Minister Jordan Announces Long-Term Commercial Closures and Licence Retirement Program in Effort to Save Pacific Salmon Français

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region

Jun 29, 2021, 14:59 ET

VANCOUVER, BC, June 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Pacific salmon are in a long-term decline, with many runs on the verge of collapse. The Government of Canada is taking decisive steps under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) to combat these steep declines and give salmon a fighting chance at survival. The decades-long declines are due to a complex combination of climate change, habitat degradation, and harvesting impacts, and bold action is needed now to stabilize and rebuild the stocks before it is too late.  

Today, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced an initial step towards longer-term reductions in fishing pressure on stocks of conservation concern with significant commercial salmon closures for the 2021 season. These closures, affecting Commercial salmon fisheries and First Nations Communal Commercial fisheries, will further reduce pressure on salmon stocks and will be included in the 2021-22 Pacific Salmon Integrated Fisheries Management Plan. These conservation-driven management decisions will provide strong protection for the most fragile stocks of concern across the Pacific region.

New data from the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC), for which Canada is a member, shows that the global catch of Pacific salmon in 2020 was the lowest since 1982. Strong management measures will be in place for all salmon fishing sectors in 2021, and are in line with a precautionary approach based on conservation and sustainability. These plans are outlined in the 2021-2022 Salmon Integrated Fisheries Management Plan and will result in closures to nearly 60 per cent of commercial salmon fisheries for the 2021 season. 

Understanding that stocks may need multiple generations to stabilize and rebuild, and that these closures will have an economic impact on harvesters, the Minister is also announcing the Pacific Salmon Commercial Transition Program. This voluntary salmon licence retirement program will provide harvesters with the option to retire their licences for fair market value and will facilitate the transition to a smaller commercial harvesting sector. Permanently removing fishing effort will support the economic viability of the fishery in the long term, while closures will protect salmon stocks and give them an opportunity to stabilize.

For First Nations communal-commercial harvesters, the Department will meaningfully consult on options to shift to more selective fishing gear or, where available, to licences for other non-salmon species. These mitigation measures allow for continued economic opportunity agreements under the communal-commercial licence, while helping reduce interactions with at-risk stocks.

Indigenous partners, harvesting groups and stakeholders have been calling for change. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been listening – the many proposed projects in the PSSI answer that call for change. DFO has already begun consultations, using the vast knowledge that already exists on how best to bring about these changes and make the greatest impact on Pacific salmon sustainability.

The Department will also be engaging immediately with First Nations, harvesters, industry members and partners across the Pacific region on the impacts of the commercial closures and the collaborative development of the mitigation program. These much needed steps towards a new, modernized commercial salmon management system are part of the Harvest Transformation pillar under the $647.1 million PSSI – the largest, most transformative investment Canada has ever made to save wild salmon.

The loss of salmon populations would be disastrous not just for the people and wildlife that depend on them as a food source, but also for the many BC communities whose jobs and ways of life depend on salmon. That's why the Government of Canada has taken, and will continue to take urgent and concrete actions to ensure that salmon are protected for future generations.

Quote:
"What cannot be debated is that most wild Pacific salmon stocks continue to decline at unprecedented rates – we are pulling the emergency brake to give these salmon populations the best chance at survival. The decisions to implement new long term closures and permanently remove effort from the commercial salmon fishery were not easy, as they impact people, communities, and livelihoods. But with fewer and fewer returning every year – disappearing before our eyes – we have to act now. We will continue working closely with industry, Indigenous communities, and partners as we move forward with these initiatives and do everything in our collective power to save pacific salmon and ensure a sustainable future. Together, we will turn the corner."

The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Quick Facts

  • The Government of Canada's $647.1-million Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative investment is the largest-ever government investment in efforts to save Pacific salmon. Through this investment, Canada will guide a strategic and coordinated long-term response, rooted in collaborative action, to stabilize and protect Pacific salmon for the ecosystems, people, and communities that depend upon their sustainability.
  • The 2021-2022 Salmon Integrated Fishery Management Plans will be available soon, and a fishery notice will be released with further information once they are posted on the DFO library.
  • Management measures in recreational fisheries implemented in recent years to protect salmon stocks of conservation concern continue to be required. Further details will be provided in final salmon IFMPs. (Recreational harvesters are requested to refer to the DFO website (https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html) for current regulations in the area they plan to fish)
  • Many salmon species migrate back to their natal rivers at the same time. In some marine areas larger commercial fisheries cannot selectively fish for abundant stocks without potentially catching at-risk stocks.
  • In 2019, DFO published a State of Pacific Salmon report that outlined how salmon are responding to climate and habitat changes. Many key indicators show Pacific salmon stocks are declining to historic lows. For instance, 50 Pacific salmon populations are currently under consideration for potential listing under the Species at Risk Act, or pending assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
  • Pacific salmon have social, cultural, and economic significance for many Canadians. After conservation, the Department has a legal obligation to provide priority access for First Nations food, social and ceremonial (FSC) and treaty fisheries, but in recent years many have not been able to meet their harvest allocations because of low salmon returns.

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Backgrounder

Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI)

The last six years have been the warmest on the planet. The forest fires in British Columbia in 2017 and 2018 burned a record number of hectares. All other factors related to the decline of salmon are embedded in the global climate change driver. We must act now to save Pacific salmon.

