It’s not the first time the heart of the mighty Fraser River, “one of the most productive rivers on the planet,” makes it to the top of the BC Most Endangered Rivers list, compiled by the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC.
The 2026 Endangered Rivers List released on Jan. 7 has two of “Canada’s most renowned waterways” tied for the title of most endangered: The Heart of the Fraser, the section of the Fraser River from Mission to Hope, and the Cowichan River on Vancouver Island.
For the section nicknamed the Heart of the Fraser, “urbanization and development” persist as ongoing environmental concerns in an area that functions as a nursery for millions of fish.
These were the key threats that put this part of the Fraser at the top of the ORCBC Endangered Rivers List in 2022, and in years past.
“The Heart of the Fraser is one of the most important salmon and sturgeon spawning and rearing habitats in the province,” said Mark Angelo, ORCBC’s Rivers Chair and founder of both B.C. and World Rivers Day.
“But it also faces threats from urban encroachment, agricultural expansion and industrial development. All chip away at the remaining undeveloped land, which is essential for the river to function as a nursery to hundreds of millions of fish.”
It’s not all bad news, Angelo said, pointing to the 2024 purchase of Carey Island by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
“The good news is that there has been progress,” he said about the Carey Island acquisition.
He says it’s “an important spawning area for white sturgeon and salmon” which is located on the Fraser near Chilliwack.
“In 2023, the BC Parks Foundation purchased a large riverfront farm near Agassiz with the intent of protecting and rewilding it. And the Nature Trust of BC has preserved half of the Nicomen Slough, protecting habitat for fish and migrating waterfowl.”
Angelo says the protection and restoration of these riparian habitats, which absorb water before releasing it in a more measured way, also dovetails with the region’s flood control efforts.
The overall concept behind the 30-year-old list is “recognizing progress and seeking government action” to address ongoing issues, according to ORCBC.
The Heart of the Fraser River, the hugely popular section in the eastern Fraser Valley, was also on the list of most endangered river in 2022, as was the Cowichan River in other years.
“These are both iconic waterways,” Angelo said. “The Fraser is one of the most productive rivers on the planet.”
“The Cowichan is an important salmon stream, culturally significant to the Cowichan people, and a recreational asset for anglers and paddlers.
“All this is at risk. But on both rivers we are seeing glimmers of hope.”
For more than 30 years, the ORCBC has released the B.C. Endangered Rivers Lists to raise awareness about clean water and free-flowing rivers. The group advocates for recreational access to land and water on behalf of more than 100 non-profit clubs and associations representing more than 200,000 British Columbians.
In addition to the Cowichan and the Heart of the Fraser, this year’s list also highlights several “rivers of concern,” including the Elk River in the East Kootenays, the Kettle River in the Okanagan, the Stikine River in the North, and the Similkameen in the Okanagan.
The crisis facing Thompson/Chilcotin river steelhead was also covered.
Since the list’s inception in 1993, it has helped focus efforts to protect the Tatshenshini River from development and address mine pollution in Howe Sound’s Britannia Creek, among many other examples. With the Cowichan and Heart of the Fraser at the top of this year’s list, Angelo hopes to encourage similar progress on key issues.
”Groups like the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Rivershed Society are working with Indigenous partners to identify important conservation priorities in the Heart of the Fraser.
“Consequently, the ORCBC is asking local and provincial governments to work in concert with these organizations to protect key habitats. This should include efforts to conserve the last un-diked islands, protect undeveloped river shorelines, and rewild previously damaged land where possible.
“These conservation groups are working so hard,” Angelo underlined. “They are making a real difference. But we need the assistance of all levels of government to develop a real conservation plan that will preserve the Heart of the Fraser in a meaningful way.”
Efforts to protect and better care for the Heart of the Fraser would also align with the provincial government’s commitments to biodiversity and reconciliation, he notes, by contributing to the United Nations Biodiversity Framework and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA).
Preserving river health is also good for the provincial economy, says Louise Pedersen, executive director of the ORCBC. A recent government survey found outdoor recreation contributes more than $4.8-billion to provincial GDP every year. She would like to see more acknowledgement of that value by including the interests of outdoor recreation in river and water planning.
In considering this year’s Endangered Rivers List, Angelo says, he was left with mixed feelings. Like he’s wading across a fast-moving river: two steps forward, one step back.
“We are seeing glimmers of hope,” Angelo says. “Investments in river conservation have big payoffs. Nature can heal itself if we only give it a chance.”
B.C.’s Endangered Rivers List
(tied) Cowichan River, Vancouver Island
Frequent low flows during the summer due to climate change are impacting fish survival and water quality.
The hope: There is a plan, along with a significant portion of funding, to raise the weir on Lake Cowichan to increase summer flows.
The concern: Final approval and construction could drag on.
(tied) Heart of the Fraser, Lower Mainland
Urban and industrial development continues to erode the ecological health of one of the most important salmon habitats on earth.
The hope: Conservation groups continue to purchase land for preservation.
The concern: There is no coordinated plan for conservation efforts, and development throughout much of the Heart of the Fraser continues.
Other rivers and issues of concern:
Elk River, Kootenay
Large-scale coal mining in the Elk River watershed leaches contaminants, particularly selenium, into an important river for tourism and recreation.
The hope: The mining companies are expanding water treatment to remove contaminants and oversight has been improved.
The concern: An expansion plan for one of the mines remains on the books.
Kettle River, Okanagan
Land use, water consumption and climate change impacts have caused low flows and water quality issues that impact human use and ecology in the watershed.
The hope: The Kettle River Watershed Management Plan has endorsed a comprehensive and collaborative water-use and stewardship plan.
The concern: The issues are complex and interconnected. A quick fix will be challenging to attain.
Stikine River, Northwest
Plans to fast-track the expansion of the Red Chris Mine could threaten the health of the Stikine, a world-renowned paddling river and one of the most important salmon-bearing streams in the northern half of the province.
The hope: Increasing calls by First Nations, paddling groups and conservation organizations, in both Canada and the U.S., should lead to stricter environmental protections and binding agreements between both countries.
The concern: The mine expansion plan includes the addition of a tailings pond, which brings higher risks of contaminants entering the watershed.
Similkameen River, Southern Interior
Indigenous communities and others are concerned the provincial government is rushing to approve an expansion plan at the Copper Mountain Mine south of Princeton.
The hope; The Upper and Lower Similkameen Indian Bands are asking the province for more time so that they can fully assess and gauge the risks of the project.
The concern: The proposed expansion would reopen an open pit mine that would extend close to the river and below the riverbed level, while the tailings dam would increase in size.
Thompson/Chilcotin rivers steelhead, Interior
More of a fisheries management failure than a river health issue, the perilous state of steelhead populations in the Thompson and Chilcotin rivers still requires urgent action. At one time thousands of these sea-run rainbow trout returned to these rivers to spawn. This year, only 19 steelhead are expected back to the Thompson River, and as few as 9 to the Chilcotin.
The hope: Sadly, there is little hope to be found on this issue. The federal and provincial governments have been unable to work together to find a resolution.
The concern: To date, there has also been an unwillingness to curtail indiscriminate, non-selective commercial fishing rather than focusing on more selective methods that allow non-target fish to be released alive and healthy. The result is the imminent extinction of the Interior population of steelhead stocks.