Salmon Habitat Restoration Field Trip, 2013 - Gwaii Haanas
The Haida Nation celebrates more than 10,000 years of a sacred connection with the land and sea- its waters support the Haida’s traditional harvest of marine resources and commercial fisheries. Pacific salmon abundance along the West coast of Canada has been in sharp decline since the early 1990s, likely due to habitat destruction, overfishing, and warming stream temperatures caused, in part, by climate change. Spawning grounds for salmon, an important food source for the Haida people, were damaged by intensive logging prior to establishment of this protected area. The Parks Canada Agency, in partnership with the Haida Nation, is restoring streams and old-growth forests in Gwaii Haanas to re-establish salmon populations. This habitat restoration project aims to enhance survival of salmon in the face of climate change while preserving the traditional lifestyle of the Haida Nation.