I was very pleased to be in Vancouver yesterday to host a roundtable discussion
on the salmon fishery in British Columbia. We had members of the provincial government,
First Nations community, harvesters, processors, sport fishers, and conservation
interests all together to discuss what we can do together to sustain the salmon
fishery in B.C.
Canada’s New Government has made significant contributions to B.C. fisheries.
Under the Fraser Basin Initiative, we committed $10 million to support collaborative
projects aimed at conserving the rebuilding of salmon stocks in the Fraser River
watershed. This year, we funded 28 separate projects. Then in July, we announced
a $175 million to improve catch monitoring and reporting, support greater participation
of First Nations and an integrated commercial Pacific fishery, and put in place
a common set of rules for everyone.
Yesterday’s discussions expanded on this financial support and laid the groundwork
for dealing with the health and future of B.C.’s fishery especially in light of
some challenging environmental conditions. We talked about the need for more scientific
research, building economic stability through working co-operatively, and taking
a look at how we can improve marketability of our product by emphasizing quality
over quantity.
We had an open exchange of ideas and views. We need to continue this spirit of
cooperation and collaboration in order to attain our goals to conserve salmon in
B.C. and ensure the health of this remarkable fish.
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