Question Period Note: Pacific Salmon

• Pacific salmon populations are in serious decline due to climate change impacts, pollutants, changes in land and water use, and illegal harvesting.
• To meet these challenges, in 2021-22, the Government invested $686 million over five years to implement decisive steps under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative.
• Results to date include:
o Retiring 417 Salmon licences through the Pacific Salmon Commercial Licence Retirement Program—decreasing the total number of salmon license holders by 21 per cent.
o Restoring over 18.5 million metres squared of salmon habitat since 2021;
o Providing $128.55 million for 73 projects through the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (phase 2) to protect and restore Pacific salmon habitats and other priority wild fish stocks; and
o Piloting four mark-selective fisheries and increasing capacity at Fisheries and Oceans Canada-run hatcheries.
o In June 2024, a new Trilateral Accord on Wild Pacific Salmon was signed to coordinate and align conservation and restoration efforts amongst First Nations in British Columbia, my Department, and the Province of British Columbia.

• Budget 2021 provided 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.
• This investment is to implement initiatives over five years (2021-22 to 2025-26) organized under four pillars: 1) Conservation and Stewardship (habitat and rebuilding-related work); 2) Salmon Enhancement (hatcheries-related work); 3) Harvest Transformation (harvest-related work); and 4) Integration and Coordination (internal and external integration of planning and collaboration with others). 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.
o Under the Conservation and Stewardship pillar, recent work underway includes British Columbia Flood Recovery and the launch of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund 2.0; Pacific high seas inspection for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and Pacific salmon rebuilding planning.
o Through the Salmon Enhancement pillar, the Department has focused on development of and engagement on a new policy framework for salmon enhancement, which will guide DFO’s work on hatchery investments to support conservation priorities. The Department is planning new DFO and community-based hatcheries through collaborative efforts with Indigenous groups and other partners.
o The Harvest Transformation pillar’s activities include recent longer-term conservation-based closures for commercial fisheries; launch of the Pacific Salmon Commercial Licence Retirement Program; funding First Nations partners on projects to support salmon monitoring and transitioning to more selective fishing techniques; and initiation of pilot mark selective fisheries.
o 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 with British Columbia, the 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 announced the launch of the first iteration of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund.
• The federal-provincial joint British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund was officially launched on March 15, 2019, originally allocating $142.85M over five years— $100M from Canada and $42.85M from British Columbia. The second phase of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund was announced in August 2022, with an additional $100M funded via PSSI. This brings the total funding of British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund to $285M ($85M from British Columbia), with an extended program end date of March 31, 2026.
• The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has assessed 43 populations of Pacific salmon to be at risk (Endangered, Threatened, or of Special concern). These populations are under consideration for listing under the Species at Risk Act.

If Pressed, on investments to date in the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative
o As of March 31, 2025, my Department has invested $321 million in targeted actions to address Pacific salmon declines, of which $139.2 million was delivered through partners.
o Key activities include support for new and innovative Indigenous harvesting practices, licence retirements for eligible commercial harvesters, and projects to address severe flooding and drought impacts.
• Results achieved include:
o Collaboration with more than 40 First Nations and Indigenous fisheries organizations on more than 60 Indigenous Harvest Transformation partnership projects to increase sustainable fishing opportunities, while reducing impacts on vulnerable salmon stocks.
o Effective partnership during the summer of 2024, in which my Department worked with 60 partners in 75 areas across British Columbia to respond to immediate drought-related issues, to fund emergency projects, and to help fish reach spawning areas with critical restoration projects.
• Targeted efforts are being made in the Yukon, including for
First Nations selective salmon fishery programs and integrated salmon rebuilding planning. My Department has invested approximately $800,000 in funding in fiscal year 2023-24 for First Nations partners and other stakeholders in the Yukon.
• Going forward, the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative will continue to advance Pacific salmon rebuilding, in collaboration with partners.