INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
The upcoming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30th highlights the need for reflection and renewed action to address the ongoing impacts of colonization. To heal from the past also requires investing in the future.
The regenerative power of the collaborative Indigenous-led One River, One Watershed approach is evident in the recent successes of the Bringing the Salmon Home Initiative and our partner Indigenous Nations.
Thanks to our combined efforts, salmon are swimming again in the upper Columbia River in Canada. Alongside annual ceremonial salmon fry releases throughout the upper Columbia, the Bringing the Salmon Home Technical Working Group is busy with a number of exciting studies introducing and tracking tagged juvenile and adult salmon movements through the region (details below).
The Okanagan Nation Alliance is also celebrating a significant achievement with its salmon reintroduction program. For the first time in recent history, an adult summer chinook salmon was detected as having successfully made its way home some 1,000 kilometres from the ocean to kɬúsx̌nítkw (Okanagan Lake) in early September.
This is on top of a historic run of over 400,000 sockeye returning into the Okanagan system this year, due to the ONA’s decades-long conservation fisheries and hatchery program.
All of these results prove the remarkable value of Indigenous-led salmon reintroduction, benefiting the entire Columbia and Pacific salmon ecosystems.
BRINGING THE SALMON HOME TECHNICAL STUDIES UPDATE
Adult Sockeye Behaviour and Tracking: In our efforts to monitor sockeye salmon movements, 26 acoustic receiver stations have been deployed across the Arrow Lakes section of the upper Columbia. A total of 57 adult sockeye were tagged and released in two groups this year: 16 in July and 41 in August. Early data from the July group show some fish travelling significant distances after release. Notably, one fish reached Arrowhead (230 km upstream) by late July, while another navigated downstream and back up through the Hugh Keenleyside Dam, likely through the lock. We are eagerly awaiting further data to track potential spawners this fall, hoping to observe sockeye spawning in the Arrow Lakes for the first time since 1938.
Juvenile Sockeye Survival and Behaviour: In 2023, nearly 100,000 sockeye fry were released across several locations in the upper Columbia River, with over 22,000 tagged for tracking. Initial detections of the 2023 cohort suggest mixed survival, with some mortalities confirmed due to predation by walleye above Coulee Dam. However, migration data indicates successful travel through numerous dams, with several fish reaching as far as the Bonneville Dam. In 2024, over 34,000 fry were released, with early detections of juvenile migration already underway. More data on the 2023 and 2024 cohorts are expected as migration continues into next spring.
SALMON WARRIORS 2024 APPLICATION DEADLINE
The Salmon Warriors Gathering 2024 is open to Syilx Okanagan, Ktunaxa, and Secwépemc young adults aged 19-29. This year’s event happens Oct. 16-20. Apply now!
TRANSBOUNDARY TOUR VISIT
SHUSWAP SALMON FESTIVAL
OKANAGAN NATION ALLIANCE SALMON FEAST
UPCOMING FILM SCREENINGS
Our impactful documentary film Bringing the Salmon Home continues to spark community discussion and garner awards, most recently with an Honourable Mention from the World Water Film Festival. Please join us at these upcoming screenings:
Sunday September 29, 1:30pm
Patricia Theatre, Powell River
*Official selection at the 3 Ears Indigenous Film Festival
Friday October 4, 7-9pm
Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island, Vancouver
(Free: Register at psf.ca/film)
*Hosted by Pacific Salmon Foundation
Tuesday, October 8, 7-8:30pm
Seniors Centre, Princeton (Free)
*Hosted by Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists Society
Wednesday, October 9, 6:30-7:30pm
Lake Country Library (Free)
*Hosted by Lake Country Council, Museum, and Library
Thank you,
Bringing the Salmon Home: the Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative
