Still looking to see the salmon coming up streams and rivers? Then this online mapping tool can show you local places to spot our fishy friends.
“From late summer to early winter in B.C., Pacific salmon return to creeks, streams, and rivers to spawn,” reads a news release from Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF). “Pacific salmon are born in freshwater rivers, migrate to the ocean where they spend several years feeding and growing, then return to their natal stream as spawning salmon to reproduce and die.”
The release states that 2023 was a particularly rough year for migrating salmon as the summer drought led to wildfires, dry riverbeds and warm water temperatures. Fortunately, the recent rain has helped alleviate some of those issues and raise the water levels around B.C. to help salmon continue upstream.
To help the public see the migration, PSF launched an online mapping tool that helps users find “more than 90 family-friendly locations.” Nearby Squamish, those places include the Mamquam Spawning Channel off Centennial Way, Cottonwood Park in Brackendale, and Tenderfoot Creek Hatchery off Paradise Valley Road.
“Witnessing Pacific salmon returning to our local creeks and rivers is an opportunity to observe one of nature’s great events in action,” said the PSF president and CEO, Michael Meneer, in the release. “This year’s returning salmon have felt the full force of climate change, but by coming together to see spawning salmon in our local communities, we can all be part of protecting the future of this iconic species.”
Squamish residents have likely seen pink salmon in these areas in recent months, but October and November and November to February are great viewing periods to see chum and coho salmon.
According to the release, salmon can migrate more than 3,000 kilometres to spawn. Salmon can jump up to two metres to cross obstacles in rivers. Adult salmon return to the same streams that their parents once used by tracing pheromones in the stream.
Learn more at psf.ca.
@squamishchief Let’s check out the Tenderfoot Creek Hatchery #squamishchief #salmonhatchery #exploresquamish ♬ original sound - Squamish Chief
