Category: Resources
New Report Highlights Red Chris Mine’s Impacts and the Path to Responsible Mining in Northwest BC
SkeenaWild Conservation Trust’s independent investigative report illuminates key environmental concerns related to mining in northwest BC. The Red Chris Mine, an open pit copper-gold mine in the Stikine watershed, serves as a cautionary tale for future mining projects in the province. The report dives deep into Red Chris’ monitoring data and reporting, accessed through Freedom of Information requests to the provincial government. This assessment provides a clear picture of how the BC Government can improve mining regulations and policy to reduce unacceptable risks to fish, their habitat, and the people who depend on them.
Ecstall River Monitoring Update
In early fall 2022, a massive landslide tore through the Ecstall River watershed, sending a wave of rock, debris, and sediment downstream. The slide reshaped critical salmon habitat, raising serious concerns about its impact on Ecstall’s chinook, sockeye, steelhead, coho, chum, and pink salmon.
Greg Taylor 2024 Salmon Fishery Recap: Part Two
In the second instalment of his annual salmon recap, Greg Taylor dives into the 2024 returns across B.C.’s North and Central Coast. From the Skeena and Nass regions to Haida Gwaii and the Great Bear Rainforest, he highlights the complexities of local salmon populations, the challenges of climate change, and the triumphs of community efforts like those of the Lake Babine Nation. With vivid anecdotes and cautionary tales, this report explores why strong marine returns no longer guarantee successful spawning and what this means for salmon conservation in a rapidly changing world.
Greg Taylor 2024 Salmon Fishery Recap: Part One
Greg Taylor 2024 Salmon Fishery Recap: Part One Reflecting on the 2024 Salmon Season Written by Greg Taylor, Fisheries Advisor It is that time of year again when I get to take my fellow salmon people on a journey through the season that was. As many of you have read, or hopefully experienced, this year’s […]
Greg Taylor: 2024 Season Outlook
Greg Taylor: 2024 Season Outlook Greg Taylor: 2024 Season Outlook By: Greg Taylor I’d like to start this update on the 2024 salmon fishing season with a shout out to Ocean Wise, a Canadian-based seafood eco-label that recently announced its seal of approval for 14 B.C. chinook and sockeye fisheries. Consumers and buyers can have […]
10 Years After Mount Polley: Lessons Learned
August 4th marks the 10th anniversary of the catastrophic dam failure at Mount Polley, an open-pit copper mine near Quesnel, B.C. The collapse released 25 million cubic meters, the equivalent of 10,000 Olympic swimming pools, of tailings and water into critical sockeye salmon habitat.
Summer Series: Skeena & North Coast Fisheries Updates 2024
SkeenaWild Executive Director Greg Knox and Fisheries Biologist Kaitlin Yehle, outline this season’s preliminary outlook and in-season updates for salmon and steelhead across the North Coast, Skeena and other tributaries in Northwest B.C. They also give updates on the current environmental conditions to give you up-to-date information on the actual returns we’re seeing.
New Recommendations from Ocean Wise Recognize Sustainable B.C. Salmon Fisheries
Consumers want to buy sustainably caught seafood but for too long have been hampered by eco-labels that greenwash harmful industrial fisheries and exclude smaller-scale sustainable fisheries. This has especially been the case for Pacific salmon, where community-led Indigenous fisheries in British Columbia have been passed over by major ecolabels, while unsustainable interception fisheries in Alaska have enjoyed long-standing approval.
Skeena 2024 Pre-Season Conditions and Forecast : How is it Affecting Wild Salmon?
Let’s take a look at what we’re expecting to see with salmon returns to the Skeena this summer. Here we cover pre-season forecasts, as well as some of the marine and freshwater conditions from the past five years that may influence this year’s salmon returns. In general, pre-season forecasting has become less accurate in recent years due to greater environmental variability – which is why we at SkeenaWild continue to advocate for sustainable fisheries with in-season monitoring and adaptability to in-season abundances and conditions.
Salmon, The Masters of Adaptation
SkeenaWild’s Director of Science Dr. Michael Price’s latest research with Simon Fraser University goes back in time to look at how salmon have been adapting to our changing climate, and why there’s hope for Skeena salmon.