What does it take to revive salmon rivers?
Together, we can bring back natural watershed functions that shape flows and shelter salmon. We can restore habitat features that clean and cool freshwater. We can revive riverbanks with native trees, shrubs, and plants that shade and protect salmon.
We can bring salmon back. It starts with healthy habitats.
On Wild Salmon Day, June 1, we’re coming together to celebrate salmon habitat restoration efforts around the world – and we invite you to join us. Share the flag on June 1 and use the hashtag #WildSalmonDay.
Learn more at !
In partnership with Pacific Salmon Foundation @pacificsalmonfoundation , BC First Nations Fisheries Council @fnfc_bc , Atlantic Salmon Federation @asfsalmon , Atlantic Salmon Trust @atlanticsalmontrust
#WildSalmon #SalmonConservation #UnitedNations #EcosystemRestoration #GenerationRestoration #UNDecadeOnRestoration
When habitats thrive, salmon can thrive.
All across the world, people are coming together to take action: reconnecting rivers, removing barriers, and restoring critical habitat. But we need to do more, and fast.
On Wild Salmon Day, June 1, we’re joining the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration — a generational movement to revive damaged ecosystems.
Together, we can restore salmon rivers. It starts with healthy habitats.
Learn more at WildSalmonDay.com and join us by sharing the flag on June 1 and using the hashtag #WildSalmonDay.
In partnership with Pacific Salmon Foundation @pacificsalmonfoundation , BC First Nations Fisheries Council @fnfc_bc , Atlantic Salmon Federation @asfsalmon , Atlantic Salmon Trust
@atlanticsalmontrust
#WildSalmon #SalmonConservation #UnitedNations #EcosystemRestoration #GenerationRestoration #UNDecadeOnRestoration
In early April, FNFC had the pleasure of visiting Cowichan Tribes. Council Delegate D’Arcy Joe Jr. guided us through their hatchery, local fishing sites, and nursery, where native plants are being grown for traditional medicine and estuary restoration. The Nation is doing incredible work to rebuild Chinook populations and respond to the impacts of climate change.
Thank you @cowichantribes for welcoming us and sharing this important work!
The Watershed Security Fund—with the First Nations Water Caucus, BC First Nations Fisheries Council and Real Estate Foundation of BC — is proud to announce the recipients for the third round of funding through the WSF Grants Program. $6 million is being distributed to 26 community-led projects across British Columbia.
Since the launch of the grants program in 2024, the WSF has supported 80 community-led projects, investing $18 million directly into communities.
The projects funded have helped communities achieve economic, environmental, cultural, and social goals while prioritizing the health of waterways, centering First Nations rights and knowledge, and fostering enduring relationships grounded in reciprocity and respect.
You can read more about the 26 grant recipients on our website https://watershedsecurityfund.ca/funded-projects/
Photos provided by: @reddfishrestoration , K'en T'em Management Corporation, Office of the Wet'suwet'en, @haoomfisheriessociety
#WatershedSecurityFund #WatershedsBC #WatershedSecurity #Water #HealthyWaters #HealthyWatersheds #WatershedGrants
Featured in the April edition of Smoltalk, FNFC’s newsletter, is Brian Holmes, FNFC Council Delegate for Mid Fraser (2).
In this feature, Brian reflects on stewardship, leadership, and the deep connection between people, land, and water. His perspective speaks to the importance of care, responsibility, and connection in supporting strong, healthy communities.
Read the full feature at fnfisheriescouncil.ca/communications/
During her visit to British Columbia, Minister @joannethompsonstjohns joined @rickhansenofficial , @fnfc_bc , and PSF for a boat tour along the Lower Fraser River. 🚤
The boat, named Everyone Everywhere, is a fully accessible vessel developed by @rickhansenfdn ’s Accessible Outdoors Program. Rick Hansen gave a full tour of the boat and taught passengers about conservation and accessibility.
The tour gave Minister Thompson a chance to see Canada’s largest Pacific salmon-bearing river firsthand and learn about current salmon recovery plans and habitat restoration projects.
The Lower Fraser is a critical migratory corridor for all five Pacific salmon species, whether their destination is the Adams River in B.C’s Interior or the Nechako River near Prince George.
