Helicopters transporting record numbers of spawning salmon trapped near Kamloops

A team of specialists continue to transport trapped chinook and sockeye salmon along the Fraser River.

On Monday, a record number 2,612 salmon were transported by helicopter near the town of Big Bar, northwest of Kamloops.

That brings the total number of salmon transported by the specialists to 23,479 during August.

Teams are working against the clock as a massive bottleneck of spawning salmon continues to be blocked by a landslide along the Fraser River.

Located near Big Bar, the slide originally occurred in June, creating a five-metre wall of debris, blocking an estimated 90,000 spawning salmon.

Rock scalers, engineers and blasters have been called in to work on the situation that Fisheries and Oceans Canada have stated would lead to "permanent loss" to salmon populations.

The Fraser River is one of the main arteries salmon use to reach rivers, stream and creeks throughout the province to spawn.

With files from the Canadian Press.