Fisheries

Proportion of Salmonid Populations that are Classed as Healthy, At Moderate to High Risk of Extinction, or Extinct

B.C.’s Pacific salmon populations are less at risk of extinction than those in the Pacific Northwest states but more endangered than in southeast Alaska.

Native salmonid species in B.C. include chinook, chum, coho, pink, and sockeye salmon, and steelhead trout. A 2003 analysis of extinction risk showed that:

• In B.C. and Yukon, 13.5% of the 5358 assessed salmonid populations are extinct or at high risk of extinction (excludes populations in the Canadian portion of the Strait of Georgia, which were counted with Washington populations).

• In comparison, 50% of the 404 assessed populations in the Pacific Northwest states are extinct or may be at high risk of extinction. Only 4% of the 930 assessed southeast Alaska populations are extinct or at high risk.

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth report [pdf].

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