State of the River 2004-2005
Fraser River, British Columbia
Where the Salmon is King
Designated 1998
The Fraser River and its Basin
From its source at Mount Robson, highest peak in the Rocky Mountains, until it meets the Pacific Ocean at the Strait of Georgia, the Fraser River travels 1,368 km across British Columbia. The longest river in the province, the Fraser offers spectacular beauty, diverse ecosystems and a key transportation route in its lower reaches.
The area drained by the Fraser River and its tributaries is the Fraser River Basin, which covers 25% of BC – an area almost as large as California. The Basin encompasses 13 main watersheds, and diverse zones, from alpine tundra and pine forests, to grasslands and desert-like canyons, to old growth rainforest, to a fertile river delta. The river systems of the region lead the world in salmon production.
The Fraser Basin is truly of great environmental, economic and social value to Canada.
People of the Fraser Basin
For thousands of years, the Basin has been home to many aboriginal peoples including the Halquameelem, Hun Qui Min Um, Nlaka'pamux, Secwepmec, Stl'atl'imx, Tsilhqot'in, Carrier and Okanagan-speaking Nations. First Nations are an integral part of the Fraser Basin's history, its cultural heritage and its future.
The faces of this region are, of course, ever changing. There are now 2.6 million people of diverse ethnicity, culture and languages living in the Fraser Basin, the great majority in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The Basin is expected to experience strong population growth in the coming years. Finding ways to accommodate that growth while maintaining the Basin's social, economic and environmental health – and wealth – is a big challenge and an urgent priority.
Economic Activity
The Fraser Basin contributes approximately 80% of the BC's gross domestic product and 10% of Canada's gross national product. The Basin supports diverse economic activity, from natural resource industries, to agriculture, to small and medium-sized business of all types. Many people depend directly or indirectly on the river system to make a living, in such sectors as forestry, fisheries, shipping and tourism.
Fish and Wildlife
For the people of British Columbia, the salmon is king. The salmon's journey from river to sea and home again is a story of tenacity and survival against great odds — one that captures the minds and hearts of people of all generations. A cultural icon, the salmon is also an important food for both people and animals provides an economic base for many communities in the Basin and beyond.
The Fraser Basin supports five salmon species and 65 other species of fish, including steelhead and giant sturgeon. It is also British Columbia's most productive waterfowl breeding area, with more than 300 species of birds, as well as a great diversity of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects.
Salmon populations have natural fluctuations, but the fish are also highly sensitive to lower water levels, warmer water temperatures and pollution. The impact of mountain pine beetle infestations in BC is of concern because of soil erosion and loss of cooling forest cover. Human population growth and waste put also pressure on river systems and the fish and wildlife they support.
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