Vancouver Island: Rivers of Life

Vancouver Island, along Canada's southern West coast, has the richest Pacific wildlife, thinks to the ideal fishing grounds for salmon, who produce abundant eggs in its many rivers and lakes, the tiny surviving percentage reaching the ocean trying to return there, spawn and die five years later. They cater for many predators, from egg-eating birds to vultures, eagles and black bears, and even fertilize the trees enough to grow thrice as fast. Seals, giant octopuses and orca (killer whales) are among the marine predators enjoying the abundant seafood.