ABSTRACT
The history of the Fraser River in British Columbia is a story of contested resources but one with a twist. It is a story mixing the fate of the salmon population, the push for hydroelectric power, and the complication of several transboundary issues. Salmon have been a prized resource in the Pacific Northwest for generations. In the early twentieth century, power interests sited dams on tributaries of the Fraser for mining, forestry, and hydroelectric purposes. Salmon proved to be important to the trading posts established near the headwaters and mouths of the rivers there. The rich salmon rivers such as the Fraser and the Skeena were particularly important. Commercial salmon fishing grew after the gold rush in British Columbia with the first canning activity probably at Alberni in 1860. Salmon were of central importance to their diet and to their cultural traditions.
