VICTORIA — The plight of British Columbia’s endangered wild salmon came first Friday in the decision against renewing licences for 15 open\u002Dnet Atlantic salmon…
Joyce Murray said wild salmon are in serious, long-term decline, with some runs near collapse and the government is making their protection its priority.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc.
Wild salmon face multiple threats, including climate change, habitat degradation and overfishing, but keeping fish farms out of the Discovery Islands area is a move government can make to lessen their challenges, she said. “There have been some assessments by DFO that suggest minimal risk and there’s also been science since that main assessment that has been suggesting that there may well be risks from the viruses and sea lice from the farms,” said Murray.
“First Nations from the coast are trying to find their feet when it comes to reclaiming what was taken away from them by the federal government,” said coalition spokesman Dallas Smith. “Whether it’s creating marine protected areas or deciding whether they want to host fish farms, coastal nations are trying to take back their inherent rights to manage their traditional waters.”Article content
“Local communities have been hurting since the decision to remove the farms was announced in 2020, and thanks to this wilfully uninformed decision announced earlier today, these communities will continue to experience negative socio-economic impacts of an outcome that was based on politics rather than science,” said Brian Kingzett, the association’s executive director, in a statement.
Murray’s mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasked her with developing the plan to shift from open-net salmon farming in B.C. waters by 2025, while working to introduce Canada’s first Aquaculture Act.
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