B.C.

Adams River Salmon Run

The majesty, beauty and tragically poignant life of the Pacific Sockeye Salmon comes to a head

By Kevin Hinton /

Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park in BC’s Okanagan was established to protect salmon spawning beds



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

The Adams River sockeye salmon run is one of the largest in North America



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Crimson salmon swim upstream in masses on their 485-km journey



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Crowds of pacific sockeye salmon battle with nature and fight the current



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Some salmon recuperate their strength in the shallows



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

The crowds of salmon in Adams River thin as some progress and others fall back



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

The sun rises over the salmon run at Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Pacific sockeye salmon glisten red in the sun



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Not all the salmon will make it



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

A recent fatality washes ashore



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

In fact, hundreds of dead salmon litter the rocky shores of Adams River



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

The air is thick with the smell of rotting salmon corpses on the shores of Adams River



Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Surviving salmon are pushed further down the river by the powerful current at Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park