Concerns are mounting for the fate of wild salmon on the Chilcotin River in the B.C., Cariboo region, in the wake of a landslide that blocked the waterway near Williams Lake for days.
Chilko Lake sockeye are expected to be the biggest run of fish on the Fraser River this summer, and their spawning grounds are above the landslide area.
Downstream at the confluence with the Fraser, the typically clear Chilcotin has been discharging enough muddy debris to darken the province’s biggest river.
The province says the landslide cleared under the best-case scenario, with progressive erosion rather than a catastrophic burst.
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However, concerns remain for river communities downstream.
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