One year later, the T艥ilhqot鈥檌n Nation warns the worst effects of the T艥ilhqox (Chilcotin River) landslide may be yet to come.
On July 30, 2024, a landslide along the T艥ilhqox, a recognized salmon stronghold, interrupted a key migration period for sockeye and Chinook salmon.
The impacts of the landslide on the 2024 salmon returns were evident, with many arriving damaged or unable to reach their spawning grounds at all. For the 2024 sockeye run, described by the T艥ilhqot鈥檌n as "iconic," it is estimated to have experienced a record-high 50 per cent mortality loss.
"The danger is real, and we cannot wait to see what happens-we must act now before it鈥檚 too late," said Francis Laceese, vice-chief of the T艥ilhqot鈥檌n National Government (TNG), in an .
Along with their migration route being blocked by the landslide, salmon were impacted by overall changes to the T艥ilhqox watershed.
"The landslide created an 11-kilometre lake upstream of the dam and triggered an extreme breakout flood event that severely altered the critical migratory pathway to all critical salmon spawning grounds in the T艥ilhqox watershed," reads the press release.
An Emergency Salmon Task Force was created following the landslide and continues to meet regularly to assess and address risks to salmon returns. The group, comprised of TNG, B.C. and DFO technical representatives, monitors in-season data which has been integrated by the Pacific Salmon Commission into its analyses. The release said the task force also works proactively to reduce or remove future risks of landslides and rockfall.
However, in the 2025 season, salmon continue to face high turbidity and ongoing riverbed disruption, and the river itself is at risk of further landslides as slopes are destabilized.
In fact, the nation noted a tension crack appeared on the slope above Nagwentled (Farwell Canyon) following the breakout flood and is at high risk of failing in the short term. The T艥ilhqot鈥檌n Nation said impacts of a rockslide around Farwell Canyon and further blockage on key routes for migrating salmon could be comparable to the 2019 Big Bar landslide on the Fraser River.
鈥淭he rockfall risk at Nagwentled is a threat to our Salmon, our safety, and our way of life," said Nits鈥檌l蕯in (Chief) Laceese, adding that the area is a traditional fishing site for Tl鈥檈sqox, one of six T艥ilhqot鈥檌n communities. "Protecting this fishery is a matter of our human rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."
In its , the emergency task force determined the volume of the rockslide could be up to 22,000 cubic metres and could affect river levels by four metres. After conducting assessments and evaluating response scenarios if a subsequent rockslide took place, the task force concluded that a trap and transport method would be the best immediate response in-season, while blasting was found to be a good long-term solution.
At the moment, the task force is continuing to monitor Farwell Canyon and is assessing the feasibility of mitigating further impacts by remediating the slope at Farwell Canyon in fall/winter 2025/26.
The press release calls on the Canadian and U.S. governments as well as the Pacific Salmon Commission to work proactively with the nation to address threats from the landslide on salmon stocks.