Vancouver/Fraser Valley – Chinook salmon populations have been in decline for years as a result of a number of factors including habitat destruction, harvest, and the effects of climate change. The challenges facing at-risk Fraser River Chinook salmon stocks are multi-faceted. The road to recovery requires a long-term view and the collaboration of all interested parties.
With that in mind, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is releasing 2020 Fisheries management measures that will support the recovery of at-risk Fraser River Chinook populations, as well as protect the jobs and communities that depend on Chinook.
The 2020 measures include additional restrictions to strengthen conservation as well as the flexibility needed where impacts to stocks of concern will be very low.
The restrictions include:
Recreational fisheries in Southern BC will not be permitted to retain Chinook until July 15th in most areas and August 1st in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Southern Strait of Georgia given the higher prevalence of endangered Fraser Chinook. A maximum size limit of 80cm will also be in place in southern BC recreational fisheries through July/August depending on area. Portions of the southern Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound and Burrard Inlet, covering an area off the mouth of the Fraser River, will also be closed to fishing for Chinook though August, to further reduce mortalities on stocks of concern.
Recreational fisheries in the Fraser River will be closed to fishing for salmon until November 1.
Fishing opportunities for specific stocks may be considered at a later date. Recreational fishing for other species continues to be permitted (see our website for details).
First Nations food, social and ceremonial fisheries (FSC) that have constitutionally protected priority, will be provided for First Nations Treaty and FSC harvests in South Coast marine waters and the Fraser River. South Coast FSC fisheries opportunities on mixed stocks will be permitted in marine areas with the exception of the approaches to the Fraser River (Subareas 29-6, 29-7, 29-9 and 29-10).
Very limited Fraser River FSC fisheries will be permitted into July to reduce encounters of at-risk Fraser Chinook, with opportunities to target healthy Summer 4(1) Chinook in August. DFO will be working with Fraser River First Nations on specific fishing opportunities.
These measures were developed following consultation with Indigenous communities, recreational and commercial fishing organizations, and environmental organizations. These measures are one component of a larger strategy intended to place at-risk Pacific salmon populations on a path towards sustainability.
Working with First Nations and stakeholders, DFO stated in a release that they are confident we are taking steps to ensure healthier Chinook stocks while maintaining a high degree of protection for endangered Fraser River Chinook. Of the thirteen wild Fraser River Chinook salmon populations assessed, only one is not at risk. The loss of Chinook salmon would be disastrous not just for wildlife that depend on them as a food source, but also for the many First Nations and communities whose ways of life and jobs depend on Fraser Chinook salmon.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada took unprecedented fisheries management measures in 2019 to protect Fraser River Chinook stocks, including efforts to clear the Big Bar Landslide, which further threatened the species. DFO will continue to assess fish passage at the Big Bar landslide and consider these circumstances in making fisheries management decisions as the season progresses.