Last week, partners from the First Nations Water Caucus, @fnfc_bc , and @refbc had the pleasure of attending the siwɬkʷ Water & Climate Forum organized by the @okanagannation . Chiefs, community members, government representatives, researchers, and water leaders offered inspiration and shared knowledge on pathways for working together to safeguard our waters.
We would like to thank the organizers for hosting us and all the attendees who stopped by the WSF info table to learn more about our vision for healthy watersheds and thriving communities.
#bcfirstnations #BCwatersheds #watershedsecurity #firstnationsleadership #togetherforwater
This World Water Day, we’re reminded that water is more than something we use. It is something we live with, learn from, and depend on in ways that go far beyond drinking water.
As Brian Holmes, FNFC Council Delegate, shared, “Our elders always taught us to go sit by the water. It will calm you. It will change your mind.”
That teaching reflects a deeper relationship with water, not just as a resource, but as a living being and a relative that supports our well-being, carries energy, gives energy in return, and deserves respect. When water is healthy, it gives life back to salmon, fish, wildlife, and the many living systems that depend on it throughout the corridor.
#WorldWaterDay #March22 #WaterIsLife #ProtectOurWater #WaterConservation
Just three months after B.C.’s last atmospheric river, another major storm has hit the coast this week, and its effects will be felt even after the rain stops.
Extreme climate events are becoming more intense and frequent. In salmon-bearing watersheds, intense flooding can inundate salmon habitat, send salmon astray from their rearing habitat, and leave fish stranded in isolated pools as water levels recede.
Since the catastrophic atmospheric river in 2021 in the Fraser Valley, and as recently as last December on the South Coast, PSF has supported flood response efforts to help salmon.
PSF, along with partners from the @fnfc_bc , Province of B.C., and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, have deployed emergency funding to address barriers to fish passage from accumulated sediment and debris, as well as salmon habitat infrastructure damage such as spawning and rearing channels.
Real-time flood response is essential to ensure salmon can endure these increasing weather extremes.
To report an urgent flood-related salmon issue, contact: [email protected]
This International Women’s Day, we are honoured to highlight Kelsey Campbell (@kelsey_n_pete ) of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation. She is a Stock Management Biologist at the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance (@uffca_ca ) and a recipient of the FNFC Fisheries Excellence Award, presented at our 2025 Fall Assembly in recognition of her leadership and dedication to protecting salmon. Kelsey reflects:
“As a First Nations woman, I am continually learning from our people while integrating the tools of science. I am grateful to work alongside an incredible team of First Nations leaders and technical representatives as we strengthen our collective approaches and uphold our inherent responsibility to care for the salmon and protect our rights.”
We raise our hands to Kelsey and to all Indigenous women across Turtle Island who show up for their families, communities, and Nations every day, carrying knowledge and a commitment to protect the waters and sustain salmon for generations to come.
#March8 #InternationalWomensDay #FirstNationsLeadership #IndigenousWomen #FisheriesScience #IndigenousKnowledge
Salmon is not just food. It is health.
FNFC’s new report, More Than Food: The Vital Role Wild Salmon Play in First Nations Wellbeing, highlights what many First Nations in B.C. have long known: the decline of wild Pacific salmon is not only an ecological crisis, but a public health emergency.
When salmon disappear, food insecurity increases, chronic disease risks rise, stress grows, and cultural connection is disrupted.
With over 70% of assessed salmon populations below their long-term average, restoring salmon is health equity work. When salmon thrive, people thrive.
Read the full report: fnfisheriescouncil.ca/communications/
#PublicHealth #IndigenousHealth #FoodSovereignty #Salmon
Herring may be small, but they’re mighty.
In Gitsenimx, the language of the Gitxsan Nation where our Executive Director Stu Barnes is from, herring are called Sgya.
As Stu shared, “A big part of recovering salmon will include the recovery of Sgya.”
When you spot a spectacular herring spawn this season, take a moment to appreciate what you’re seeing. These silver forage fish fuel salmon growth and survival and sustain countless other species up and down the coast. We need herring!
#HerringSpawn #PacificHerring #CoastalEcosystem #SalmonRecovery
