In these early days of fall, the normally quiet waters of the 12 km. river turn turbulent and crimson as millions sockeye salmon - fish returning from a life's journey that takes them far out into the ocean - pour into their home waters to spawn and die.
The spectacle can be witnessed every year and every four years their arrival is welcomed by the "Salute to the Sockeye" a pageant which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Tsútswecw Provincial Park.
The ritual of the sockeye's return has been happening since the ice age carved out the present geography of British Columbia. But, events in the modern era have threatened to break the cycle forever. However, the long work of rebuilding that began with the Hell's Gate fishways has been expanded over the years through the restoration of habitat, the building of spawning channels, the careful regulation of catches and other management measures. As a result of this patient effort, salmon runs on the Fraser River are returning to the levels that earlier generations enjoyed.
2022 Travel Journal of a Fraser River Sockeye (Word)Booklet Pages from previous years
Sample Primary Booklet (From T. Mulhern, BEST)
Sample Intermediate Booklet (From T. Mulhern, BEST)
Sample Intermediate Activity (From S. McGarry, Duffern Elem.)
Salmon Study 2022 (From M. Semeniuk)
For more information visit the Adams River Salmon Society website here