8. Hazardous Journey

Salmon are amazing swimmers and leapers; a half metre long Sockeye salmon can jump at least two metres to get over obstacles such as rapids or waterfalls. Other natural "obstacles" for salmon are predators and finding food for themselves. Man-made obstacles such as damming or channelization make streams impassable for spawning salmon unless fish ladders are built. Fish ladders allow the salmon to go around dams or to give them resting areas in fast, straight channels. For young salmon fry heading downstream to the ocean, turbines on dams are a deadly problem. To keep fish from passing through the turbines, fish screens are installed to guide the fish through by-pass tubes that lead to the bottom of the dam and release them to the river below unharmed. To learn about what BC Hydro is doing to help with Salmon conservation, click here.

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