“A wonderfully lyrical film about traditional sockeye food fishing giving us a glimpse into a practice that has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years”.
Executive Producer, Scott Renyard
Eco-history Perspective – First Nations – Food – Educational – General
About the Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, Canada which begins deep in the rocky mountain range and flow for 1374 kms before spilling out into the Salish Sea. The river is home to many species of fish which includes runs of all species of pacific salmon: Chinook, coho, chum, pink, and sockeye. The Fraser River is silty for much of the year which on first blush makes it seem like it would be poor place for fish to thrive. But its very productive and its murky waters are known to provide cover for migrating salmon juveniles that make their way down the river to the ocean.
About Sockeye Salmon
The sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, can grow to almost 3 feet in length and weigh up to 15 pounds. But there are many distinct populations of sockeye salmon that vary in size and shape which appears to be an adaptation that has occurred over long periods of time as each population changes to better fit into the part of the river system they inhabit. The Fraser River is home to over 20 distinct populations of sockeye. Sockeye salmon juveniles spend about 2 years in the river system and another two and sometimes three years maturing and growing in the ocean.
Sockeye salmon populations are known to have a four year cycle in the size of the returns. There is one year that is much larger than the other years, but all four years in this cycle display a different run size.
About First Nations
First Nations communities along the Fraser River have a long relationship with the salmon populations that return to the Fraser River. In particular, sockeye salmon play a key part in the history of Canada’s Pacific coast first nations culture. The food fishery is still in existence today but is under threat from the precipitous decline in sockeye salmon populations since the late 1970’s. Some recent years, these fisheries have been closed to protect the remaining fish and to try and rebuild their numbers to historic levels.
About the Film
This short film about native food fishing on the Fraser River was originally filmed in the early 1980s. The story focuses on the Fraser River sockeye runs that have sustained British Columbia’s native communities for hundreds of years. This film was directed and produced by the late Dick Harvey who worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and was passionate about the environment and Canada’s west coast wild fish. This digitally remastered version should make this delightful film accessible to audiences for years to come.