The Fraser River Basin produces more salmon than any other single river
system on Earth. It is a lifestream of stunning richness, home to six
species of Pacific Salmon and 57 other fish species, including steelhead
and giant sturgeon. It is B.C.’s most productive waterfowl breeding
area.
Consisting of 34 intricately linked and interdependent riversheds,
the Basin drains 21 million hectares, more than one quarter of British
Columbia. It represents 11 of B.C.’s 14 biogeoclimatic zones.
A home to First Nations for thousands of years, the Fraser River Basin
now has a population of about 1.2 million people living in more than
110 communities.
The Basin is the heart and soul of British Columbia and its economic
engine. It supports B.C.’s most important commercial, recreational
and aboriginal fisheries, three quarters of its value-added manufacturing,
millions of hectares of forest, almost half of B.C.’s agricultural
land, and many active mines.
Compared to other river basins around the world, the Fraser is still
relatively wild and intact.
In recent years however, the region’s economy has developed rapidly
and its population has grown to over one million people. We are now
consuming the river basin’s natural capital faster than it can
be replenished and creating pollution faster than it can be absorbed.
Distress signals include disappearing salmon runs, loss of wetland and
in-stream habitat, increasing silt and toxin levels, and a decrease
in biodiversity.
In short, we are living unsustainably.