The $647 million Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) launched by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard on June 8, 2021 is the largest, most transformative investment Canada has made in salmon. It aims to stem the devastating historic declines in key Pacific salmon stocks and rebuild these species to a sustainable level. The Initiative is built on four key pillars:

  • Conservation and stewardship;
  • Enhanced hatchery production;
  • Harvest transformation; and
  • Integrated management and collaboration.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is taking immediate steps under the Harvest transformation pillar, by: implementing extensive closures to commercial salmon fisheries in areas with significant stocks of conservation concern, beginning with the 2021 fishing season; transitioning to a smaller commercial harvesting sector through a salmon licence retirement program, and; consulting with First Nations  harvesters to shift to more selective fishing gear or, where available, to other non-salmon species. 

Salmon Fishery Closures 2021

There are some 138 unique commercial fisheries in British Columbia (B.C.) and Yukon that target all five species of Pacific salmon in different areas. Most use gill net gear, while the remainder use purse seine, troll or other gear (e.g. beach seine, fish wheels):

Seine Net: Seine nets are set from fishing boats with the assistance of a small skiff. Nets are set in a circle around aggregations of fish. The bottom edges of the net are then drawn together into a "purse" to prevent escape of the fish. Seiners take approximately 50% of the commercial catch.

Salmon gill nets: Salmon gill nets are rectangular nets that hang in the water and are set from either the stern or bow of the vessel. Fish swim headfirst into the net, entangling their gills in the mesh. Altering mesh size and the way in which nets are suspended in the water allows nets to target certain species and sizes of fish. Gill netters generally fish near coastal rivers and inlets, taking about 25% of the commercial catch.

Troll: Trollers employ hooks and lines which are suspended from large poles extending from the fishing vessel. Altering the type and arrangement of lures used on lines allows various species to be targeted. Trollers catch approximately 25% of the commercial harvest.

Nearly all of these fisheries encounter mixtures of salmon populations—their target species and incidental harvest or by-catch, including stocks of conservation concern. By-catch is the inadvertent harvest of different species. The inadvertent harvest of stocks of concern within the same species (i.e. Cultus Lake Sockeye when harvesting Summer Run Sockeye) is referred to as incidental harvest. Both bycatch and incidental harvest are factored into the development of fishing plans to manage impacts on stocks of concern.

While selective fishing measures to avoid stocks of concern are required in all commercial fisheries, additional commercial closures were considered where stocks of conservation concern could not easily be avoided. This also addresses mortalities from fish that have been released from fishing gear.

The closures include gill net fisheries along with a number of seine and troll fisheries that impact stocks of concern directly or encounter stocks of concern as by-catch. The closures are intended to increase the number of salmon reaching spawning areas. Where commercial fishery closures are in place to conserve specific sockeye, pink and chum salmon stocks, recreational retention fisheries will also be restricted consistent with salmon allocation priorities. However, recreational chinook and coho fisheries have a higher salmon allocation priority and would not be impacted in the same manner.

Based on the 2021 outlook that provides information regarding anticipated returns of salmon stocks, the 79 individual closures (from a maximum of 138) will make the greatest impact on the most fragile stocks of concern. The remaining open fisheries may have sufficient abundance to proceed, while posing a low risk to stocks of concern, however actual returns from each in-season test fishery will determine whether they open. Factors that lessen the impacts of a fishery when it opens include fishing in areas where harvesters can avoid intercepting at-risk salmon stocks, and/or additional measures where it is possible to enhance selectivity of salmon stocks such as dates, shorter duration, and smaller geographic areas. The Department will consult further on long-term conservation measures with First Nations and commercial harvesters prior to the 2022 fishing season.

A full list of fisheries affected in 2021 will also be included in the Salmon Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMP), which will soon be available. A Fishery Notice will be posted providing a link to the IFMPs  once they are available in the DFO Library.

Pacific Salmon Commercial Transition Program

Individual Commercial Salmon Licence Holders

The Pacific Salmon Commercial Transition Program is expected to be launched this fall. This initiative responds to many years of requests for assistance from commercial salmon harvesters, as declining Pacific salmon returns have resulted in greatly reduced fishing opportunities and made economic viability in this industry a significant challenge. Over the coming months DFO will be engaging with commercial salmon licence holders to work collaboratively on developing the program, assess the fair market value or their licences and confirm the design of the program.  All commercial salmon licence holders will have an opportunity to participate in this initiative.

In addition to providing licence holders with a key opportunity to exit the industry while receiving a fair market value for their licence, this program will help gradually address factors affecting the long term sustainability of the fisheries by transitioning it to a smaller size. This will support the improved financial viability of fisheries well after the program ends.

Canada will work hand-in-hand with harvesters in the engagement, development, and implementation of this program.  

Communal Commercial Salmon Harvesters

Many First Nations in B.C. and Yukon hold communal commercial salmon licences, providing them commercial access to the fisheries. Consultations will begin in the coming weeks to address the impacts on First Nations economic fisheries due to declining salmon returns. Among the options to be explored are shifting to more selective fishing gear (if possible to avoid stocks of concern) or, where available, to other non-salmon species, such as halibut for example.

The goal is to work collaboratively with each First Nation to understand the interests of their community, and find the right solution that provides continued economic benefits while reducing impacts on wild salmon.

Under PSSI, DFO will also be consulting with First Nations food social, and ceremonial (FSC) fishers on opportunities to transition to more selective fishing approaches and gear where cost may otherwise be a barrier to do so. Supporting selective gear and approaches will contribute to salmon conservation goals and make it easier for First Nation harvesters to engage in food, social and ceremonial fisheries.

SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region

Jane Deeks, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 343-550-9594, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region