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Friday - Oct. 3 - B.C.’s coho salmon populations face collapse
Lubna El Elaimy
October 03, 2025
🌤️ High 17C
Good morning!
I received a lot of interesting emails about B.C.’s housing crisis from readers. Thank you to all who took the time to write to me. It’s a subject that affects most people, especially younger generations who often feel like they’ve missed out on the ability to have a home of their own.
On another note, a mysterious plant disease that has haunted blueberry farmers for a few years has been identified, thanks to genetic sequencing, as new strains of common viruses that affect the plants. Researchers have also developed new diagnostic tools to identify the new virus strains, allowing farmers to take precautions and deal with any outbreaks early on.
Before writing this story, I didn’t realize the challenges blueberry growers face. It was very eye-opening, and I learned a lot while researching this story.
Are you a blueberry grower? Have you been affected by any of this?
– Lubna
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News
Researchers solve blueberry virus mystery
Blueberry bush infected with blueberry shock virus. 📸 Kerik Cox/Wikimedia Commons
For years, blueberry growers in the Fraser Valley watched helplessly as their plants died of a mysterious disease. Repeatedly, they sent their plants to the Phyto Diagnostics labs in Saanich, B.C., for testing, only for the tests to yield no answers, adding more to the mystery.
Blueberry plants in the Fraser Valley tend to be susceptible to two diseases: blueberry shock virus and blueberry scorch virus. According to Eric Gerbrandt, research director at the BC Blueberry Council, blueberry shock virus is pollen-transmitted and typically affects plants in the first year. The plants usually recover but remain infected with the virus, which has no effect on human health but can be devastating for growers as it spreads throughout their fields with the pollen.
“It’s a virus that can’t be controlled because it’s spread by pollen, and so we have to avoid planting varieties that are quick to become infected with the virus, and rather choose plant varieties that are slow to become infected with the blueberry shock virus,” said Gerbrandt. “The second virus is called blueberry scorch virus. It is spread by aphids, and is a more terminal condition for the plants, in that the infected plants begin to show blighting that is very similar to shock virus, blighting of the shoots, the fruit, and the flower clusters, and that reduces yields.”
As the scorch virus spreads through a field, yields decline, and eventually farmers need to replant the infected fields.
In recent years, growers have noticed their plants becoming infected with something that had all the hallmarks of the two, but when they sent their plants to the lab for testing, the tests came back negative.
Related
Need to Know
💉 Medical experts recommend flu vaccinations particularly for vulnerable populations after research revealed dozens of pediatric deaths from influenza complications across Canada over an 18-year period [The Canadian Press]
🚴 Emergency responders airlifted a seriously injured bicyclist from South Parallel Road following a vehicle collision, while the motorist remained on scene to assist police [Fraser Valley Today]
🚔 Provincial funding supports Hope RCMP's new multi-pronged safety strategy combining visible patrols, targeted operations against persistent offenders, and community engagement through year's end [Hope Standard]
🎨 Local artist Holly Smith showcases mountain-inspired watercolours and acrylics at Hope Art Gallery during October, with a public reception scheduled for early in the month [Hope Standard]
🔫 Investigators examined a restaurant near a Maple Ridge intersection after discovering bullet damage from an early-morning incident that caused property destruction but no casualties [Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News]
🎭 A theatrical production celebrating diverse performance styles including aerial arts, burlesque, and drag entertainment arrives at Chilliwack Cultural Centre for an adult-audience evening show [Chilliwack Progress]
🏅 A teenage BMX athlete from Mission has advanced to the national finals of an Olympic talent identification program seeking to fund promising competitors for future Games [Mission City Record]
💃 Weekly ballroom and social dance practice sessions at Mission's seniors centre help older adults develop skills for community events while staying physically active [Mission City Record]
🚛 Provincial enforcement measures have reduced overheight vehicle collisions with bridges by nearly half this year, though Langley's aging infrastructure absorbed the most recent incidents [Langley Advance Times]
🚗 Coordinated law enforcement efforts across five communities resulted in arrests after tracking a stolen pickup through the Interior using aerial surveillance and canine teams [Chilliwack Progress]
☺ TODAY’S SMILE: Congrats to Gerry Borden for being the first person to correctly identify Wednesday’s Current Cam location as the Stó:lō Xwexwílmexw Government Building.
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The Agenda
Coho salmon swimming upstream near Port Alberni, British Columbia. 📸 Shutterstock
B.C.’s coho salmon populations face collapse
A new study by researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) found a significant decline in coho salmon populations in British Columbia. The study, “Using fisheries risk assessment to inform precautionary and collaborative management in a declining coho salmon fishery,” was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in September 2025.
According to the new research, several factors are contributing to the decline in coho salmon numbers. Causes of decline include climate change, habitat loss, and overfishing.
“We quantified population dynamics for 52 coho salmon populations along the North and Central Coast of British Columbia from 1980 to 2020 to determine population status, assess risks from mixed-stock fisheries spanning U.S., Canadian, and Indigenous jurisdictions, and implemented forward simulations of alternative productivity and harvest scenarios to inform collaborative management,” the researchers said in the paper. “Since 2017, we found productivity shifts associated with marine heatwaves led to a 37% decline in coho abundance and 40%–69% of populations falling below biological reference points.”
According to the new research, marine heatwaves and commercial overfishing were also among the main contributors to the coho population collapse.
“Alarm bells should be ringing. Our findings support what First Nations have been saying for years – coho salmon populations are under serious threat,” said lead author Kyle Wilson, assistant professor at SFU’s School of Resource and Environmental Management. “Higher ocean temperatures mean coho salmon are dealing with heat stress and so need to eat more. But if they can’t find food because their prey are also being hit by the higher temperatures, then they’re potentially going to starve.”
Wilson added that the good news is that coho salmon are resilient, and with cooperation between Indigenous, Canadian, and American fishery managers, the trend can be reversed.
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🗓 Things to do
BC Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off: The province's only World Recognized GPC competition returns for its 12th year on Saturday, October 4 in Langley, featuring growers competing to break records in this family-friendly celebration of giant pumpkin cultivation.
Derby Reach Parks Day: The 20th annual celebration takes place October 4 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM at 10748 Allard Crescent in Langley, featuring live music, apple tasting, heritage barn tours, and guided walks through the orchard and forest bog.
Oktoberfest at Sidekick Brewing: A full-day German festival celebration on Sunday, October 5 from 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM at 45330 Vedder Mountain Road in Chilliwack, with live music, traditional games, costume contests, and authentic Oktoberfest food and beverages.
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