After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Fraser River

Lowest sockeye run on record prompts fishery closures, outcry

Predictions of an abysmal sockeye return has forced the closure of all salmon fishing on the Lower Fraser River.

Federal government expected to act on 2012 report examining Fraser River sockeye

The study did not identify a single reason why a mere 1.4 million fish returned in the 2009 Fraser River sockeye run, when 10−million fish were expected.
WesPac, Fraser River, British Columbia

B.C. wants feds to stay out of environmental assessment for Fraser River LNG project

'This is all going to impact one of the world's greatest salmon rivers in probably its most sensitive part,' says MP and fisheries and oceans critic Fin Donnelly.
Fraser River, LNG, Liquefied Natural Gas

LNG plant proposal for the Fraser River raises serious questions

WesPac is trying to dodge a fundamental question, says critic: Should an LNG jetty be built on Tilbury Island?
oil spill, Fraser River, Environment, Fisheries, Coast Guard, Marathassa

Capsized boat spills fuel into Fraser River

Early Tuesday, a fishing boat called The Western Crusader capsized while moored at Shelter Island Marina on the Fraser River near Annacis Island in South Vancouver. Although officials say...
BC environment, Day of action, Fraser River, imperial metals, Mount Polley Mine

First Nation group launches protest to halt re-opening of Mount Polley mine

Under the hashtag #waterislife, the Secwepemc Woman's Warrior Society took to social media to call for protests across Canada against the re-opening of Imperial Metals' Mount Polley gold and copper...
Sturgeon, sport fishing, B.C. tourism, corruption government process

Sturgeon anglers despair over mining of Fraser River

Power shovels have begun excavating 105,000 cubic metres of gravel in the area known as the "Heart of the Fraser" from a site called Seabird Bar B, located on reserve lands near Agassiz, B.C....

Toxic waste facility would be "catastrophe" for Fraser River: Sto:lo advisor

It’s an innocuous bridge, not pretty to look at, but vital: the Vedder Bridge connects the cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack over the Vedder Canal, which flows into the Fraser River. If a new...
Fraser River near Chilliwack, near proposed hazardous waste facility

First Nation invokes Tsilhqot'in to stop toxins in Fraser River

The Sto:lo First Nation have joined a fight against the building of a hazardous waste recycling facility on the banks of the Fraser river, by reminding the province that they would be wise to...
Photo of typical Fraser River gravel mining bar by Andrew S. Wright

Money and influence cast long shadow over province's decisions on Fraser River, records suggest

Scientists say money and connections have too much power in B.C. politics, following the green-lighting of a controversial gravel mining project on the Fraser River expected to have serious impact on...