On February 8, the MCC Salmon Committee sent a letter to Terry Beech, MP, and recently appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and Canadian Coast Guard. The letter introduces the MCC to Terry Beech and our current priorities in salmon management: Ensuring recovery of at-risk salmon species Improving transparency and openness, ensuring…
On December 22nd, 2016, the MCC Salmon Committee sent a letter to the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This letter states: We are writing to you with respect to the process underway in the Pacific region of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to develop an implementation plan for the Pacific Wild Salmon…
A study just published by Holly Nesbit and Jonathon Moore at Simon Fraser University highlights the importance of population diversity in Pacific salmon fisheries. Summary of the paper: 1. Indigenous people are considered to be among the most vulnerable to food insecurity and biodiversity loss. Biodiversity is cited as a key component of indigenous food security;…
The following letter from First Nations, conservation and fishing organizations, and esteemed British Columbians regarding key items in Minister Tootoo’s mandate letter pertaining to wild Pacific salmon was forwarded to the Minister on May 18, 2016. Endorsements will continue to be added over the next few weeks. May 18, 2016 The Honourable Hunter Tootoo, P.C., M.P….
On April 12th, 2016, members of the salmon committee visited Ottawa to introduce our group and provide advice to the new fisheries minister, the Honourable Hunter Tootoo. Along with our introduction letter, the MCC provided nine recommendations as listed below: 1. Commission an independent report on progress towards implementation of Cohen Commission recommendations (Cohen recommendation 75). 2. (a) Dedicate the resources to ensure full, robust WSP implementation (Cohen rec. 6); (b) hire an Associate Regional Director responsible for WSP implementation (Cohen rec. 4); and (c) provide sufficient resources to meet monitoring, assessment, and stakeholder engagement objectives. 3. Establish an independent body of experts on Pacific salmon, appointed by the Minister, to provide reports on the status of Canada’s wild Pacific salmon populations and whether they are being managed in a manner consistent with federal policies, international commitments, and public expectations. 4. Revise and apply salmon farming siting criteria developed through meaningful consultation with First Nations and stakeholders and an independent scientific peer review process (Cohen rec. 15-‐17). 5. Develop a stock monitoring and assessment plan and make it available to the public (along with relevant science and research as per Cohen rec. 73) through a central, independent repository, similar to the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Skeena Salmon Program. 6. (a) Require the Strategic Framework for Fishery Monitoring and Catch Reporting be fully implemented within two years; and (b) review the role, membership, and funding of the Monitoring & Compliance Panel. 7. Establish formal arrangements with other government agencies (federal and provincial) responsible for monitoring ecosystems and habitats and integrate them into WSP implementation and climate change monitoring programs….
The Pacific Marine Conservation Caucus has sent a letter to the Honourable Hunter Tootoo (Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard) and the Honourable Marc Garneau (Minister of Transportation) asking for strengthened environmental legislation. This would occur through a two-step process: 1) Table as law the previous pre‐C‐38 and pre‐C‐45 NWPA and habitat provisions of the Fisheries Act, followed by re‐enactment and removal of regulations as needed. 2) Engage in a robust, multi‐stakeholder consultation for long‐term strengthening of the…
In a letter to Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the MCC Salmon Committee has provided numerous recommendations for consideration in the 2016/17 Integrated Fisheries and Management Plan. The letter regards both North and South Coast salmon IFMPs and details a number of issues that are important for consideration by DFO in the upcoming fishing plan development….
Whistler Pique, January 27, 2016 by Brandon Barret Internal memos acquired through an Access to Information request suggest that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) misinformed the public over the sudden closure of a commercial fishery in Squamish this summer, the Watershed Watch Salmon Society claims. “The media, the public, stakeholders, everybody had been purposefully misled…
Tens of millions more tonnes of fish have been taken from the seas than are recorded in official statistics, suggests a huge and controversial project aiming to estimate the ‘true catch’ of the world’s fishing industry. The work is detailed in a paper in Nature Communications by fisheries researchers Daniel Pauly and Dirk Zeller of…
Vancouver Sun article Judge overrules minister’s decision to open herring fishery states “B.C. First Nations won a major victory Friday when a Federal Court judge granted an injunction blocking the opening this year of a herring fishery on the west coast of Vancouver Island.” See the full article for more details.
by Jennifer Feinberg – Chilliwack Progress The message from the jam-packed meeting was clear. Find another location for the proposed waste recycling plant, far away from the edge of the Fraser River. More than 150 people filled Evergreen Hall Saturday in Chilliwack, spilling out into the hall. They came to hear river conservationist Mark Angelo…
The Vancouver Sun article Ottawa opens door to fish farm expansion, and applications flood in provides details on the federal government’s plan to open “the door to a major expansion of B.C.’s controversial fish farm sector despite warnings by the 2012 Cohen Commission about the effects of net-based farms on wild salmon.” Watershed Watch Executive…
Simon Fraser University Public Affairs/Media Relations (PAMR) 778.782.3210 www.sfu.ca/pamr Contact: Nick Dulvy (Coquitlam resident), 778.387.4124 (cell), 778.782.4124 (w), Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, Photos: http://at.sfu.ca/cNBOjD Study says sharks/rays globally overfished One quarter of the world’s cartilaginous fish, namely sharks and rays, face extinction within the next few decades, according to the first study to…
Media Release – Skeena sockeye collapse: BC fisheries closed while Alaskans keep fishing July 18, 2013 09:22:52 Posted By Trish Hall BC conservationists challenge Alaskans to put sustainability first Vancouver, July 17, 2013 – Skeena River sockeye salmon are returning in desperately low numbers this summer, causing concern among conservationists for the future of one…
Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program – proposals due July 12, 2013 June 24, 2013 12:01:45 Posted By Trish Hall Full details available at: http://www.dfo- mpo.gc.ca/habitat/rfcpp-ppcpr/index-eng.asp Goal and Outcome The Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program forms a key component of the Government of Canada’s conservation agenda as outlined in Budget 2013 and aligns with the Government’s…