Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Mighty Fraser River
Why the “Mighty” Fraser River? Beginning its journey in Mount Robson National Park
in the Rocky Mountains, the Fraser travels 1375 km /860 mi through the province to Van-
couver, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Enroute it drains a watershed that encom-
passes 25% of the landmass of British Columbia. Water volumes range from 12,000 cu ft
per second at the slowest time to 537,000 cu ft during spring run-off.
The river's milky colour is due to its silt load - 20 million tons per year with 3.5 million
tons of that deposited in the floodplain of the Fraser Valley where it is responsible for the
rich agricultural landscape. The wetlands where the river opens onto the ocean are an im-
portant staging area for the migratory birds traversing the Pacific Flyway. More than 300
species of migratory and resident birds have been recorded there. Visit Reifel Island Mi-
gratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, just minutes from downtown Vancouver if you are big
into birds. If you aren't, it's still a really pleasant walk.
What the river is most renowned for though, is its reputation as the most productive salmon
habitat in the world. Old timers wrote about a river so choked with salmon you could not
dip an oar without slapping the backs of the tens of millions of fish making it upriver to
spawn. The salmon fishery has suffered in recent years but even so, it remains the route
home for the millions of fish traveling up to 1000 km to the vast network of lakes and trib-
utaries where they began.
More info: Canadian Heritage Rivers
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