Monday January 27, 2025
CBC News —
A lack of crucial data in vast Northwestern watersheds risks “undocumented extinction” of some salmon, according to a new study.
Produced by the Pacific Salmon Foundation, a B.C.-based non-profit organization, the research looks at a region that encompasses B.C., Alaska and Yukon. The river basins in the area are roughly 110,000 square kilometres — more than three times the size of Vancouver Island.
And yet, there’s a huge blindspot on the keystone species there, the study says.
“We actually know very little about most salmon in the northern transboundary region, and this is because monitoring has tended to focus on economically important stocks,” said Stephanie Peacock, the lead author.
That monitoring data on chinook and sockeye salmon is limited to major basins, including the Alsek and Taku Rivers.