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A Heck of an Upstream Swim

An aerial view of Hell’s Gate from the Airtram in British Columbia, taken during Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink’s 2011 Fraser River expedition. At this location, the Fraser River is funneled through a narrow gorge only about 30 meters wide. During the spring freshet, the river can be two to three times as deep as it is wide here and the flow can surpass twice the volume of Niagara Falls. Because of this, Hell’s Gate is a major obstacle for salmon migrating upstream to spawning grounds and fish tunnels have been installed on both sides to maintain the upper Fraser River basin as a viable salmon habitat.(Photo by Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)