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 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…
On March 18, the MCC submitted the following letter to Minister Jordan describing the potential impacts of mark selective fisheries on endangered Chinook populations, and detailing concerns around DFO’s proposed catch, release, compliance, and stock composition monitoring and evaluation. While there may be limited opportunities for MSF fisheries in BC recreational Chinook fisheries, most of…
Comments on the North and South Coast Integrated Fishing Management Plans for Salmon were due on April 20. We (the MCC Salmon committee) submitted comments on the IFMPs. Our comments cover Chinook, sockeye, coho, pink and chum fisheries management across the province of BC, as well as on catch monitoring and compliance, hatcheries, total mortalities…
The MCC Salmon Subcommittee has released a letter to Fisheries and Oceans Canada with recommendations for monitoring in SC recreational fisheries. In summary, with management measures moving to non-retention of chinook in many areas, there are concerns around the Fisheries Related Incidental Mortality (FRIM) still being high and impacting stocks of concern like Fraser River…
On April 15th, the MCC Salmon Subcommittee sent a letter to the Honourable Jonathon Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, detailing measures required to protect endangered, threatened and at risk Fraser River chinook salmon. Background: In 2018, COSEWIC identified seven populations of Fraser Chinook salmon as endangered, four as threatened and one as special concern….
The MCC submitted feedback on the draft 2019/2020 Northern and Southern Integrated Fisheries and Management Plans today. The letter details MCC’s recommendations on Fisheries Risk Assessments and Fishery Management and Catch Reporting, Chinook Fisheries and incidental mortality, Interior Fraser Coho, and sockeye, chum and pink fisheries across the province. MCC submission re IFMP development April…
Subject: Support for listing Thompson & Chilcotin River steelhead under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Released: November 29, 2018 To: Species at Risk Program, Pacific Region On November 29th, 2018, the MCC Salmon Committee provided support for listing Thompson & Chilcotin River steelhead under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. The submission provides answers to the questions…
On April 6th, the MCC submitted an 18-page document containing many recommendations for the 2018/19 north and south coast salmon Integrated Fishing and Management Plans (IFMPs). Our letter discusses issues around Chinook exploitation rates, Interior Fraser Steelhead, Southern Resident Killer Whales, the Commercial Salmon Allocation Framework, Fraser River sockeye, Interior Fraser Coho, the Strategic Framework…
On January 30th, 2018, the MCC sent a letter to Minister Dominic Leblanc detailing our concerns on Chinook salmon management with respect to the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs). The letter included a 12-page report with 4 main recommendations for Chinook and vessel management actions for 2018. These actions are consistent with the ‘immediate’ actions…
On January 9th, DFO released a letter inviting feedback on the Planning Priorities for the 2018 Integrated Fishing and Management Plans for Salmon, Northern and Southern BC. Key topics this year include: COSEWIC and SARA process Skeena River Chinook Skeena and Nass River Chinook Southern Resident Killer Whales Fraser River Chinook Interior Fraser River Steelhead…
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…