How could the changing salmon returns affect the Pacific Salmon Commission's stock assessment mandate?
The Pacific Salmon Commission's tracking data is central to the debate over salmon farm impacts. The Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) uses underwater sound waves and sonar at the Mission hydroacoustic station in Mission, B.C., to estimate the number of salmon passing up the Fraser River. The PSC figures show significant fluctuations, including pink salmon doubling from about 8.5 million to 17.7 million in 2025. Conversely, sockeye returns dropped to under 3 million in 2026, which was lower than in 2022. This fluctuating data is central to the scientific dispute over whether salmon farming operations pose a risk to wild stocks, influencing the interpretation of the PSC's regulatory findings.
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How it reaches Pacific Salmon Commission
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Millions of salmon are returning to spawn in the Fraser River. While some First Nations and environmental groups attribute this surge to the shutdown of salmon farms and urge a ban by 2029, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans stated that farming operations pose a “minimal risk” to wild stocks. Another scientist suggested the pink salmon surge may be due to warming oceans.
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The Pacific Salmon Commission is a regulatory body that uses underwater sound waves and sonar to estimate the number of salmon passing the Mission hydroacoustic station in Mission, B.C., as they head up the Fraser River. This tracking provides the data used to assess the health and abundance of various salmon species.
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- bnnbloomberg.ca Oct 13
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- The Pacific Salmon Commission uses underwater sound waves and sonar to estimate salmon passing the Mission hydroacoustic station in Mission, B.C.bnnbloomberg.ca
- Pink salmon doubled since 2019, from about 8.5 million to 17.7 million in 2025, according to commission figuresbnnbloomberg.ca
- Sockeye returns were under 3 million in 2026, which was lower than in 2022bnnbloomberg.ca
Why it matters
The PSC's data is critical because it forms the basis for scientific advice regarding the health of wild salmon stocks in the Fraser River. The fluctuating returns—with pink salmon surging while sockeye declines—fuel a major scientific dispute over whether salmon farming operations pose a risk to wild populations.
This dispute has major implications for coastal communities, which are bracing for the impact of potential salmon farm closures that could shed hundreds of jobs. The PSC's role is therefore highly scrutinized as the scientific community and industry debate the true cause of the changing salmon populations.
What we don't know yet
- Will the Department of Fisheries and Oceans follow through with the proposed 2029 ban on open net pen salmon farming?
- What specific scientific studies will determine the causal link between salmon farms and wild stock health?
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- bnnbloomberg.caOct 13
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