The retreat of glaciers in the Pacific mountains of British Columbia and Alaska could produce thousands of kilometres of potential new salmon habitat, a recent study shows, according to CBC Canada.

The study projects that more than 6,000 kilometres of new streams could be accessible to salmon by 2100, and just under one-third of that could be suitable for spawning.

The analysis suggests the greatest gains in potential salmon streams would occur where large glaciers are located in low-slope terrain near the coast, with the highest increase of 27 per cent projected in the Gulf of Alaska.