(At the bottom of the page you can find contact information for local representatives as well as a letter with talking points from the BCWF)
Several GGMH members attended the BC Wildlife Federation Coquitlam Town Hall Meeting last Thursday to better understand the proposed changes to the 1999 SAP.
At a high level the KEY changes proposed include: Language, Priority and Allocation:
Language Changes, Removal of:
- Fish as a “Common Property and Common Property Resource”...currently these terms included in the1999 SAP are proposed to be removed. This language defines the idea that fish are a common property and resource for ALL Canadians, held in-Trust by the government to manage for ALL Canadians.
- “Priority”: Current Policy – the Recreational fishery group, you and I, have PRIORITY status OVER the Commercial group for the Coho and Chinook species.
Allocation:
- First Nations and the Commercial groups, aligned to propose the “commercial” group have priority over the recreational group, and a share of the Coho and Chinook fishery.
- This proposal stems from First Nations, “the 2018 British Columbia Supreme Court’s ruling in Ahousaht. The Court found that DFO’s application of the policy unjustifiably infringed on five Nuu-chah-nuth Nations’ (Ahousaht, Ehattesaht/Chinekint, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Tla-o-qui-aht) Aboriginal rights to fish and sell fish insofar as the SAP accorded priority in allocation to the recreational fishery over the Five Nations’ right-based sale fishery for Chinook and Coho salmon.”
DFO Oversight, Management and Decision Making
- Salmon Allocations are to follow the CSAF policy, approved in 2015, carried out under the separate Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP).
- IFMP – reference to SAP policy, “the policy may provide guidance and factors that should be considered in decision-making…by IFMP”. Language changes to SAP will affect the DFO decision process. DETAIL is vacant towards providing any clarity on how DFO decision processes will be affected by the proposed language changes towards each group if accepted.
Additional detail on proposed changes to the SAP for your review can be found at the following URLs,
- https://bcwf.bc.ca/salmon/
- https://static1.squarespace.com/static/619bf7c1ac6f813814418a02/t/69435a9fcf950d15acbb5321/1766021791171/BC+Salmon+Allocation+Policy+Review+Discussion+Paper_05-Dec-25+end+Jan+23.pdf
Thanks for your attention to this request. It is vital to show the decision makers at the “political” level, how important fishing is to recreational fishers.
Brian Simonson
Hatchery Coordinator, GGMH/PCDHFC
