Plight of B.C. sockeye draws global concern
World's leading conservation authority calls for halt to commercial fishery, other drastic measures
Scott Simpson
Vancouver Sun
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
CREDIT: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun files
Spawning sockeye salmon in the Adams River. IUCN report is a call to action.
A combination of ignorance and neglect by the Canadian government appears to be pushing many British Columbia sockeye runs towards extinction, according to a new report by the world's leading conservation group.
The report recommends a halt to traditional commercial fishing and reconsideration of artificial spawning programs -- saying both policies are likely contributing to a sockeye decline that is greater here than anywhere else in the world.
Sockeye populations in Russia and Alaska are for the most part thriving, notes the report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The IUCN describes its report as a "wake-up call" for B.C. -- the prized salmon could soon find themselves on the global red list for threatened and endangered species.
It is the first time that the 60-year-old IUCN, which maintains the world's authoritative list for endangered species, has reviewed a Pacific salmon.
"It's a loud clarion bell indicating that we need to act right away to conserve these sockeye, which are really the economic and cultural backbone of our salmon fisheries on this coast," said Craig Orr, executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society.
Orr said the "stressors" on B.C salmon are well known -- warmer river temperatures during migration, mixed-stock fishing that causes weak runs of sockeye to be intercepted with strong ones, ongoing habitat degradation, and fisheries conservation policies that lack the muscle to protect fish.
The IUCN says the report is based on "the largest collection of data ever assembled on salmon abundance, coming from 243 spawning locations across the Pacific Rim."
The report found that the sockeye species is "stable" at a global level, but noted that 25 per cent of runs into individual rivers are either threatened or endangered.
"Most of the critically endangered sockeye runs are in British Columbia, where dramatic declines have occurred in stretches of the Fraser and Skeena Rivers," says the report.
It says that Fisheries and Oceans Canada should be "encourage[d]" to fully implement its Wild Salmon Policy, relocate salt water fisheries to small upstream locations, do a thorough job of tracking spawning salmon and reconsider artificial spawning programs.
"The federal government appears to be at a loss as to what to do about [the decline]," said Ernie Crey, an adviser to the Sto:lo Tribal Council. "The 2007 and 2008 aboriginal fisheries on the Fraser River came very close to being the worst in recorded history. And the regular commercial fishery was benched in both 2007 and 2008.
"Nothing short of an outraged public concerned with the fate of the salmon will get both the government of Canada and the B.C. government to do the right thing by the fish."
Pete Rand, lead assessor for the IUCN salmonid specialist group, said most of the threats can be resolved.
"Mixed stock fishing in particular is a problem that is resulting in a higher threat to some populations, especially the smaller populations," Rand said.
Guido Rahr, president and CEO of the Portland-based Wild Salmon Centre, said B.C. needs to act before the sockeye decline becomes irreversible.
"By the time that the populations are at an advanced state of decline, it is very difficult, often impossible, to bring them back because the factors that cause the decline become entrenched.
"We've spent over $5 billion in the Pacific Northwest on salmon recovery and the overall trajectory on our runs continues to decline."
The fisheries department issued a brief statement, saying it welcomes independent scientific research, and "will be carefully evaluating the IUCN report to see if it offers insights that could enhance the conservation and sustainable use of salmon stocks in B.C."
The department noted that implementation of its Wild Salmon Policy "is well underway. Under the policy, DFO is committed to safeguarding the genetic diversity of wild salmon populations."
ssimpson@vancouversun.com© The Vancouver Sun 2008
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