In 1917 the International Pacific Fisheries Commission was formed by Canada and the United States. Since that time, efforts have been made to improve the run of salmon to the spawning beds.
This was brought about by the construction of fishways. These fishways help the salmon through the difficult sections of the Fraser River System. Fishways are now at Yale, Hell’s Gate and Bridge River Rapids.The Hell’s Gate Fishways were opened in 1945. Their effect on migrating salmon can be shown throughout the experience at the Quesnel Lake System. In 1941 only 1100 fish reached the spawning beds, by 1973 the number had increased to over 250,000 fish, and in 1981 this number had increased again to over 800,000 fish! These increased numbers mean to the fishermen a catch of several million fish.
The survival rate of young salmon has been improved through the construction of artificial spawning channels. These serve the sockeye population, while a further channel at Seton Creek has been built for pinks. The Weaver Creek Channel, completed in 1965, produced, in its first five years of operation, a total catch to fishermen of over 600,000. The Fisheries Commission hopes, over time, to restore the Fraser River to its pre-1913 status as a salmon stream. For more good info, check out this informational site: http://www.saxvik.ca/