Final Advisory Letter
Final report of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council in its role as advisors on wild Pacific salmon and steelhead stocks and habitat.
Conservation Council reports on salmon stocks and habitat
Vancouver, June 7, 2000 - Salmon stocks in British
Columbia range from those that are productive and apparently
sustainable to those that have low productivity and are at risk of
extinction. This is a primary finding contained in the annual report of
the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council issued today.
Salmon catches and many stocks in 1999 were at their lowest
abundance in almost 100 years. The report notes: "The continuation of
low marine survival and inadequate returns illustrate the severe
conservation problem, with many spawning stocks at only remnant
abundance".
The Council Chairman, the Hon. John A. Fraser, said: "Progress
is being made in salmon conservation but there are serious challenges
in restoring healthy habitat conditions and maintaining essential
biodiversity". He explained that the conservation of fish habitat presents a complex challenge.
The report states: "The investment to maintain the
biodiversity that is inherent in many different salmon stocks is an
indispensable form of insurance for long-term survival and sustained
salmon production".
The report explains that: "The naturally moderating effects of
forests and streamside vegetation have been lost from broad areas of
the province. Forest harvesting, agriculture, and industrial and urban
development have been among the factors that for many years removed,
transformed or destabilized fish habitat".
A primary theme of the report is the need to understand and meet
the basic needs of fish throughout their life cycle. The report pointed
out that salmon are at risk in each of the fresh water, estuarine,
early ocean and high seas life stages as they migrate.
Salmon appear to have become particularly vulnerable to climate
conditions, and as the report points out: "Their sensitivity to
temperature is widely recognized, and climate change seems likely to
take a particular toll on their survival ahead of others".
The report looks closely at what is described as: "...desperately low abundance of sockeye, and the depressed state of other Central Coast salmon populations".
The Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council was established
in 1998 to advise the federal and British Columbia governments on
conservation of fish, specifically salmon and steelhead, and the status
of their freshwater and ocean habitats. Its members provide strategic
direction and recommendations, as well as public information.
Copies of the report and background papers are available from the
Council's Vancouver office or through its web site (www.fish.bc.ca).
For more information, contact:
Sheila-Marie Cook
Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council
604-775-5621
cook@fish.bc.ca
Glenda Thomson
604-775-6083
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