Saving Seafood

Fishery Closures and the Ghosts of Past Mistakes

October 22, 2021 — David Christian, a 63-year-old gill-netter, first heard about the Pacific salmon fishery closures via cellphone while he was getting his 11-meter Grizzly King gill-netter ready to fish for salmon. The news spread quickly across the calm June waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, as fishers jumped on the radio to figure out what had just happened.

The radio chatter was incessant as fishers wondered aloud where they’d be allowed to fish, if they would be out of business, and what the future would hold. “Everyone was freaking out because all of those questions were unanswered,” Christian says, adding this policy will likely end British Columbia’s commercial salmon industry.

Announced on June 29, the closures are part of the latest plan by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to overhaul the Pacific salmon commercial industry in an attempt to save crashing salmon stocks. Pacific salmon harvests are down to just eight percent of their historical averages. The fishers were reacting to the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), a CAN $647.1-million plan covering everything from habitat restoration to financial aid for fishers. Its goal: save the salmon and shrink the size of the commercial industry built around them.

Under the PSSI, DFO plans to close 57 percent of the 138 Pacific salmon fisheries along the west coast of British Columbia and Yukon. Closures will help protect at-risk salmon stocks from ending up as by-catch, says Neil Davis, DFO acting regional director of fisheries management. Fishing for salmon in the ocean—unlike traditional practices where Indigenous communities fish in rivers—makes it practically impossible to separate at-risk stocks from healthy stocks.

Davis says closures will protect more than 50 salmon stocks, such as the interior Fraser River coho and Okanagan River chinook, which are being evaluated by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada for listing under the Species at Risk Act.

Read the full story at Hakai Magazine

 

UFAWU-Unifor responds to DFO’s Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative

June 10, 2021 — United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union – UNIFOR has responded with deep concerns to the same-day announcement by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) introduction of the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), on June 8.

The UFAWU-Unifor responded that it is deeply troubled by the dire state of the commercial salmon industry, albeit very appreciative that DFO is addressing the current plight.

The initiative “aims to curb historic declines in key Pacific salmon stock and rebuild species to a sustainable level,” the DFO stated in a media release. The PSSI is based on four key pillars: Conservation and stewardship; Enhanced hatchery production; harvest transformation; and integrated management and collaboration.

“It is crucial that steps are taken to save B.C. salmon,” the union stated.

“While it is evident that salmon are in a state of crisis, so are B.C.’s harvesters — DFO has a responsibility to both salmon fishermen and industry workers.”

Under the $647.1 million PSSI, the federal government committed to working in partnership with local organizations and groups in its development and delivery.

Read the full story at The Northern View

Regulatory approaches differ for burgeoning offshore aquaculture sector

April 5, 2021 — As offshore aquaculture becomes a more viable enterprise globally, a variety of regulatory approaches have emerged that reflect conflicting perspectives of the sector as either an economic opportunity or an environmental threat.

The governments of Canada and Denmark have both taken aggressive actions to curtail offshore aquaculture, with Denmark banning any new projects as of December 2020 and Canada adopting increasingly restrictive policies on net-pen aquaculture.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

BC salmon farmers ask for more time as farm closures estimated to cost CAD 390 million

March 2, 2021 — Salmon farmers in the Discovery Islands – located in British Columbia, Canada – are asking for more time in a planned phase-out of all net-pen farming in the area in order to alleviate some of the economic impacts.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced on 17 December, 2020, it plans to completely phase out all net-pen salmon farming in the Discovery Islands over the next 18 months. Salmon farmers and the B.C. communities – which say they were blindsided by the decision – are asking for an extension to give them more time to prepare for the shift and to avoid the euthanization of salmon.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Canada announces some salmon farms in British Columbia to be phased out in 18 months

December 18, 2020 — Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced on 17 December it plans to phase out all existing salmon farming facilities in the Discovery Islands – located in British Columbia – with the upcoming 18-month period being the last time the area can be licensed.

The news comes in the wake of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau writing a letter in 2019 to Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan mandating that she “work with the province of British Columbia and Indigenous communities to create a responsible plan to transition from open net-pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025 and begin work to introduce Canada’s first-ever Aquaculture Act.” The mandate was a reflection of the Canada Liberal Party’s platform, which called for a shift of all net-pen fish farming in British Columbia to land-based, closed-containment systems by 2025.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

DFO Renews Fishery Management Order Regarding At-Sea Observer Requirements

July 1, 2020 — Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announce that they are renewing their fishery management order regarding at-sea observer requirements.

As SeafoodNews reported in April, the DFO confirmed that they would be temporarily waiving at-sea observer requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later the agency ordered that all fishing activities authorized under the Fisheries Act be carried out without any at-sea observer being onboard fishing vessels, except under the following conditions:

Read the full story at Seafood News

Fisheries and Oceans Canada: No At-Sea Observers Through August 12

June 29, 2020 — The following was released by Fisheries and Oceans Canada:

Renewal of Fisheries Management Order FMO-2020-03 dated May 15, 2020

Pursuant to Subsection 9 of the Fisheries Act, the Minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans gives notice that the Fisheries Management Order dated May 15, 2020 regarding at-sea observer requirements has been renewed. It will remain in effect until August 12, 2020 unless otherwise revoked or amended.

