OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Jonathan Wilkinson: Together, let’s protect Fraser chinook salmon
Jonathan Wilkinson
Updated: May 12, 2019
Chinook salmon fisheries will be severely curtailed in 2019. Jamie Lusch / AP
British Columbians are rightly concerned about the state of several wild Pacific salmon stocks. I share that concern.
As minister of fisheries and oceans and MP for North Vancouver, I know that salmon are more than just food. They are intrinsically linked to our cultural identity, they are fundamental to Indigenous communities, and they are a significant indicator of overall environmental health.
Salmon are keystone species keeping ecosystems in balance, providing food for wildlife and people and, at the end of their lives, supplying nutrients to forests. They are of great importance for B.C.’s recreational and commercial fisheries and for tourism.
Over the past 50 years, biodiversity around the world and here in Canada have been in steep decline. Globally, wildlife populations have declined by 60 per cent. Fraser Chinook have experienced similar dramatic declines in recent years. Twelve of the Fraser River’s 13 Chinook salmon populations are at risk.
The federal government and partners are taking action in several areas to address these declines:
Habitat protection: We are bringing in a new Fisheries Act to restore protections for fish habitat that were lost under the Harper government and working closely with the B.C. government on land and water-use policies that can impact critical habitat.
Habitat restoration: In partnership with B.C., we have established a $142-million Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund to enable salmon-habitat restoration projects in B.C. communities.
Improved stock assessment: Our government has committed an additional $107 million to improve fish stock assessments and contribute to a better managed fishery.
Predator concerns: In partnership with the University of B.C., we are convening a symposium of stakeholders to bring forward relevant science and thoughts regarding the potential impacts of seals and sea lion populations.
Thoughtful fisheries management is also a vital component of the overall equation. Habitat restoration is critical for longer-term stock-rebuilding efforts. But in the shorter term, we must ensure that a sufficient number of Fraser River Chinook are getting to their spawning grounds if we wish to preserve these populations from extinction.
That’s why, I announced strict fisheries management measures crafted to protect and preserve these endangered stocks. The measures provide for a catch-and-release recreational fishery until the Fraser River stocks have left the relevant area. For most areas, this will occur by July 15 or Aug. 1, after which a retention limit of one Chinook per person will apply. Similar restrictions will be in place for First Nations food and ceremonial fisheries and for relevant commercial fisheries.
This was a difficult set of decisions taken only after extensive consultations and a thorough review of the scientific evidence. The restrictions were mindful of what we had heard from recreational and commercial fisheries stakeholders.
At the end of the day, ignoring the science and willfully driving these salmon populations to extinction would cause irreversible long-term damage to industry — not to mention the implications for biodiversity.
While I understand and sympathize with concerns that have been expressed by recreational harvesters, I would not be appropriately doing the job that Canadians expect of their minister of fisheries and oceans if I were to knowingly allow Fraser River Chinook populations to be put on a path to extinction.
Moving forward, much needs to be done to manage Fraser River Chinook salmon in a way that conserves and rebuilds these populations — protecting and enhancing biodiversity while concurrently enabling sustainable fishing opportunities for First Nations, commercial and recreational harvesters. This will be a challenge and I acknowledge there will be controversy. But it is a path we must follow if we are to ensure the sustainability of these populations for the future.
Jonathan Wilkinson is the federal minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@vancouversun.com. The editorial pages editor is Gordon Clark, who can be reached at gclark@postmedia.com.
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Jonathan Wilkinson
Updated: May 12, 2019
Chinook salmon fisheries will be severely curtailed in 2019. Jamie Lusch / AP
British Columbians are rightly concerned about the state of several wild Pacific salmon stocks. I share that concern.
As minister of fisheries and oceans and MP for North Vancouver, I know that salmon are more than just food. They are intrinsically linked to our cultural identity, they are fundamental to Indigenous communities, and they are a significant indicator of overall environmental health.
Salmon are keystone species keeping ecosystems in balance, providing food for wildlife and people and, at the end of their lives, supplying nutrients to forests. They are of great importance for B.C.’s recreational and commercial fisheries and for tourism.
Over the past 50 years, biodiversity around the world and here in Canada have been in steep decline. Globally, wildlife populations have declined by 60 per cent. Fraser Chinook have experienced similar dramatic declines in recent years. Twelve of the Fraser River’s 13 Chinook salmon populations are at risk.
The federal government and partners are taking action in several areas to address these declines:
Habitat protection: We are bringing in a new Fisheries Act to restore protections for fish habitat that were lost under the Harper government and working closely with the B.C. government on land and water-use policies that can impact critical habitat.
Habitat restoration: In partnership with B.C., we have established a $142-million Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund to enable salmon-habitat restoration projects in B.C. communities.
Improved stock assessment: Our government has committed an additional $107 million to improve fish stock assessments and contribute to a better managed fishery.
Predator concerns: In partnership with the University of B.C., we are convening a symposium of stakeholders to bring forward relevant science and thoughts regarding the potential impacts of seals and sea lion populations.
Thoughtful fisheries management is also a vital component of the overall equation. Habitat restoration is critical for longer-term stock-rebuilding efforts. But in the shorter term, we must ensure that a sufficient number of Fraser River Chinook are getting to their spawning grounds if we wish to preserve these populations from extinction.
That’s why, I announced strict fisheries management measures crafted to protect and preserve these endangered stocks. The measures provide for a catch-and-release recreational fishery until the Fraser River stocks have left the relevant area. For most areas, this will occur by July 15 or Aug. 1, after which a retention limit of one Chinook per person will apply. Similar restrictions will be in place for First Nations food and ceremonial fisheries and for relevant commercial fisheries.
This was a difficult set of decisions taken only after extensive consultations and a thorough review of the scientific evidence. The restrictions were mindful of what we had heard from recreational and commercial fisheries stakeholders.
At the end of the day, ignoring the science and willfully driving these salmon populations to extinction would cause irreversible long-term damage to industry — not to mention the implications for biodiversity.
While I understand and sympathize with concerns that have been expressed by recreational harvesters, I would not be appropriately doing the job that Canadians expect of their minister of fisheries and oceans if I were to knowingly allow Fraser River Chinook populations to be put on a path to extinction.
Moving forward, much needs to be done to manage Fraser River Chinook salmon in a way that conserves and rebuilds these populations — protecting and enhancing biodiversity while concurrently enabling sustainable fishing opportunities for First Nations, commercial and recreational harvesters. This will be a challenge and I acknowledge there will be controversy. But it is a path we must follow if we are to ensure the sustainability of these populations for the future.
Jonathan Wilkinson is the federal minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@vancouversun.com. The editorial pages editor is Gordon Clark, who can be reached at gclark@postmedia.com.
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
