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Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is developing a comprehensive strategy for the conservation of wild Atlantic salmon that will guide policy for the next two decades. “Restore, Maintain, Thrive: Canada’s national strategy to ensure the future of Atlantic salmon,” has four key pillars, all supporting the central goal of thriving wild Atlantic salmon populations.
The process to date has involved significant public outreach and engagement. ASF has participated extensively, investing time and resources to prepare the best possible feedback and advice on development of the strategy. The federal government has been open and flexible in its consideration of this feedback.
DFO is currently seeking comments on a draft of the final document. This is a unique opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the process and have their say. The draft strategy is available to read here. Please read more about the strategy and complete the questionnaire to offer your feedback here.
We have organized our guidance to reflect the four key pillars and outcomes that the strategy proposes to deliver. These points reflect ASF’s view and could be helpful for filling out the survey and submitting email comments.
Outcome 1: A collaborative, place-based approach to restoration supports healthy, climate-resilient Atlantic salmon populations.
DFO’s collaborative place-based approach will require the agency to prioritize regions and watersheds, focusing effort and resources where it will have the greatest benefit. This is a positive aspect of the draft strategy and necessary.
Some of the proposed actions do raise concerns, however. For example, DFO proposes creating regional round-table bodies and integrated watershed management plans for priority areas.
In many places, DFO has established mechanisms for consulting with Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives of the salmon community. Likewise, in many places, watershed management plans already exist or are being developed.
DFO should be cautious about expending too much time and effort on meetings and planning at the expense of taking immediate, necessary action.
Outcome 2: Alignment of Atlantic salmon-related processes and policies with United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and its supporting Action Plan
DFO is clear that the Wild Atlantic Salmon Conservation Strategy should advance the national goal of reconciliation with Indigenous people. It is essential that the strategy includes the perspectives and knowledge of Indigenous Canadians, and broad buy-in across society will be required for the strategy to succeed.
Outcome 3: A vibrant, inclusive, and knowledgeable community on Atlantic salmon is positioned for success
This outcome includes international and domestic actions aimed at bolstering the Canadian salmon conservation community. Encouragingly, one of them is a commitment to work beyond the borders of Canada to address marine threats to Atlantic salmon. This could include close cooperation with the Greenland government and ensuring high seas fisheries are threatening wild Atlantic salmon.
Other actions are things that should already be occurring, like posting salmon population assessment information on the Open Canada data portal. This would be helpful but seems like a minor output for inclusion in a national conservation strategy.
It is worth reminding DFO that knowledge and inclusion are two-way concepts. There are many recent and historic examples of DFO’s reluctance to accept information from outside groups to use in its assessments. This has led to the use of outdated assumptions and scant data.
DFO should be open to input and scientific data from partners and engage genuinely with the Atlantic salmon conservation community.
Outcome 4: Practices that support the management and protection of Atlantic salmon are transparent, well-informed and responsive to the needs of salmon in a rapidly changing world.
This section of the draft strategy focuses primarily on angling. It recognizes that fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon is an important activity that connects salmon and people, but qualifies that with a statement about ensuring that angling doesn’t harm wild Atlantic salmon populations.
Throughout Canada, the harvest of wild Atlantic salmon by anglers is at or near historic lows and measures to minimize mortality from live release angling are widely embraced. Public fisheries are well-managed and are not a conservation concern anywhere in Canada.
DFO should be reminded that measures to further restrict angling opportunities, unless they are in response to a demonstrable harm, will have no conservation benefit and will alienate people.
When considering the impacts of fishing on Atlantic salmon in Canada, DFO needs to consider removal from all sources, including international, Indigenous and non-Indigenous fisheries, respecting rights while prioritizing conservation.
DFO needs to be reminded that the greatest impacts affecting salmon are not from fisheries. To support restoration and protection of Atlantic salmon, DFO needs to focus on addressing root cause issues. These include things like land use, mitigation against warming waters, poor marine survival, excessive predation, by-catch in commercial fisheries, and invasive species.
General comments
At the end of the questionnaire, respondents can add general comments. Here we feel that it is important to remind DFO that finishing and funding the strategy is urgent. The longer the strategy remains in draft, with no money budgeted for its delivery, the greater the risk it will die on the vine.
DFO will be accepting submissions until July 30th, 2024.