B.C. salmon habitat loss mapped for first time ever; findings grave
A 24-pound chinook salmon sits on the dock in Vancouver on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Researchers at the University of British Columbia say for the first time ever the extent of salmon habitat loss has been mapped in the Lower Fraser River, and the findings are grave.
A team from the faculty of forestry estimates as many as 1,200 dikes and other barriers have separated salmon from as much as 85 per cent of their historical floodplain habitat -- the area coho and chinook salmon rely on for spawning grounds and rearing smolts.
The study's senior author, Dr. Tara Marin, says the loss of habitat could be a major contributor to current salmon declines.
Martin says large-scale habitat protection and restoration must be a key part of any effort to restore wild populations of salmon to the Lower Fraser.
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