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How heat waves pose ‘catastrophic’ threats to B.C. salmon

In 2024, the Indigenous community near Williams Lake in the Cariboo region chose not to fish their customary sockeye salmon due to decreasing fish numbers and loss of access following a large landslide at the Chilcotin River in July.
This event followed a long-term rise of nearly 1°C in summer Fraser River Basin temperatures from 1950 to 2015, which increased summer days over 20°C, conditions harmful to sockeye salmon migration and survival.
Fish biologist Erika Eliason explained that as ectotherms, salmon’s body temperature matches the environment, causing impaired swimming, digestion, and predator avoidance when water warms by just 3°C.
The Pacific Salmon Foundation forecasted only 560,000 sockeye for 2024, a sharp drop from about 800,000 in the mid-1990s, while Watershed Watch aided fish rescue efforts during 2023 heat-related die-offs in places like Ford Creek.
These disruptions highlight that climate-driven heat waves and drought severely threaten Fraser River sockeye and Indigenous fishing traditions, requiring stewardship to support future salmon runs and ecosystem health.

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