Pacific salmon – Interim 2007 assessment

Chinook salmon; Chum salmon, Coho salmon; Pink salmon; Sockeye salmon

SeaChoice is planning to have comprehensive base assessments with regional recommendations for all five species of BC Pacific salmon completed in Fall 2007. Until then all five salmon species have been given a yellow ranking. This is based on SeaChoice evaluation methodology that combines the existing data about the fisheries with yellow scores for information that is currently unknown. In essence, missing data is weighted towards precaution. In the meantime, we have provided a synopsis of current BC Pacific salmon status and management. In general, all species have some conservation concerns surrounding habitat issues and endangered runs, but there are not any obvious reasons for a species to be fully avoided making a yellow recommendation suitably precautionary. We have given an indication of two “better choice” and two “worse choice” Pacific salmon fisheries for 2007, within the overall yellow ranking.

Forecasted returns for BC salmon for 2007 are mixed, with strong returns of pink, chum, and sockeye salmon expected in some areas but a range of serious concerns remaining for
many populations, particularly Coho, sockeye, and Chinook. Although ocean conditions for salmon have improved slightly over the past year, many salmon returning in 2007 have spent part of their life in very warm waters with reduced food availability and higher predation. Due to a 2006 court decision (the Larocque decision) Fisheries and Oceans Canada is unable to sell a portion of the allowable catch of salmon to fund fisheries assessment work. As a result, the government has reduced some stock assessment and test fishing programs. This reduction in scientific assessment weakens the overall management system and unless fishing is significantly reduced in areas with reduced assessment, the SeaChoice ranking for fisheries management could be reduced. The availability of 2007 BC salmon in the marketplace will likely be biased to sockeye and pink salmon. Wild Pacific salmon are available for purchase as fresh or processed product. Pacific salmon products available in Canada may be from another nations’ fisheries.

Pacific salmon are inherently resilient to exploitation because they are relatively short-lived, fast growing and have high reproductive potential.

Individual stocks and populations of Pacific salmon vary considerably year to year. Of 5358 assessed Pacific salmon stocks in BC and the Yukon, 5.1% are of special concern, 11.4% are at high risk of extinction and 2.1% are extinct.

The capture of birds and weak stocks of salmon along with stronger stocks are the main bycatch concern surrounding Pacific salmon fisheries in Canadian waters. There is a general management failure to take initiatives to control this problem. Consequently several smaller endangered stocks are at risk of further decline due to commercial fisheries. It is estimated that each year the salmon gillnet fishery captures approximately 12,000 seabirds based on extrapolations from observed test fisheries. The most commonly caught bird species are common murres, rhinoceros auklets, and marbled murrelets. Less than 5% of the birds caught are returned alive. The marbled murrelet is a ‘threatened’ species under the federal Species At Risk Act.

Salmon are caught commercially by seine (_{50%), gillnet (}25%) and trolling (~25%). These gears operate in mid- water, so habitat damage from fishing practices is considered minimal. Spawning Pacific salmon provide far ranging ecosystem values resulting from the transfer of nutrients to marine and terrestrial plants and animals. Salmon fisheries management has not yet accounted for the broader ecosystem values of salmon. Many freshwater habitats have been degraded or lost through forestry, agriculture, or development which, when combined with narrow geographic areas for unique stocks, is cause for concern.

Commercial salmon fisheries are managed using restricted area, gear, and time openings. Harvest is generally regulated to manage impacts to stock aggregates. Enforcement and in-season management adjustments are used to ensure different management measures are met. However, many of these management measures do not yet protect weak stocks or consider the ecosystem role of returning salmon to other organisms. The recreational fishery for salmon is substantial in many areas and is inadequately monitored. Although Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a “Wild Salmon Policy” intended to protect salmon diversity and support ecosystem values, it has not yet been effectively implemented. Maintaining genetic diversity is considered necessary to allow salmon to adapt to predicted environmental changes associated with climate change
(e.g., increased stream temperatures). Intensive fisheries present an unknown threat to this diversity.

Was this salmon harvested legally?