Salmon Day

Salmon Day is an annual cultural event organized by the Southern Lakes First Nations—comprising the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, and Ta’an Kwach’an Council—with hosting duties rotating each year. The 2026 celebration, hosted by the Carcross/Tagish First Nation at the Haa Shagóon Hídi cultural centre in Carcross, took place on Thursday, July 30. This was the third year for the annual initiative, and the first time C/TFN specifically hosted it.

The event aims to gather community members and visitors to celebrate the Chinook salmon's annual journey to their spawning beds and to raise awareness about the struggles of the Yukon River Chinook salmon population. Historically numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the population has significantly declined, with only about 12,000 crossing into Canada in 2022.

The day's activities began with an opening ceremony featuring remarks from community elders and a traditional smudge ceremony. Throughout the day, attendees could visit educational booths offering salmon-focused activities and games, participate in periodic raffle draws, and witness a salmon filleting competition. The celebration concluded in the late afternoon with a large community feast, serving baked salmon and vegetables. Cultural performances, including "invitational" dances by Carcross/Tagish First Nation dancers, were also part of the day, emphasizing the enduring hope and importance of salmon to First Nations' way of life.