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Land Acknowledgement

The TSSC works within Secwepemcúl’ecw: the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of the Secwépemc peoples. Salmon have existed in Secwepemcúl’ecw since time immemorial and hold significant cultural, spiritual, and subsistence values for Secwépemc communities. Given their intrinsic connection to salmon, Secwépemc peoples assert that the severe declines in salmon numbers in recent years have affected the Aboriginal rights, title, and interests of Secwépemc peoples. Work to support salmon and their habitats must be approached with respect, true and honest collaboration between TSSC Parties and our partners, and a valuing of Secwépemc knowledge. Respecting existing relationships and responsibilities between Secwépemc communities and the lands and waters in the Thompson-Shuswap is crucial for the TSSC and contributes to our ongoing commitment to reconciliation.

The Thompson-Shuswap Watersheds

The TSSC operates in the Thompson-Shuswap region, located in the interior of British Columbia, as indicated on the map to the right. The TSSC focuses on current and potential salmonid habitats in the Thompson River watershed.

The environment in the Thompson-Shuswap ranges from rolling and steep-sided plateaus, to rugged and ice-capped mountains, to lush forests. This diverse landscape influences the variety of habitat available to salmon, the pressures they face, and the actions the TSSC is taking to alleviate them.

Salmon do not know borders

The TSSC recognizes that our work can have impacts beyond the watershed as salmon migrate to and from their spawning grounds in the Thompson-Shuswap. We strive to coordinate our work with other groups in locations of shared interest or jurisdiction.

For planning purposes, the Thompson-Shuswap can be broken down into three ‘Major Watersheds’: Thompson River, North Thompson River, and South Thompson River, as shown on the map on the right. Each of these major watersheds can be further broken out into the following watershed groups:

Thompson River Watershed: Deadman River, Bonaparte River, Thompson River, Green Lake
North Thompson River Watershed: Lower North Thompson River, Upper North Thompson River, Clearwater River, Murtle Lake, Mahood Lake, Bridge Creek
South Thompson River Watershed: South Thompson River, Adams River, Shuswap Lake, Upper Shuswap

Sqlélten (Salmon) in the Thompson Shuswap

Salmon travel over 270km from the mouth of the Fraser River to its confluence with the Thompson River, with some salmon migrating an additional 400km to reach their spawning grounds in the North Thompson.

The following anadromous salmonid species are found in the Thompson-Shuswap:

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
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coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
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sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
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pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

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steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

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Salmonids in the Thompson-Shuswap face a number of pressures from humans and climate change which are contributing to their decline. These pressures include extreme weather events such as drought, storms, floods, and high temperatures, forest fires, erosion and sedimentation, fish passage barriers, declining riparian quality, invasive species, low water flows, poor water quality, and a loss of habitat complexity.

Recent assessments of salmon and steelhead in the Thompson-Shuswap highlight the need for urgent action to reverse the decline of these populations, categorized as Conservation Units (CUs) with distinct life history characteristics and genetics. Both the Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) and the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) have assessed several CUs in the region as poor, endangered, or threatened, as summarized in the table on the right. You can find these reports, as well as other watershed assessments, on the Resources page (coming soon). Find out more about how the TSSC is taking action to address salmon declines through the creation of the Thompson-Shuswap Salmon Ecosystem Action Plan (The Ecosystem Action Plan).