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HISTORY OF CONSERVATION

Important events which have led to
salmon conservation in British Columbia.


(Project WILD Activity Guide, pages 246-247)

  • 1870: Fisheries inspectors start to keep records of production from major spawning areas.
  • 1883: First Canadian hatchery for pacific salmon is built at Bon Accord (near New Westminister) on the Fraser River, indicating that salmon are already in decline as a result of extensive fishing.
  • 1889: With the results of overfishing apparent, government legislats General Fishery Regulations for British Columbia.
  • 1902: Salmon hatchery is built at Granite Creek.
  • 1903: Salmon hatchery is built at Lakelse Lake.
  • 1906: Salmon hatcheries are built at Harrison Lake, Rivers Inlet, and Pemberton.


    B. C. Archives image c-01171
  • 1913: Major rock slide at Hell's Gate (resulting from railway construction) blocks access to the upper Fraser and Thompson River spawning beds. Fisheries Commissioner reports very few salmon on any of the upper Fraser River spawning beds in 1913.


    B. C. Archives image a-04680

  • 1937: International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission (IPSFC) is established for the protection, preservation, and extension of the Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon, and to rehabilitate stocks depleted by passage problems and overfishing.
  • 1945: ISPFC completes first fishway at Hell's Gate, on the Fraser River.
  • 1946: In-season management of Fraser River sockeye is implemented by the IPSFC
  • 1947: Despite opposition from fishing groups and the conservation community, the John Hart Dam is built on the Campbell River. The struggle against the dam galvanizes Roderick Haig-Brown. He develops into an active, powerful voice on conservation issues.
  • Late 1950's: Conservation and enhancement efforts are initiated.
  • 1955: First artificial spawning channel in the world is built at Jones Creek, to mitigate the loss of pink salmon spawning habitat.
  • 1961: Beginning of a spawning channel program by IPSFC which continues over the next twelve years, culminating in 1973. This includes Upper Seton Creek, Lower Seton Creek, Weaver Creek, Gates Creek and Nadina River.
  • 1962: Roderick Haig-Brown and British Columbia Natural Resources Conference publish The Living Land: An Account of the Natural Resources of British Columbia. This is a comprehensive survey of British Columbia, meant to provide a sound source of information for land use debates.
  • 1963: Upper Pitt River sockeye incubation channel is built by IPSFC to supplement the production of sockeye from Pitt River.
  • 1970: Beginning of major hatchery construction by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO), which continues over the next 14 years, to increase the production of chinook, coho, and chum salmon, as well as cutthroat trout. This includes Inch Creek, Capilano River, Chilliwack River, Quesnel River, Chelahis River, Tenderfoot Creek, Clearwater River, Eagle River, Shuswap River, and Spius River.
  • 1972: High Moran Dam proposal (to build a dam on the Fraser River, North of Lilloet) is shelved due to concern over the future of Fraser River salmon. Haig-Brown is an effective voice against this damaging proposal.
  • 1989: Horsefly Spawning Channel is built by the DFO to increase the production of sockeye salmon. Ten million sockeye return to spawn in the Horsefly River. This second largest return in 75 years is the result of deliberate management action taken over many four-year cycles to rebuild the stock.
  • early 1990s: IPSFC is aware of the importance of salmon habitat.
  • 1992: Protected Area Strategy is introduced to protect viable examples of B.C.'s natural diversity and uniqe natural features. By 1997, 250 new areas have been created to permanently preserve more than 9% of B.C.'s land.
  • 1994: Watershed Restoration Program is introduced to restore B.C. streams damaged by logging, especially salmon-bearing streams.
  • 1995: Forest Practices Code provides protection for streams on Crown lands, including no-harvest zones of up to 50 metres around salmon bearing streams.
  • 1995: Urban Salmon Habitat Program is introduced for projects by community groups schools, local governments, and First Nations to protect and restore salmon streams in the Georgia Basin/Lower Mainland.
  • 1996: The Ad Hoc Committee for the Restoration of Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek begins a two-year process of talks to plan habitat restoration strategies for the creek, in a landmark process. Members of the committee include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada), the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, the District of Campbell River, Planning and Engineering, the Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek Society, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways, and the Sequoia Springs West Development Corp. A cooperative process that serves as a model for the land development process evolves, and a complex plan is prepared in record time with significant habitat features.
  • 1997: Canadian government implements Miflin Plan, which is a package of monies for fish boat licence buy-outs, fisheries workers retraining programs, and habitat conservation projects. The Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek Society receives $105,000 for salmon habitat restoration work on Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek.
  • 1997: Fish Protection Act provides legislation to protect fish and fish habitat. Concerns are expressed over the exemption of Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) lands, and private forest lands, from the act.
  • 1998: Forestry company MacMillan Bloedel announces plans to end clearcutting and obtain certification for their operations from: the Canadian Standards Association (CSA, following work by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers), the International Standards Organization (ISO 14001), and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Included is certification for measures to protect water flows, riparian zones, and fish habitat. The environmental community expresses cautious optimism.
  • 1998: Insurance claims for property damage from weather-related damages, for the first 11 months of 1998, total $US 89 billion. For the whole decade of the 1980's the total is $US 86.7 billion. Munich Re, one of the world's largest insurance companies, announces the news in partnership with the WorldWatch Institute, an environmental information reporting agency.

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