Sockeye returning to river

Yes, over fishing and habitat problems are affecting our sockeye returns. We also have to take into account the dirty Fraser River. Salmon are very sensitive to filthy river water, what makes the Fraser River water filthy?  All the towns and industry along the river dumb their effluent into the river. 

Most towns have sewer treatment plants and so do industry. It is the chemicals that are in the sewer effluent that are not accounted for, just dumped into the river. We are talking about millions of liters of effluent, every day 365 days per year. We expect the river to just handle it and take it to the ocean.

This is also where the fish live as well as attempt to come back up river to spawn to reproduce. Add to this sewer effluent, the output of the many pulp mills and other industry along the river and you wonder how the fish can recognize the Fraser River as their spawning area.

We, as stewards of our province must learn to accept responsibility for our pollution and change our ways to be able to keep our sockeye and other salmon happy to come home to their spawning channels. Sewer plant effluent should not enter our our rivers and lakes, we can be first to change our ways.

The chemicals will not disappear just because you cannot see them.

Jorgen Hansen