Five species are commercially important sockeye, pink, coho, chum, and Chinook. Between early spring and late fall the salmon return from the ocean to spawning grounds up the rivers. The Fraser River has the largest runs. Halibut are caught chiefly around the Queen Charlotte Islands, and herring abound in the Inside Passage and in the waters around Vancouver Island. Other fishes and shellfishes caught in commercial quantities include black cod, lingcod, flounder, sole, clams, oysters, and crabs.
Mining is one of the oldest and largest industries in the province.
British Columbia owes its early settlement to the gold rushes of the mid-1800s. The Fraser River and Cariboo Mountain areas were famous for their deposits. Gold is still mined, chiefly in the Bridge River and Cariboo districts. Other metals, however, top gold in annual value of production. Minerals are widely distributed throughout the province.