BC environmental groups and the Tŝilhqot’in First Nation are expressing concern and outrage over a report suggesting BC salmon populations could be impacted by fishing in BC waters. ‘Alaska.
Alaska authorities, however, deny the claims, calling the report a “targeted attack” on sustainable fishing consistent with international agreements.
The report was commissioned by salmon advocacy groups Watershed Watch Salmon Society and SkeenaWild Conservation Trust.
He found that with the reduction in the salmon fishery in British Columbia in recent years due to low fish numbers, an Alaskan fishery off the panhandle often holds the largest commercial catch of salmon in British Columbia.
“There is growing concern… Alaskan catches continue to impact Canadian populations of salmon and rainbow trout,” the report’s summary states.
“Given the current depressed status of many wild populations in British Columbia and in the context of changing marine and freshwater environments due to various threats such as land use, forestry practices and climate change, a closer examination of [Alaskan fishing] impacts on BC salmon appear warranted.
Pacific salmon spend part of their lives in ocean waters and some, such as Skeena River sockeye salmon on the north coast of British Columbia, cross international maritime borders between Canada and the United States and could be caught by the fishing fleets of either country.
First Nation expresses frustration
Greg Taylor, fisheries adviser for the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, says continuing to fish British Columbia salmon in Alaska is a mistake as fishing in the province is closed to rebuild stocks.
“The proportion taken by Alaska continues to grow,” Taylor said. “We really need all the fish we can get back into our streams now because every fish is now valuable…it could be the difference between being able to get those populations back.”
The Tŝilhqot’in Nation, in a statement, also noted its “outrage” at the report’s findings.
“Our nation has made tremendous sacrifices to conserve salmon over the years, including protecting the headwaters of our title lands where these salmon spawn and ensuring the last relatively healthy run of Fraser River sockeye salmon” , Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chairman of the National Tŝilhqot’in Government said in the statement.
“Our nation has implemented closures and denied our citizens their ancestral right to fish, which has impacted our traditional way of life, our economy and the mental and physical health of our peoples. We have done these sacrifices because there were so few fish left in 2019 and 2020, only to learn that the drastic drop in yields was the result of major overfishing in Alaskan waters.”
The Tŝilhqot’in Nation has said it wants an independent review of the Pacific Salmon Treaty — which sets the rules for salmon fishing between Canada and the United States — with input from Tŝilhqot’in representatives. The statement also calls for renegotiation and further action under the treaty.
Alaska ‘disappointed’ by report
Alaska authorities call the report’s findings biased and unfair.
In a statement, the state Department of Fish and Game said Alaska continues to abide by the salmon treaty and BC fisheries are also catching fish destined for the United States. swimming in Canadian waters.
“I have been disappointed by what I consider to be a targeted attack on Southeast Alaska’s salmon fishery by these special interest groups,” department commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said in the statement. .
“Furthermore, I find the timing of the release of this report to be suspicious as it coincides with ongoing Pacific Salmon Treaty meetings. The summary comments were subjective and one-sided and appear to be designed to derail the Pacific Salmon Treaty talks.”
Claire Teichman, press secretary to federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, said fisheries officials had received the report and were reviewing it.
“Canada and the United States meet regularly and report on fishery harvests, research, management, and conservation goals to facilitate the implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty,” Teichman wrote. in an email.
She also pointed to $647 million in federal spending to revitalize Pacific salmon populations, which she called the biggest investment Canada has ever made in salmon.
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