Pink salmon returns double on the Fraser River, and scientists disagree on why

Pacific Salmon Commission counts show pink salmon on the Fraser River in British Columbia rose from about 8.5 million in 2019 to 17.7 million in 2025.

Sockeye did not follow: 8.1 million passed the commission's station in 2025, but fewer than 3 million returned in 2026.

Some First Nations and environmental groups credit the closure of salmon farms and fewer sea lice; retired scientist Dick Beamish says pink salmon cope better with warming oceans.

What's next

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says current evidence does not show a causal link, and Ottawa has released no final plan for its proposed 2029 ban on open net pen salmon farms.