The sun sets as I walk into Fernando Lessa’s yard. I notice his wetsuit drying on a hook screwed to a wooden arch that also holds a climbing hangboard. Despite the humid Pacific Northwest cold, he went diving again this morning.
As we catch up over a beer, Fernando shows me his loot of the day. He scored photos of aquatic plants, three creeks, and of course, salmon. There’s pink and chum salmon, and cutthroat trout of all sizes.
Fernando dives almost daily in the Metro Vancouver watershed. He does it for fun, but also for Urban Salmon, his two-year project that documents the state of the fish in British Columbia’s largest city. His project’s photography book is now available for pre-order, and in a few days he will donate his archives to local salmon foundations and streamkeepers associations.