SALMON DOCUMENTARIES
Watch Salmon and Fisheries Documentaries Online
Stream salmon and fisheries documentaries about wild Pacific salmon, herring, open-net fish farming, and the fishing communities of Canada's west coast.
The Green Channel carries many films on this single subject, from two-minute lifecycle shorts to the feature investigations that shaped BC's fish farm debate: The Pristine Coast, Salmon Confidential, Trial of an Iconic Species, and The Unofficial Trial of Alexandra Morton.
If you came here looking for one film, start with The Pristine Coast. Then follow the herring films to understand what salmon actually eat, and why that food web is in trouble.
What you'll find in this collection
- Fish farming investigations: Blood Water, Salmon Secrets, The Pristine Coast, Salmon Confidential, The Unofficial Trial of Alexandra Morton, Trial of an Iconic Species, Exhibit 2148, The Firekeepers Episode 2 Alexandra Morton
- The salmon lifecycle up close: Birth of a Salmon, Chum Salmon Spawn, Bob Turner’s Wild Howe Sound Series, Live It Earth Episode 3 Kokanee Salmon, Star Traveller, The Spirit of Port Moody
- Pacific herring films: Herring Spawn, Herring Ponding: A Report, Herring Egg Salvage and Transplant, Herring: Why Kill The Foundation of Our Salish Sea?, Haida Gwaii: On The Edge Of The World, The Herring People, The Streamkeepers’ Way
- Indigenous fishing rights on the Fraser: Indian Food Fishing on the Fraser River, Haida Gwaii: On The Edge of the World (collapse of the forest industry, fishing industry, and mining industry for Haida and First Nations)
- And a comedy to add levity and air - Pressure Point Series Episode 3 The Great Escape
BROWSE BY COLLECTION
The Fight for Wild Salmon: Fish farming investigations and court battles over BC's wild salmon
The Salmon Lifecycle: Films following salmon from egg to spawn
Pacific Herring Films: What salmon eat, and why that food web is in trouble
Indigenous Fishing on the Fraser and the Coast: Fishing rights and what industry took from First Nations
The Salmon Ecosystem: The waters, whales, and watersheds wild salmon hold together
The Lighter Side: An eco-comedy to add levity and air
Start with The Pristine Coast. Watch the opening free.
WATCH FREE PREVIEWFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why are wild salmon declining in British Columbia?
No single cause. Wild Pacific salmon face pressure from pathogens and sea lice linked to open-net fish farms, warming rivers, degraded spawning habitat, and a century of industrial impacts on watersheds. The Pristine Coast, Salmon Confidential and The Unofficial Trial of Alexandra Morton examine the fish farm connection in detail, drawing on Alexandra Morton's field research. Haida Gwaii: On The Edge Of The World talks about overfishing.
What is The Pristine Coast and Salmon Confidential about?
The Pristine Coast and Salmon Confidential follows biologist Alexandra Morton as she investigates whether viruses associated with farmed Atlantic salmon were spreading to wild BC salmon, and how government agencies responded to her findings. It remains one of the most-watched Canadian environmental documentaries and the reason many viewers first heard of the fish farm issue
Are open-net fish farms being removed from BC waters?
The federal government has committed to banning open-net pen salmon farming in BC coastal waters, with the transition currently set for 2029. The films in this hub document the roughly two decades of research, activism, and court action that led to that commitment.
How can I watch these documentary films?
Press play on any film above to watch a free preview, with no sign-up needed. To watch them all, subscribe for CA$9.99/month or CA$99/year. Browse free previews.