“Massive undertaking, unlike any before,” say authorities.
In the 24 hours before, the Government of Canada posted a statement that it was to make an important announcement.
That news in fact was that Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan was launching the government’s effort to save Pacific salmon.
The Federal government’s announced in April that it had set aside CAD 647.1 million (EUR 429 million) “stabilise and conserve wild salmon populations”. The previous year’s federal investment was CAD 246 million (EUR 163 million).
The latest news is that this plan, called the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), is now active.
“The strategy will be a massive undertaking, unlike any before. It will not be a series of initiatives, but a single, guiding force that will steer investments, policies, and actions, with all levels of government and local organizations, for years to come,” wrote the DFO.
The plan will guide investments and action in four areas: conservation and stewardship, enhanced hatchery production, harvest transformation, and integrated management and collaboration.
“Bold, transformative action is needed now to stabilize, protect and rebuild West Coast salmon stocks for the ecosystems and communities that depend on them before it is too late,” wrote authorities.
BC salmon farming was not mentioned in the news release, but it was reported in April that CAD 20 million (EUR 13.2 million) has been earmarked in the budget “to consult with the province of British Columbia, industry, scientists, Indigenous communities to develop a plan to transition from open-pen salmon farming in coastal BC waters by 2025”.
