Salmon biologist Alexadra Morton was one of dozens of paddlers in a Paddle for Wild Salmon flotilla who pulled up in Abbotsford on Thursday, in the middle of their six-day river voyage from Hope to Vancouver. Close to 50 paddlers in nine canoes, including several people from First Nation bands who fish the river, were met with traditional Sto:lo greetings and drummers at the base of the Mission Bridge.

The paddlers and support crew camped overnight at the riverside park and were fed hot meals by Matsqui First Nation members.

Morton and the paddlers were joined by others as they approached Vancouver over the next two days.

The Pacific wild salmon advocates planned to rally at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in downtown Vancouver on Monday, the first day of the Cohen Commission's inquiry into the decline of the B.C. salmon fishery.

The activists, which include Members of Parliament and B.C. MLAs, school teachers and wilderness guides, say sea lice and disease from farmed fish are decimating the wild salmon species.

"We're talking about our future for our children. We are with the ancestors and they are with us. These are exciting, powerful moments," said Lorna Prette, an elder from Seabird Island in Chilliwack and one of the drummers who welcomed the paddlers.