Ep. 087: Salmon are disappearing from the Salish Sea

Guest: Brian Riddell, Pacific Salmon Foundation

Chinook and Coho in the Salish Sea are disappearing en masse.

Brian Riddell of the Pacific Salmon Foundation says the number of fish that have vanished is extraordinary and he, along with a host of other agencies on both sides of the Canada-US Border, are working to understand what is happening.

Riddell says it’s an environmental disaster with huge financial impacts. “When we talk about losing production from chinook and coho salmon, what we really lost was 90% of the catch, and we lost about $750 million a year to local communities.”

The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project is identifying and cataloguing the issues and, over the next five years, will work with governments and NGOs to develop and enhance effective strategies to help revive these precious species.