Mural: Great Big Salmon
Created: Summer 2019
Location: Terrace Visitor Centre
Address: 4511 Keith Avenue
This nine-foot long salmon is carved from a single piece of spruce wood harvested from a memorial tree located along Hwy 16 and the Skeena River that suffered damage from a fire and had to be cut down. Estimated to have been growing in that spot since about 1880, the giant spruce was transformed into an art piece by local carver JJ Jung.
The carved salmon features a vignette of the elusive Kermodei Bear at it’s centre. Kermodei bears are black bears that carry a recessive gene causing their fur to be white. They are found only in the pacific northwest and parts of northern Vancouver Island and are very rarely seen. The sculpture represents not only the animals that make this area so unique, but is emblematic of the dependent relationship bears have with salmon and nature. When bears eat salmon and leave their carcasses behind, the decomposition process in turn provides rich nutrients to the soil. This piece is an ode to that circle of life in the wild.
Located just outside the Terrace Visitor Centre on Hwy 16, the Big Salmon is also a fan favourite for photos.