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DFO releases Final 2018-2019 Integrated Fisheries Management Plans

Today the Department of Fisheries and Oceans released the final versions of the Northern and Southern Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMPs). These documents contain information on the management approaches and decision guidelines for all species, management unites and major fishery areas. Northern IFMP Letter 2018. For the full IFMPs: North Coast IFMP South Coast IFMP

DFO’s Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Plan – MCC submits comments

The MCC Salmon Subcommittee provided feedback on DFO’s draft Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Plan. The following summary and recommendations are excerpts from the attached letter. In summary, there are three core deficiencies in the draft plan that need to be addressed: Conservation Priority – there is a lack of direct actions and focus on the…

Science Based Review of Recovery Actions for Southern Resident Killer Whales

In 2017, DFO released their Action Plan for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales. Later in 2017, another document was released – Southern Resident killer whale: A science-based review of recovery actions for three at-risk whale populations. The Southern Resident Killer Whales are listed as Endangered under the Species at Risk Act. Action Plan: 2017_Effectiveness-of-Recovery-Measures-for-SRKW…

Species and population diversity in Pacific salmon fisheries underpin indigenous food security

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;…

United call for action – letter from First Nations, conservation and fishing organizations

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….

MCC Salmon Committee Visits Ottawa

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….

MCC submits letter to the Minister of Fisheries and Minster of Transport

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…

MCC submits letter to DFO regarding 2016/2017 fishing plan development

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….

Stakeholders say memos show DFO ‘misled’ public over fishery closure

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…

Study reveals ‘true catch’ of global fishing

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…

Judge overrules minister’s decision to open herring fishery

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.

Chilliwack Progress: Waste facility location ‘fraught with risk’

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…

Watershed Watch expresses concern over Government’s decision to expand aquaculture – betraying concerns raised in Cohen Inquiry

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…

Study says sharks/rays globally overfished

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…

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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…