International Fishways

September 16, 2007; Hell's Gate, Fraser River, British Columbia: The Hell's Gate Airtram was kind of a cool place to visit. In addition to a tram that descends into the Fraser Canyon, there is a suspension bridge that crosses the Fraser and affords a view of the river as it passes through Hell's Gate, a narrow area with an incredible flow rate. The day we were there, the water was more than 120 feet deep, and salmon were battling their way up the river to spawn. The concrete structures on the banks of the river are designed to provide the salmon an easier path upriver. The structures were a solution to a problem caused when blasting in 1913 caused a rock slide that narrowed the gorge--and prevented salmon from making it through to spawn.