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B.C. grizzly bear numbers appear to be plummeting as a result of a crash in the B.C. wild salmon population. Photo by S. Yume.

B.C. grizzly bear numbers appear to be plummeting as a result of a crash in the B.C. wild salmon population. Photo by S. Yume.

Ian McAllister, Conservation Director of the British Columbia wildlife group Pacific Wild, speaks with Jordan Poppenk about the collapse of wild salmon, a cornerstone species in the coastal B.C. ecosystem. While initial media reports focused on a tremendous loss of sockeye salmon in the Fraser river, McAllister describes a broader collapse involving numerous varieties of wild salmon across most of B.C.’s coastline. McAllister links the salmon crash to an apparent collapse of B.C’s grizzly bear population, as well as possible declines in other species that depend on salmon.

You can see the complete episode here: TGM #154: Coastal ecosystem collapse in BC (September 11, 2009)