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NEWS RELEASES

May 21, 1997 No. 91

CANADA TAKES ACTION FOLLOWING DEADLOCK IN SALMON TALKS

The Government of Canada today announced that it has suspended discussions with the United States over settlement of the long-standing dispute on Pacific salmon and will take measures against foreign fishing vessels travelling through Canadian waters.

Talks halted unexpectedly when the U.S. negotiator was unable to advance a position on one of the key southern issues, Fraser River sockeye. Until then talks had been fairly positive.

Department of Fisheries and Oceans enforcement staff have been instructed to ensure that existing regulations -- which require foreign vessels to contact Canadian authorities as they pass through Canadian waters -- are enforced. Depending on the circumstances, vessels that violate the regulations can be inspected, required to go to a Canadian port or face arrest. Inspections could be conducted randomly. U.S. vessels going to and from the Alaskan fishery are subject to these regulations.

"We are deeply disappointed that the United States came to these meetings lacking the authority to negotiate," said Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy. "Canada will resume negotiations as soon as the United States is prepared to negotiate in good faith. I will be pressing the U.S. government to ensure that its negotiator has a full mandate."

"Our stakeholders did their best to resolve key issues in recent negotiations with U.S. stakeholders without success," said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Fred Mifflin. "Their efforts were frustrated by U.S. unwillingness to agree on fair sharing of the resource. The Canadian objectives for conservation and equitable sharing must be met. They are the pillars of the Pacific Salmon Treaty."

"We must preserve and build this fishery, which is essential to the British Columbia economy," said Transport Minister David Anderson, senior federal minister for British Columbia. "Many British Columbians depend on this industry."

Discussions between the chief negotiators on Pacific salmon, Yves Fortier for Canada and Mary Beth West for the United States, broke off in Seattle yesterday after the U.S. negotiator indicated she did not have the authority to make compromises on Fraser River sockeye. The chief negotiators had resumed negotiations May 20 after stakeholder talks ended inconclusively May 9. The chairs of the stakeholder groups, senior Canadian and U.S. government officials, and representatives of British Columbia and the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska joined the chief negotiators in their talks.

During his meeting with President Clinton in Washington, D.C., on April 8, Prime Minister Chrétien emphasized the urgency in resolving the Pacific salmon dispute and the significance of salmon not only for British Columbia but for all Canadians. Mr. Axworthy has also stressed to U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright the need for U.S. attention at the highest levels to resolve Canada-U.S. differences on salmon.

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