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The David Suzuki Foundation and other members of the Pacific Marine Conservation Caucus (MCC) have been negotiating for the past few weeks with Lower Fraser First Nations and the Commercial Salmon Advisory Board (CSAB) to reconcile the commercial harvest and the recovery of endangered Cultus Lake sockeye. The CSAB abandoned those talks this week.
"We thought our discussions on the endangered Cultus sockeye were productive, but now the CSAB has left those talks and appears ready to lobby Minister Hearn for harvest rates that would put these stocks in greater danger," said David Suzuki Foundation marine conservation specialist Jay Ritchlin.
Last year, commercial fisheries took more than one million more Fraser sockeye than they were allotted, including about 35 per cent of the total returning Cultus sockeye.
Cultus sockeye were listed as endangered by the federal science advisory body the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Scientific information indicates that a harvest at last year’s rate is unsustainable and exceeds levels necessary to recover wild Cultus sockeye. However, some in the commercial fishing lobby continue to pressure the federal fisheries minister to ignore the recommendations of his own scientists and to increase the Cultus harvest rate to levels similar to or greater than 2006.
"We were optimistic about finding a compromise that would support fishing opportunities and the long-term recovery of Cultus sockeye," Mr. Ritchlin said. "We are disappointed that, despite concessions by the MCC and First Nations, the CSAB has abandoned these negotiations."
The MCC and Sto:lo First Nation have written to Minister Hearn, urging him to do his duty and prevent fisheries that would cause significant harm to Fraser sockeye, and ultimately to Canadian fishing interests.
"It is critical to consider all available information and the input from all stakeholders, not just the commercial industry," the letter to Hearn stated.
Conservationists are calling for the re-instatement of the Cultus sockeye recovery team. Without the technical expertise of this team and commitments from all stakeholders to support long-term Cultus recovery actions the 2007 harvest rate should not exceed 12 per cent of the returning fish. This relatively safe level of harvest is consistent with scientific recommendations.
"If the industry comes back to negotiate, there may be a way to find flexibility on those levels," said Ritchlin. "But absent a deal that includes all stakeholders, the only option is for the precautionary level of 12 per cent."
Cultus sockeye once provided an important source of harvest for fishermen, representing tens of thousands of fish in some years. However, the stock has declined precipitously, with average returns over the past decade of fewer than 5,000 fish. Independent scientists have identified commercial fishing as a key contributor to their decline, and a reduced fishery as critical to their recovery.
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For more information, contact:
Jay Ritchlin, Marine Conservation Specialist, (604) 732-4228 or (604) 961-6840