The David Suzuki Foundation and the MCC have repeatedly expressed deep concern regarding the state of herring spawning in the Strait of Georgia. The herring fishery has undergone substantial truncation in both spatial and temporal extent, such that spawning is now minimal south of Dodd Narrows and concentrated in March. In 2024, the temporal extent…
The MCC has submitted its feedback on salmon fisheries (PDF), recovery and management issues to DFO for the the 2024-2025 fishing season. We address species and population concerns for all 5 commercially managed salmon species, as well as steelhead. We also identify concerns for management decisions in light of freshwater migration conditions.
In our previous letter for the proposed 2023/2024 Food & Bait and Special Use fisheries, we provided the rationale for a closure of commercial herring fisheries in Area 17, a cap on the proportion of the Strait of Georgia (SoG) Total Allowable Catch (TAC) that is allocated to the Food & Bait fishery, and a maximum 7%…
On November 13, 2023, the Pacific Marine Conservation Caucus (MCC) submitted the following letter in response to the draft 2022/2023 Pacific herring Food & Bait and Special Use (FB/SU) commercial fishery plans. In this submission, we reiterate our concern regarding the ongoing loss of herring spawning in the southern Strait of Georgia, with a specific…
The salmon subcommittee of the Marine Conservation Caucus submitted its comments on the draft Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Pacific salmon. Our comments fall into the following Areas: 0 Defining Recovery and Rebuilding 0.1 Recovery 0.2 Rebuilding 1. Chinook 1.1 Northern BC Chinook 1.1.1 North Coast and Skeena 1.1.2 Central Coast 1.2 Southern BC Chinook…
The MCC has submitted its feedback to DFO on the mark selective Chinook fisheries proposed to start in the spring of 2023. Mark Selective Fisheries target “marked” hatchery Chinook that are missing their adipose fin. Many of these fisheries would increase the sport fishery effort at a time when endangered Fraser stream-type Chinook are migrating…
The MCC, along with First Nations from Vancouver Island, issued a press release on March 2, 2023 calling on DFO to halt its proposed Mark Selective Fisheries on Chinook salmon. The fishery will harm both endangered Chinook and endangered killer whales
The MCC has submitted feedback on the 2022/2023 Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Pacific Herring. The main points are summarized below and the letter is provided for more details. Strait of Georgia: We reiterate our position that Strait of Georgia (SoG) herring are showing several signs of concern, and that these issues, when considered together,…
On November 16, 2022, the Pacific Marine Conservation Caucus (MCC) submitted the following letter in response to the draft 2022/2023 Pacific herring Food & Bait and Special Use (FB/SU) commercial fishery plans. Unlike previous years, the draft 2022/2023 FB/SU plans do not include an initial amount for proposed quota allocations to these fisheries. Therefore, we…
Through the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), DFO is proposing to expand mass-marking (MM) of hatchery fish and implement more mark-selective fisheries (MSF). In June, DFO distributed a discussion paper identifying considerations around expansion of MM and MSF in BC. In late September, the MCC Salmon Subcommittee submitted feedback to DFO in response to their…
In late June, DFO released a letter and discussion paper on their proposed expansion of Mass Marking (MM) and Mark-Selective Fisheries (MSF). The discussion paper provides context and information on their intent, as well as many considerations on MM and MSF. Feedback on this is requested by September 30, 2022. Cover letter and discussion paper…
The salmon subcommittee of the Marine Conservation Caucus has submitted its comments on the draft Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Pacific salmon. Our comments fall into the following 12 Areas: PSSI Evaluation criteria and proposed long-term closures Southeast Alaskan interceptions of BC Salmon Southern Resident killer whales Recreational Chinook Fisheriesa. Fraser Chinook Managementb. Skeena and…
On February 17, the MCC Salmon Sub-Committee of the Marine Conservation Caucus sent a letter to the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coastguard, regarding concerns around expansion of marine recreational fishing in southern BC. Importantly, the Salmon Sub-Committee of the Marine Conservation Caucus believes that there should be no expansion…
Alaskan fisheries in Southeast Alaska (SEAK) intercept salmon returning to British Columbia (BC) rivers. Given the current depressed status of many BC wild salmon populations, and in the context of changing marine and freshwater environments due to climate change; there is growing concern that as Canadian salmon abundance declines, and Canada closes or restricts its fisheries,…
The salmon committee of the MCC has submitted its comments on the draft Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for salmon. Concerns have been identified for the lack of recovery of at-risk populations that continue to be fished, concerns for proposals that move Canada toward U.S. style fisheries that rely on hatcheries, concerns for mixed-stock ocean fisheries that should move more catch to terminal areas, and concerns for wildlife and ecosystems that depend on wild salmon reaching their natal streams