Question Period Note: Recreational Fishing on the Pacific Coast

• Recreational fisheries occur throughout marine and fresh waters of British Columbia and the Yukon.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages recreational fisheries for anadromous salmon and marine species.
• The provincial and territorial governments manage recreational fisheries for the majority of freshwater fish species.

• The primary species of Pacific salmon sought by recreational fishery participants in B.C. is Chinook but in recent years opportunities in both tidal and non-tidal waters have been limited due to: declining abundance and associated concerns over long-term population health; broader ecological considerations (important prey species for endangered Southern Resident killer whales); and, ensuring continued priority of access for harvest of Chinook salmon for First Nations food, social and ceremonial fisheries.
• In B.C. recreational fisheries administered by DFO primarily focus on Pacific salmon and halibut, however groundfish (lingcod and rockfish) and invertebrates (prawns, crabs, and bivalve shellfish) also have high participation rates.
• DFO’s management of recreational fisheries in B.C. is informed through broad engagement with the public and partners, in addition to focused recommendations provided by DFO’s Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB)
• The SFAB’s key concerns are:
o Reduced fishing opportunities for Chinook salmon;
o Seeking the advancement of Chinook Mass Marking (MM) and Mark-Selective Fisheries (MSF);
o Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) spatial closure impacts;
o Impacts of marine conservation initiatives; and,
o The Salmon Allocation Policy Review.
• While many Chinook stocks are experiencing record low returns, some co-occurring Chinook hatchery stocks are healthy
• Marking healthy hatchery stocks at hatcheries allow fisheries that target marked fish and require unmarked wild fish to be released. This may enable a fishery where one would not otherwise occur, due to concerns for wild stocks. These are called mark selective fisheries
• The SFAB wants DFO to advance mark selective fisheries more quickly as a means of creating more fishing opportunity
• Many First Nations and environmental groups are opposed to mark selective fisheries, due to concerns about the release mortality on wild stocks and implications for FSC access.
• DFO has been made aware of concerns raised by recreational harvesters regarding increased protections for SRKW, especially near Port Renfrew.
• Over 300,000 licences are issued by DFO annually.

If Pressed on what Fisheries and Oceans Canada is doing to provide recreational fishing opportunities that can support harvesters and coastal communities?
• Conservation of wild salmon is one of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s top priorities. To conserve wild stocks of concern while still providing fishing opportunities, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is exploring increased marking of hatchery-produced Chinook to permit fisheries that could target these marked hatchery fish and avoid unmarked wild fish.
• My department is actively engaging with the recreational fishing sector, First Nations, and others to evaluate opportunities for these mark-selective fisheries that ensure minimal impacts on wild stocks of concern.
If pressed on concern regarding fisheries measures in support of Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery and impacts to harvesters and coastal communities
• My department is implementing fishing closures in 2024 and 2025 for recreational and commercial salmon fisheries in key Southern Resident killer whale foraging areas which prioritize protection of the endangered whale population.
• Adjustments to boundaries and timing of fishing closures were informed by science advice and feedback received during consultations from Indigenous groups, stakeholders and the public.
• The adjustments to the closures still provide fishing opportunities for harvesters and coastal communities.