Travis George, Tyler George, Rocky August, and Haley Crozier (middle) conducting flow and habitat assessments in one of the man-made channels in the Indian River watershed. Photo by Ann-Marie Norris

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There are many reasons salmon are struggling in B.C., including toxins, landslides caused by industrial activity, and warming temperatures and drought caused by climate change.

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Now researchers say a diverse natural habitat may be key in their fight for survival.

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A new report by the xʔəl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nation and the federal Fisheries Department finds that different species of salmon rely on different habitats at various stages of life.

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For example, off-channel wetlands and floodplain habitats are important for juvenile coho while cooler groundwater-fed side channels provide important spawning habitat for chum. Woody debris, such as fallen trees, provide deep pools that act as safe havens for fish during storms.

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But industrial activities have disrupted many of these natural habitats, says Haley Crozier, co-author of the report and lead natural resource specialist with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

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“It’s really hard to replicate and recreate natural habitat, and because of logging in B.C. and industrialization, there are very few watersheds left in the province that are intact, fully functioning as how they would have been historically,” she said.

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“One of the biggest things we can do in river systems is really try and work with the river and put those large woody debris-like structures back in the river.”

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Before industrial logging, the trees were much larger, and they would fall into the rivers, stabilizing the river, holding back gravel and creating deep pools, said Crozier.

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The woody structures provide refuge during storms and from drought.

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“It gives them areas to go and hide when the water is getting warmer and there’s less of it. So they’ve got these big deep holes they can kind of go sit in, and a lot of rivers are missing that.”

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Over several years, the researchers studied salmon habitat in the Indian River watershed, which is in xʔəl̓ilwətaʔɬ territory on the northern end of Indian Arm in Burrard Inlet. It is home to chum, coho, and pink salmon, as well as rainbow, cutthroat and dolly varden trout.

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“With climate change they are all at risk. Yes, pink salmon are abundant right now, but it’s getting tough for them, too, as summers are hotter and drought is getting worse.”

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In 2023, for example, there was a massive die-off because of drought. Where the river had gone underground, fish were “getting stuck and piling up,” she said. Emergency work was done with the Fisheries Department to reconnect the river to save some of the fish.

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But B.C.’s worsening drought keeps her up at night. She said the team had to rescue fish from dried-up sections of the river three times in the past three years.

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“It just shows the severity and how quickly things are happening, and it’s really scary to see.”