Andrew, a boy born in the grounds of the ancient Skwx ú 7mesh (Squamish) First Nation of
British Columbia, in western Canada, stared at a crow balancing on a branch of an oak tree outside the window of his bedroom. His home was on the foothills of the north shore of the
Burrard Inlet, near the mouth of the stony Seymour Creek which descends from the southeast tip
of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. An autumn storm had stroked the rugged coast very much like a monsoon does in northern India: massive and with a few lightning bolts blitzing fiercely across the sky. In the choppy waters looking below the window, towards the inlet, two cargo ships waited to be docked. The crow on the oak tree was shaking and moving its wings as if they were
wet umbrellas.

He was almost ready to go to the Thanksgiving Party at school. Wearing new blue jeans, a white
long-sleeve shirt, and a jeans jacket, Andrew feared that he water was going to fill every pore of his skin if his uncle missed the message to pick him up, and he had to walk to the event. He took
the yellow raincoat, tied it around his waist and went downstairs into the living room where Sally, his mother, sat relaxing on the sofa. She was taking notes with a pencil while reading a book titled
“Tekumesh & Brock…”, by James Laxer. They smiled at each other.

– Andrew, did you finished your homework? She pointed at him with the pencil.
– Yes! – He replied with a smile, and added:
– Mom, why is seawater so salty?

Sally suddenly remembered having the very same thought once. She closed the book, leaned forward on the couch and stretched her arms. Andrew was now six years old, and she wondered if he would look better dressed more formally, but his son’s request couldn’t stay unanswered.

– There is a legend that says that on a cloudy day, mother earth started to cry because she wanted to see the sun. By doing so, she flooded the highlands and the big valleys with tears that became salty when they mixed with the soil and the rocks.

Andrew went close to the balcony doors to watch the rain diminish a little bit. In that moment, a rainbow formed a bridge of colours between the rain and the moving clouds while the wind opened a hole allowing the sunlight to filter through. Sally saw her son looking at the rainbow and realized how immense her love for him was.

– Mom, do you remember when you told me that story of the poor girl burning matches?
asked Andrew.
– Oh, yes son. Replied Sally, – How many stories have I told you?
There was a short silence in the room before Andrew replied “not many, tell me another one!”
– Well… – Sally said –, before your ride comes, I am going to tell you a very famous story.
– Really? Andrew sat next to her leaning his head on top of her shoulder.
– This is the story of “Salty and Freshy” the hatched salmon of British Columbia.

One foggy morning in British Columbia a Coho salmon fish named “Salty” appeared in one of the creeks that feed the lower Fraser River. But unlike most salmon, Salty was born in a “Salmon Hatchery” in the city of New Westminster. The hatchery was a wood cabin built by a group of hunters and fishermen, it had two water tanks filled with running fresh water from a sacred spring. In the hatchery, the guys had been nursing salmon eggs every year, close to the shallow stream of the creek. Each winter season, the fertilized eggs of salmon matured into fry and juvenile fish that the hunters and fishermen released to live free in the creek.

The creek, drained the endless waters of the Burnaby Lake, through Sapperton, all the way to the small Brunette River, in New Westminster. Freshy, a female salmon, was born in the hatchery too. Salty and Freshy grew up in the tanks becoming healthy juvenile salmon.

– I would like to work in a hatchery mom.
– One day you will work for Fisheries and Oceans Canada son!
– What happened to Salty and Freshy?

Once they were born, Salty and Freshy were placed in the creek with all the rest of the juveniles by the people of the hatchery. A hunter named Elmer registered them in the book of births on April 1st, 2010 before they were released. All salmon went into the creek that led them to explore little caves, insects, frogs and other animals living in it. As the keeper of the hatchery, Elmer made sure that all the fish got into the creek safely but one in the water, he knew they would be depending on nature to survive. All he could do was to keep the creek clean and safe from pollution.

Salty and Freshy found that life in the creek wasn’t easy. They had to find a good source of food somehow, somewhere else. So one bright night, when the moonlight was shining full, all the juvenile salmon in the Brunette River had a meeting and made a plan to travel away. They prayed to their mighty God to bless them with the knowledge of when and how to leave. God replied to their request with a cool rain charged with powerful lightning bolts and thunder. Snow melted at the top of the mountains and began to flow over and through the soil towards the creeks below. Water running rapidly in white cascades prevented the juveniles to stay in one place and flushed them into the Fraser River.

– I know the Fraser River mom! We went to the river to visit the museum the other day!
– I know Andrew, you told me! You went to the Fraser River Discovery Centre.
– Is it there where the salmon hatchery is mom?
– No Andrew. The hatchery is to the east, in the Sapperton Hill.
– Alright mom, tell me the rest of the story…
– Ahhhhaaaa, you like it don’t you? – They both smiled at each other.

