Save our Salmon!

In British Columbia, salmon fishery harvests five species of Pacific salmon (pink,
chum, coho, Chinook, and sockeye) in the coast, adjacent open-ocean, and inland
areas of the province. According to the FishSource 2013, from 2011 to 2012, British
Columbia accounted for 1.47% of wild-capture Pacific salmon harvest. Pink salmon
comprised 36.13% of the regional share, followed by chum at approximately
31.30%, sockeye at 17.40%, and coho salmon at 5.52%. Majority of salmon
harvested in British Columbia is sold within the country, with exports to North
America, Europe, and Asia, particularly in Japan.
There are three gear types that require commercial salmon licenses: purse seines,
trolling lines, and gillnets. Terminal fisheries in rivers use additional gear such as
weirs, fish wheels, beach seines, as well as dip nets. Commercial openings occur
anywhere along coastal areas, depending on local run timing (May to October),
distribution, and stock status.
In 2011, the BC fishery harvested around 9.7 million salmon, while 2.9 million
salmon were harvested the following year. Several salmon products from British
Columbia are exported to the global seafood market. Sockeye salmon are sold fresh,
frozen, or as canned products. Pink salmon, on the other hand, is primarily sold as
canned goods. Pink and chum salmon are often sold whole (headed and gutted) and
flaked in frozen products that may be processed in China. Major consumers for fresh
sockeye salmon include British Columbia, the United States, and Japan. In North
America and Europe, supermarkets regularly stock canned pink and sockeye
salmon.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified BC sockeye salmon in 2010, and
pink salmon in 2011. Three units for chum salmon were certified in 2013, with a
fourth unit currently under assessment. All of these certificates have open
conditions, many of which are common to all certified BC salmon fisheries. Coho
and Chinook salmon fisheries are yet to participate in the MSC program.
All five species of Pacific salmon have overlapping natural ranges that incidental
fishing of non-target salmon often occur. Moreover, there are a number of conditions
that are not met within the required timeframe by the original MSC assessment.
Salmon management and other related issues gained much attention in 2012,
prompting widespread public debate and other concerns that called for proposals to
weaken or alter fish habitat and water protection laws, highlighted by an open letter
to the Prime Minister from four former Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans.
The omnibus Bill C-38 was subsequently passed, raising concerns about weakening
Canadas fish habitat, water, environmental assessment, endangered species, and
other laws.
In October 2012, the Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in
the Fraser River (also known as the Cohen Commission) issued a final report. The

Cohen Commission included 75 recommendations to improve the future

sustainability of Fraser River and other salmon fisheries in British Columbia. The
recommendations focused more on implementing Canadas 2005 Wild Salmon
Policy (WSP), and probes deeper into salmon aquaculture. However, despite
continued pressure from the stakeholder, the management agency is yet to respond
to the recommendations.
In summer of 2012, the Skeena River sockeye salmon returned in extremely low
numbers, raising concern among conservationists for the future of one of British
Columbias largest and most diverse salmon runs. This resulted in closures of
commercial and recreational fisheries in the province, and restrictions were imposed
on First Nations fisheries for food, social, and ceremonial purposes. This was the
lowest spawning escapement on record, with the total return of the run below the
conservation point of 400,000 fish.
The productivity of Fraser River sockeye salmon, which is the number of adults
produced per spawner, has been in a constant decline since the mid-90s. It came to
a point where Fraser River sockeye salmon are almost unable to replace
themselves. 2009 was the year when the total return of Fraser River sockeye was at
its lowest in over five decades.
The status of Fraser stocks for 2013 was not at crisis level as in 2009, but there was
still no commercial harvest. The final numbers are still coming in, and we will soon
update this report once more information becomes available to the public. Chinook
salmon returned at crises levels, however, but with reports of good numbers on
some individual rivers. On a more positive note, pink salmon runs in the North Coast
and Fraser were abundant, with instances of strong coho returns.

Salmon, like any other seafood, is a healthy food choice. But as the number of
people in the world continues to grow, the need for them will also increase. And as
the demand increases, there is also the need to find ways to supplement the supply
of wild-capture fish to relieve pressure on wild fish populations and to ensure fish
does not become overfished or unaffordable.
British Columbia salmon farmers are in a unique position to help meet this growing
market and they strive to bring benefit to the communities where they operate. At
present, there are over fifteen resource development agreements and service
contracts currently in place with BC Coastal First Nations, and First Nation peoples
make up 20% of the workforce in the BC salmon farming industry.

You can help save our salmon by making submissions** to the Cohen Commission.

[Can be linked to Cohen Commission Submissions article. Hyperlink the one with **]