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New DFO salmon conservation plans too weak to help B.C.’s wild salmonJune 24, 2005 - VANCOUVER – The Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ new $1.1 million plan to conserve B.C. wild salmon has been watered down by lack of political will and won’t help beleaguered salmon stocks recover, says the David Suzuki Foundation. “This policy is a huge disappointment,” says Bill Wareham, acting director of the David Suzuki Foundation’s marine conservation program. ”It has some good elements, but fails to address inherent problems such as political interference and a lack of accountability that plague the department.” Released today in Vancouver, the DFO’s Wild Salmon Policy solicited input from First Nations, scientists, and conservation groups including the David Suzuki Foundation. The Foundation made several key recommendations to DFO, which include the need to address habitat conservation issues, the impact of salmon aquaculture on wild fish, implementing detailed harvest rules and ensuring transparency and accountability within the department. None of these critical issues are addressed in the new policy. ”This policy doesn’t aim to conserve all populations of wild salmon, and doesn’t address the chronic problems within DFO, such as lack of funding, political manipulation of harvest plans and lack of adequate science,” says Mr. Wareham. “Without concrete conservation goals and measurable standards for performance, many of our wild salmon populations are still at risk.” The first test of the new Wild Salmon Policy will come in several weeks, when the government may increase the permitted harvest levels on endangered Cultus Lake sockeye. Increasing the harvest levels is seen by conservationists as DFO bending to industrial pressure. The new Wild Salmon Policy coincides with the release this week of a new David Suzuki Foundation report which highlights DFO’s failures in meeting its conservation mandate on the West Coast. The report, “An assessment of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific region’s effectiveness in meeting its mandate,” is the most in-depth analysis of DFO’s Pacific operations to date. This report is available on the David Suzuki Foundation website at: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Oceans/Publications.asp For more information contact:
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