As such, all fishing activities authorized under the Fisheries Act must continue to be carried out without any at-sea observers, unless the following requirements are met:

1. At-sea observer companies have in place safe working procedures related to COVID-19 which align with federal, provincial and or territorial guidelines;

2. Fishing vessels have in place safe working procedures consistent with the At-Sea Observer company’s procedures related to COVID-19;

3. A record of all safe working procedures can be presented to a fishery officer upon request.

Any person authorized to carry out fishing activities under the Fisheries Act is required to not authorize any at-sea observer to come on board any fishing vessel, unless these requirements are met.

U.S., Canada close border for non-essential travel, supply chain exempted

March 19, 2020 — Border crossing between Canada and the U.S. will be closed for non-essential travels in an effort by both countries to slow the spread of Covid-19. The movement of goods and supplies between the two countries, as well as Canadians and Americans who cross the border daily for essential work-related matters will still be able to do so.

This new development was announced Wednesday by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Our governments recognize that it is critical that we preserve supply chains between both countries. These supply chains ensure that food, fuel and life saving medicines reach people on both sides of the border,” Trudeau said, as he addressed reporters from outside his home in Ottawa where he has been self-isolating after his wife tested positive of Covid-19.

Read the full story at Aquaculture North America

Salmon Frenzy in Western Arctic Reaches Historic High

December 18, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The salmon frenzy that started in the western Arctic earlier this year has gone on to reach a historic high.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been studying Arctic salmon populations since 2000, and collects samples every year as part of the Arctic Salmon Project. This year, 2,400 salmon were submitted to the department.

Last year, less than 100 salmon were collected from western Arctic waters.

Karen Dunmall, a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said they got more salmon from harvesters in the western Arctic and Nunavut this year than in the last 20 years combined.

She said they also found that salmon appeared earlier than normal.

Dunmall said years when they would see lots of salmon were once “exceptional,” but high counts are becoming more of a regular thing.

“So the highs are becoming more high and they’re becoming closer together,” said Dunmall. “This year was an exceptionally high high.”

Dunmall said they heard from people that there was more ice in the water last summer, compared to this year, when there was no ice.

“So the salmon are responding to environmental variability and change,” said Dunmall. “Generally, things are warming up, but there are lots of other cues that the salmon are responding to.”

Dunmall said people caught salmon everywhere in the western Arctic, from Sachs Harbour and Banks Island, to all the way up the Mackenzie River in Fort Smith.

Each community in the Beaufort Delta region offered grocery gift cards in exchange for up to 10 whole salmon samples, as well as an unlimited number of fish heads.

Fisheries and Oceans then evaluates the samples to gather more information about Arctic salmon — including why their numbers are booming in the first place.

‘Pretty Crazy’ Catch In Norman Wells

Norman Wells resident Kevin Kivi has only been fishing for about three years. Last year, he caught no salmon, so it was quite a shock for him catch nearly 100 salmon this summer.

“There was a period where I put my net in for just over a week… and in those eight days it was 73 salmon I caught,” said Kivi.

He said the size of his catch grew over the course of the season, until he was pulling in 17 fish every time. He said catching big schools of fish like that is unusual.

“It was pretty crazy, the amount that were coming,” he said.

Kivi said that usually he catches lots of whitefish, but this year, he only caught about four.

He tends to give a lot of his fish to elders and other community members in town, or keep them for his family.

However, he said he feels it’s important to help Fisheries and Oceans with their research “to find out why they are coming up here.”

Community Helps With Sampling 

The large number of samples meant that the Arctic Salmon Project had to rely on the help of community members to process the whole catch.

The territorial department of Environment and Natural Resources partnered with Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells to help with monitoring.

Kevin Chan, a regional biologist with the department in the Sahtu, said kids at the school played a crucial role in collecting the samples.

The department taught them about the science behind the work of fisheries monitoring and management.

Chan said the students measured the heads, recorded data about where and when the salmon were caught, and collected muscle tissue and bones from the ear of the salmon.

Fisheries and Oceans will be continuing the salmon project next year, and hope harvesters continue to submit salmon samples and inform them if they see anything unusual.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Canada Announces New Protections for Rare Right Whales

July 11, 2019 — The Canadian government is announcing new protections for endangered North Atlantic right whales following a string of deaths and entanglements involving the marine mammals.

Six of the whales have died in Canadian waters in the last several weeks, and necropsies show three of them appear to be due to vessel strikes. The Canadian government said three more whales have been found entangled in rope, and it’s unclear whether they will survive.

Cape Cod Bay is home to most of the species during part of the year.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com