Canadian Rockies Wildlife

Rearguard Falls Fraser River Salmon Run

Salmon attempting to leap over Rearguard Falls on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Some footage from today showing chinook salmon arriving in the Mount Robson area. These incredible fish swim 1300kms upstream from the ocean in order to return to the place of their birth to spawn. Chinook are the largest species of pacific salmon, and they are the only ones strong enough to make this long journey to their spawning grounds along the upper Fraser River. The Fraser River salmon run is the second longest salmon run in the world, and from mid-August to mid-September these incredible fish can be viewed in the Mount Robson area. The salmon leaving the ocean are usually between seven and nine years of age. The journey to the spawning grounds is one of the last things an adult chinook salmon do in its lifetime. After spawning, the fish die and their bodies provide nutrients for local fish, bird and mammal populations.