Question Period Note: Pacific Salmon

Why are we not doing more to recover Pacific salmon?

• Pacific salmon are in a long-term decline, with many runs on the verge of collapse due to climate change impacts, pollutants, and changes in land and water use.
• The Government is taking decisive steps under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) with an unprecedented investment to combat these declines and give salmon a fighting chance at survival.
• We are collaborating with Indigenous peoples, provincial/territorial governments, harvesters, stewardship partners, academia, environmentalists, and other stakeholders to protect and rebuild Pacific salmon populations.

• Budget 2021 provide a transformational investment starting in 2021-22, to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to stabilize and conserve wild Pacific salmon populations as part of the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI).
• The PSSI was launched by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in June 2021, with the goal of stemming the severe and ongoing decline of key Pacific salmon stocks on Canada’s West Coast and restoring them to a sustainable level for future generations of Canadians. The long-term initiative is unprecedented in both value and scope, and the work will require the efforts of not only the Department, but of those whose lives and interests are affected by the state of Pacific salmon.
• This investment is to implement initiatives over the next five years (2021/22 – 2025/26) organized under four pillars: Conservation and Stewardship (habitat and rebuilding-related work); Salmon Enhancement (hatcheries-related work); Harvest Transformation (harvest-related work); and, Integration and Coordination (internal and external integration of planning and collaboration with others).
• Under the Conservation and Stewardship pillar, recent work underway includes BC Flood Recovery and the renewal of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, Pacific high seas inspection for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and Pacific salmon rebuilding planning.
• Through the Salmon Enhancement pillar, the Department has focused on development and engagement on a new policy framework for salmon enhancement, which will guide DFO’s work on hatchery investments to support conservation priorities.
• The Harvest Transformation pillar’s activities include recent longer-term conservation-based closures for commercial fisheries, preparations of the Pacific Salmon Commercial Licence Retirement Program, and engagement on the mass marking and mark selective fisheries.
• Lastly, work advancing under the Integration and Collaboration pillar is intended to advance integration and collaboration with Indigenous peoples, harvest groups, environmental groups and others to support Pacific salmon conservation. This included the creation of the PSSI Secretariat and ongoing engagement with First Nations, as well as BC, Yukon, and other stakeholders, on approaches for collaborative processes moving forward.
• The 2018 Fall Economic Statement reiterated the Government’s commitment to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon, supporting stock assessment and rebuilding efforts through a renewed Fisheries Act for priority fish stocks, and announcing the launch of the first iteration of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).
• The federal-provincial joint BCSRIF was officially launched on March 15, 2019 originally allocating $142.85 million over five years: $100 million from Canada and $42.85 million from BC. The second phase of the BCSRIF was announced in August 2022, with an additional $100M funded via PSSI. This brings the total funding of BCSRIF to $285 million ($85 million from BC), with an extended program end date of March 31, 2026.

• Year 1 of PSSI focused on finalizing financial and program authorities and engagement with Indigenous peoples, partners and stakeholders regarding early program design and implementation.
• Year 2 initiatives now underway focus on salmon rebuilding including prioritizing stocks that need support urgently. We are implementing specific activities, using the tools and data solutions we need to create true change in protecting salmon.
• Total expenditures for PSSI in Year 1 was $15.4M. Year 2 includes launch of next phase of BC Salmon Restoration Fund.