Episode: 1 Explore Canada: Grizzly Bears
Title: Salmon viewing deck
Broadcast: December 10th2017
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane & Nigel Ruck

The Great Bear Rainforest is around 21 million acres, which spans 400 kilometres from the northern tip of Vancouver Island (on the mainland and surrounding sea), to just south of Alaska. Being one of the most biologically diverse places on earth.

• Great Bear Lodge offers guided tours to viewing decks and blinds which have been constructed with photographers in mind, offering optimal vantage points for shooting.
• The grizzly bears congregate at the river in autumn to take advantage of the best food source available on the coast- species of Pacific salmon, so the highest number of bears are seen during autumn. Watch as each individual bear exhibits its own fishing style, from meticulously checking riverbanks with their paws to charging up the river after salmon.
• Nigel and Trevor view one of 5 platforms where grizzly bears fish for salmon, their guide Marg explains the habits of the salmon, leaving the river system for the ocean after they are born, journeying out as far as Japan, and after 2-7 years they return to the exact place they were born, to spawn and then die.
• The salmon arrive in significant numbers sometime in late August, with their run peaking in September and October. During the salmon run you will see the largest number of bears for the year. The salmon run also attracts a great number of bald eagles, gulls, ravens, and other fish-eating birds. This is the best season for seeing cubs. The salmon run continues into December, however many bears begin to move towards hibernation by the end of October.

For more information visit:
Destination Canada: explorecanada.com.au
Great Bear Lodge: greatbeartours.com
E: info@greatbeartours.com