A 60-year chronological survey focusing on factors affecting wild salmon in British Columbia's Broughton Archipelago was released yesterday.
"Broughton Archipelago: A State of Knowledge," was commissioned by the B.C. Pacific Salmon Forum to gather data and explain the complexities of the region and the multitude of factors impacting wild salmon over the past five decades.
Carried out by Dr. Isobel Pearsall, the study gathered data from government and non-profit organizations as well as forest companies, fish-farming companies and individuals on salmon escapements, commercial salmon harvests, farmed salmon production, sea lice counts on wild and farmed salmon, climate and rainfall, river discharges, ocean currents, waste management, marine escapes, forest harvesting and watershed assessments.
Data in the report indicates in some detail the widespread fluctuations in pink salmon populations in the Broughton for generations.
The Broughton is one of the most complex ecosystems in the province, a region of fjords, passages and mountains swept by winds, tides and currents fed by numerous rivers and streams. The archipelago hosts the majority of the province's salmon farms and is the center of a multi-year debate around the environmental impact of salmon farms.
