Every year, the team at Apple Podcasts publishes millions of podcasts but selects only a few to be featured as the best of the year. The Salmon People by Sandra Bartlett, Canada’s National Observer’s managing producer of podcasts, is in the top dozen podcasts the Apple team chose as the best because they “made us think.”

“These are the podcasts we loved most in 2022 — the shows that gripped, moved and entertained us, and kept us listening, laughing and thinking all year long,” they wrote.

That honour means The Salmon People, which topped the charts back when it was first released in October, is now featured prominently on Apple’s iTunes page.

“It feels really good to have The Salmon People recognized,” said Bartlett. “It is a story of ordinary people fighting for the wild salmon.”

The podcast uses a true crime meets climate format, casting whale biologist Alexandra Morton as an unlikely detective who was pulled into a battle against government, industry and multinational corporations.

It is a true-life, investigative whodunnit that demands accountability for the decimation of the wild salmon population.

All 10 episodes are up, and available for download on iTunes and wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Bartlett is an award-winning reporter and producer who joined the CNO team last fall. Previously, she worked as a producer and reporter at CBC and in NPR's investigative unit. She has collaborated on projects with PBS Frontline, ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as individual journalists in Canada and Europe.

Bartlett works closely with Zahra Khozema, who joined CNO in November as an associate podcast producer. Khozema previously worked on the Globe and Mail’s personal finance podcast Stress Test and its daily news podcast The Decibel.

The honour means #TheSalmonPeople, which topped the charts back when it was first released in October, is now featured prominently on Apple’s iTunes page. #TopPodcasts2022

The Salmon People is one of four podcasts CNO launched this season. Others include Hot Politics hosted by David McKie, CNO’s deputy managing editor, Maxed Out hosted by Max Fawcett, CNO’s lead columnist, and the documentary series canadaLANDBACK, a co-production with Canadaland, hosted by Karyn Pugliese, CNO’s editor-in-chief.

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