MPs have vision for Atlantic salmon
Members of Parliament from the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans have put forward a revolutionary idea to rebuild Atlantic salmon populations to “at least” 1975 levels. That unanimous recommendation comes from the committee’s recent study of wild Atlantic salmon.
It’s revolutionary because in recent memory DFO has only been equipped to document the salmon’s decline. As one committee witness said, “DFO has become a regulator only, and has lost the capacity to direct recovery strategies.”
There have been sustained efforts by the department to halt extinction in some rivers, tough conservation decisions, and meaningful consultation, but action often comes after the damage has been done. This is partly because the federal government has no cohesive recovery strategy for wild Atlantic salmon.
However, to blame DFO for all the species problems is wrong and unfair. As the MPs heard, the department manages Atlantic salmon outside Quebec with an annual budget of less than $15 million. That’s roughly half the budget from the 1980s. Compared to the $166 million spent annually in Canada on all things related to Atlantic salmon, there’s a strong case to reinvest and do more than regulate.
Since 1975, wild Atlantic salmon populations in Canada have dropped from about 1.8 million fish to an estimate of 600,000. As suffering rivers were declared off-limits, anglers disappeared, too.
Restoration would have tangible benefits to provincial economies. If 600,000 fish in 2010 meant $166 million in spending, what would a run of 1.8 million Atlantic salmon, and more open rivers, amount to? DFO has begun to hire new scientists and recently launched the Atlantic Salmon Research Joint Venture, but restoring wild Atlantic salmon to 1975 levels will take more boots on the ground.
Closer monitoring would be important. Counting facilities are maintained on less than 10 per cent of Atlantic salmon rivers. This means a few places affect management decisions over huge areas, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. We agree with the MPs that enforcement also needs to be beefed up. Twenty-four tonnes of Atlantic salmon was stolen by poachers in 2015. Committee witnesses complained that fisheries officers are hardly seen on the water now.
The work of better counts and deterring poachers can be done in partnership with First Nations, local volunteers, and non-governmental organizations.
These are straightforward ideas, among many others, but the cornerstone of any plan to restore wild Atlantic salmon must be improving survival at sea. The committee heard this loud and clear from conservation groups, university researchers, First Nations and DFO’s own scientists.
Many rivers produce healthy numbers of juvenile fish, but when they leave for their ocean migration, only one or two per cent return to spawn. Consider survival rates were better than five per cent in recent decades and the root cause of decline becomes apparent. This is likely influenced by climate change, which affects the quality and amount of food, blooming predator populations, and the presence of open net-pen salmon aquaculture in some areas.
We can help Atlantic salmon adapt to change by reducing the number of fish directly killed or harmed. As the committee recommends, the responsible harvest of predators like striped bass and grey seals could help.
Humans also take their toll. The MPs rightly call for ministerial level action to curtail the 45-tonne harvest of Atlantic salmon on their ocean feeding grounds at Greenland. But Canada must also do more to reduce the 130 tonnes killed by anglers and First Nations here at home.
Aquaculture is one marine threat totally within our control. Open net-pen salmon farms are vectors for disease, parasites and genetic pollution when escapes breed with wild fish. Overall, Canada and the provinces do a poor job of preventing this damage. We applaud the committee’s recommendation that DFO look seriously at land-based salmon aquaculture.
Restoring wild Atlantic salmon would require a paradigm shift within DFO, but it could lead to a remarkable environmental success story with a solid payback. We look forward to the government’s response to this report.
Open net-pen salmon farms are vectors for disease, parasites and genetic pollution when escapes breed with wild fish. Overall, Canada and the provinces do a poor job of preventing this damage.