Misplaced Priorities Put Salmon at Risk

Vancouver, April 7, 2000 - Governments are losing the capacity to recognize emerging problems and deal with crises in the Pacific salmon fisheries. Funding and staff reductions in Fisheries & Oceans Canada and the BC Government have led to severe cut-backs in monitoring wild salmon stocks and their habitat.

The annual report of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council issued today notes that salmon stocks in British Columbia have been generally improving due to better ocean survival. At the same time, the Council warns that wild salmon are at risk and vulnerable when governments fail to take a long-term view to salmon management.

The Council cited the continuing failure of the federal government for more than three years to implement a Wild Salmon Policy to demonstrate that wild salmon should be given priority in resource management. "The Council draws attention to the continuing failure of the Federal Government to establish and implement a Wild Salmon Policy. Such a policy should clearly state that wild salmon be given first priority in resource management. It is now over three years since DFO announced its intention to establish a Wild Salmon Policy. Surely it's time to end the internal discussion and present a wild salmon proposal for public discussion," said the Honourable John Fraser, Chairman of the Council that reports to the federal and BC fisheries ministers.

A report by the Council earlier this year cited dozens of examples where insufficient stream surveys and reduced assessment programs were causing serious information voids and poor quality of data about the status of the wild salmon. The prospect of further budget and personnel cuts in both governments will undermine their ability to fulfill their basic responsibility for salmon management.

The Council's annual report, at the same time, acknowledges the positive government responses to its previous recommendations, including the initiatives in 2003 to study and protect the pink salmon migrating in the Broughton Archipelago and the commitment of the ministers to establish a Salmon Aquaculture Forum.

The report also calls for:

* more resources to enumerate and analyze salmon stocks, monitor their health and identify problems at a stage when effective measures could be taken

* setting specific and clear escapement goals so enough salmon will spawn and rebuild depleted stocks

* clearly defining conservation objectives before governments implement results-based resource management schemes that would otherwise undervalue salmon resources

* supporting community and volunteer effort in salmon conservation and management.

The Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council was established in 1998. Its mandate is to provide independent advice on the status of wild Pacific salmon stocks and their ocean and freshwater habitats.

Related reports:

Annual Report 1999 2000