‘Heart of the Fraser’ is B.C.’s most endangered river, conservation group says

The situation on the ecologically-sensitive part of the river between Mission and Hope, B.C., known as the heart of the Fraser, faces a slew of new threats.

A prominent British Columbia conservation group has declared the Fraser River as the province’s most endangered river in the province.

The Outdoor Research Council of B.C. (ORCBC) added the “heart of the Fraser” to its endangered rivers list Thursday, as it called for support from senior levels of government to take action to protect the key habitat.

ORCBC rivers chair and World Rivers Day founder Mark Angelo said there’s no question conditions on some parts of the river have improved in recent decades.

But he said the situation on the ecologically-sensitive part of the river between Mission and Hope, known as the heart of the Fraser, faces a slew of new threats.

“Things like agricultural expansion, urbanization, industrial development, but also in recent years the widespread clearing of the islands often right up to the shoreline,” Angelo said.

The group is particularly concerned about the archipelago of small islands in the heart of the Fraser and the critical ecosystem they provide for species like salmon and sturgeon.

That system provides spawning grounds for fish and refuge during high waters, but is now under threat, after recent acquisitions by private land owners who intend to develop them for agricultural businesses.

Runoff, dikes and roads connected with those plans come at the expense of an already dwindling fish habitat, Angelo said.