Thursday September 5, 2024
CityNews —
A new study shows how juvenile Chinook salmon from the Fraser River rely on the estuary and its arms in the lower river.
The results of this study highlight the importance of the estuary for Chinook salmon.
Lower Fraser Research and Restoration Director for Raincoast David Scott says juvenile Chinook salmon use that area as a really important feeding-rearing area before they make a transition from fresh water to the ocean.
“What we found is that about six months of the year there’s juvenile Chinook presence that are making their way out to the ocean,” he said.
The study shows that 85 per cent of previous habitats in the Lower Fraser River estuary are now either lost or disconnected by structures like dikes and floodgates.