The juveniles were afraid and confused in the muddy waters of the Fraser River but they were very excited to discover the new environment. More juvenile salmon from other creeks
joined them in the “Mighty Fraser”. By that time, the river waters were flowing strong forming a massive, turbulent current. Some of the juveniles developed the skills to master the treacherous whirlpools in middle waters but many still had to avoid them by hiding near the banks and shores of the river.

A few kilometers ahead, the waters of the Fraser River calmed down and began to flow around islands of sand and mud. Asking for directions, Salty invoked an old dormant Sturgeon to tell him where they where and were they should go. The monster fish mumbled that most creatures knew the place as the “muddy” Delta, and that beyond the “muddy” Delta, shallow bays opened the way to the west into a sea named “The Georgia Strait”.

– What is a “Strait” mom?
– A strait is a narrow passage of water between two portions of land that are separated from
each other by the sea , the way Vancouver Island is separated from North America.
– Vancouver Island is where our capital Victoria is mom, I learned that in school!
– Yes Andrew, the capital of British Columbia was moved from New Westminster to
Vancouver Island in 1866, ask your dad about it next time you see him eh?
– Alright, I will ask him… But what happened to Salty and Freshy?

Salty memorized the directions and led Freshy and the rest of the group into the Delta. Pretty soon, changes began to appear in the river; wider channels, salty water, and big ferocious creatures like marmots, and otters threatened them. In the meantime, the salmon were satisfying their hunger with little weeds, insects, and small spicy aggregates forming at the bottom and along the edges of the riverbed.

Past the Delta, a big bay opened with clear salt water enriched with bunches of algae and microscopic life drifting with the tides. All the juveniles stayed there for a couple of months practicing moves and adapting their gills and systems to the salt water until they learned how to swim further into the deeper and colder waters of Georgia Strait. The great Pacific Ocean was some distance away to the south and a bit more to the north. Salty and the other salmon took off one day of September towards the north.

– Was the water in the bay clean mom?
– Yes, the algae and the microscopic life are little plants and animals like plankton, seaweed, crabs, little shrimp, and jellyfish that can only live in clean, healthy waters of the coast
Andrew.
– Are the tides dangerous currents mom?
– Yes, and please beware of them Andrew! They pull and push all the water in the coast every day. Some people boating have gone deep in trouble because they were not aware of the tide! But listen to what happens next in the story.

The tidal currents in the Georgia Strait demanded stronger muscles and even bigger fins to help them swim long distances. Further north, they passed groups of giant blue whales, yellowfinned tunas, bonitos, big and small squids, sea lions, dolphins, rays, turtles, calamari and sardines. All the fish and all the plankton shared the ocean while traveling north from the strait. The sun and the night stars, the rain and the winds were their guides.

One morning, they reached a rocky coast far away from their origin. It was a group of islands with mountains covered with snow. Frozen icebergs floating between the chilling air and the water drifted in front of them. The islands are named “The Aleutians” by the sailors and they spread from Russia to Alaska, below the North Pole. The salmon saw that most creatures near the Aleutians were bigger than elsewhere, the oceans were deeper and colder, also darker. On very dark nights, only the tiny jellyfish and some strange fish at the bottom were able to produce light, like sparks.

At that point, the salmon were so big and strong that Salty and Freshy decided to swim back to the Brunette River to give birth to a new generation of salmon. Although it was a difficult enterprise, all the salmon agreed with the idea of going home and simply followed Salty and Freshy. Without asking any questions, they all went back the to “Mighty Fraser” south in British Columbia.

After five years of journey through currents, bunches of algae, krill, shrimp, calamari, jellyfish, other fish, dolphins, whales and more, they finally reached the Delta of the Fraser River, the place where they once came from. It was the summer and the sun was shining brilliantly over the blue waters of the coast. The Rocky Mountains were looking emerald green every time they sprang over the surface of the water. All the salmon were ready to swim against the same current of fresh water that once led them into the ocean. All memories of being inexperienced and weak were gone, there was a feeling of strength and confidence among them. Despite their exhaustion, they were so committed that the raging current of the river was not enough to stop their effort.

After so much adventure the creek offered them harmony and peace. Salty and Freshy decided that it was time to have a family of their own. They swam inside through the creek towards the Burnaby Lake. Once they had found a calmed spot of warm shallow water running over sand and gravel, they both relaxed and rejoiced around the memories of those exciting moments when they left the dark Aleutians. Both agreed to be the parents of another generation of juveniles in the Brunette. Freshy laid her eggs around the base of a hibiscus plant and Salty left a cloud of sperm over them. With time, the eggs hatched naturally in the creek and gave birth to a new generation of salmon.

THE END

This story has been written inspired on the great nature of western Canada and the people who has contributed to preserve its fertility. Marco A. Murillo is a funding member and director of the North American Legacy Foundation, a non-profit society established in Victoria, British
Columbia in 2006. The vision of the foundation is to help government and communities to the sustainable use and development of North America. Our mission is to support actions and conditions that create a sustainable, healthy, and educated culture among the people. We would like to hear from you if you have any ideas that fit with our vision and mission.