Premier Celebrates Wild Salmon Day by Supporting Conservation

VICTORIA, B.C. -  - As part of government’s work to protect salmon habitat and restore wild fish stocks in B.C., the Province is investing $5 million in the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) to continue its wild salmon conservation work.

“In B.C., wild salmon are part who we are. Coastal communities, First Nations, ecosystems and local economies depend on healthy wild salmon stocks,” said Premier John Horgan. “Together with organizations like the Pacific Salmon Foundation, we are working to restore habitats that support wild salmon stocks in our province.”

The announcement was made as part of the first B.C. Wild Salmon Day, a collaborative effort by PSF and the B.C. government to raise awareness of the need to conserve this important species for First Nations and all British Columbians.

“The important cultural and ecological role that wild salmon play in our province cannot be overstated,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture. “It’s critical that we do everything that we can to protect this species for generations to come.”

The investment will help PSF, a non-profit organization, restore wild salmon stocks through its conservation, science and habitat restoration projects, as well as connect the foundation with Indigenous communities and organizations to further reconciliation and conservation initiatives.

“The Pacific Salmon Foundation is grateful to the provincial government for this investment in our work and for making wild salmon restoration a provincial priority,” said Michael Meneer, PSF president and CEO. “PSF is a collaborative organization. We intend to strategically leverage these funds through proactive partnerships developed during the past 32 years.”

The funding aligns with key recommendations from the Wild Salmon Advisory Council’s report, released in March 2019, which called on government to focus on near-term actions that could address the immediate needs of wild salmon and their habitats. It also delivers on the Province’s commitment to revitalize and protect wild salmon, which will provide greater economic certainty for B.C.’s coastal communities.

The Wild Salmon Advisory Council consists of 14 British Columbians, including co-chairs Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan, and Chief Marilyn Slett of the Heiltsuk First Nation. Restoration and protection of wild salmon is a shared priority with the BC Green Party caucus — Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, also participated on the Premier’s advisory council.

The event included students and teachers visiting the grounds of the Parliament Buildings and meeting with representatives of the PSF and community stream-keepers to learn about salmon conservation projects and how everyone can help protect B.C.’s vulnerable wild salmon populations in their communities.

Learning opportunities about salmon science, habitat conservation and restoration were paired with art activities such as the Stream of Dreams’ Fish on Fences project, where students were able to paint wooden salmon, personalizing their learning experience at the B.C. Parliament Buildings.

Quick Facts:

On March 15, 2019, the Province of British Columbia announced an investment of $42.9 million over five years to support the B.C. Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund in partnership with the Government of Canada, for a total investment of $142.85 million over 5 years.

During the International Year of the Salmon, the B.C. government provided $75,000 to support a comprehensive study of the stock abundance, composition and condition of Pacific salmon in the Gulf of Alaska.

The B.C. government was part of a historic government-to-government process with First Nations to protect wild salmon in the Broughton Archipelago.

The Pacific Salmon Foundation is a not-for-profit conservation group dedicated to protecting, conserving and restoring wild Pacific salmon populations in B.C.

Learn More:

Pacific Salmon Foundation: https://www.psf.ca/
Stream of Dreams: https://www.streamofdreams.org/
Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/initiatives/fish-fund-bc-fonds-peche-cb/index-eng.html
For more information on the study in the Gulf of Alaska, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2019AGRI0015-000243
For more information on the Broughton Archipelago agreement, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0151-002412
For more information on fisheries and aquaculture in the province, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/fisheries-and-aquaculture/minister-of-agriculture-s-advisory-council-on-finfish-aquaculture
For more information on the final recommendations made by the Wild Salmon Advisory Group, visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/426/2019/03/Wild-Salmon-Advisory-Council-Report.pdf

Indigenous transition from salmon fishing to salmon farming

Economic development meets Indigenous reconciliation

 

With diversity in the west coast seafood sector, which includes salmon farms, it's an achievement of which Canadians should be proud. As economic development meets Indigenous reconciliation, it is through salmon farming the Indigenous people on the west coast are working to reconcile with Canada in a process which can be a  tremendous source of unity for the country.

Economic development is the play, a foot in the door to the benefits of being Canadian. Obviously Indigenous leaders and business people are committed to the process considering the number of economic agreements Indigenous leaders and communities have made in the salmon farm industry in B.C., and Canada, in the past three decades.

Anti-salmon farming radio ad removed for false advertising

CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) expresses gratitude to Pattison Media for taking swift action to stop airing a factually incorrect radio advertisement by Wild First, an anti-salmon farming organization.
In the advertisement, Wild First claimed that wild Pacific salmon are “on the brink of extinction.” This sensationalist claim is false, with recent research and peer-reviewed studies confirming a record-high abundance of wild Pacific salmon in the ocean since recorded history. The advertisement then called for the removal of ocean salmon farms to protect wild Pacific salmon.

“False advertisements by Wild First mislead the public, particularly consumers who rely on accurate information to make informed choices about their food,” says Brian Kingzett, Executive Director of the BCSFA. “The spread of this misinformation undermines the significant contributions salmon farming provides to our communities, economy, and environment and is unfair to the hardworking professionals who contribute to this sector.”

Salmon farming plays a vital role in supplying a healthy and sustainable protein to consumers worldwide. British Columbia's salmon farmers are recognized globally through the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index for their commitment to sustainability and responsible aquaculture practices. They adhere to stringent regulations and follow best management practices to ensure the well-being of their fish, wild Pacific salmon, the surrounding marine environment, and the communities in which they operate. Canada's best science and multiple commissions and federal studies continue to support that farming salmon does not present more than minimal risk to wild Pacific salmon.

This is not the first time Wild First advertisements have been removed due to false information. The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) recently announced that Wild First’s anti-salmon farming billboards around Ottawa were removed due to false advertising. CTV News Vancouver also removed a news segment with anti-salmon farming advocates that contained false information, after the BCSFA filed an official complaint

“The continued spread of misinformation by Wild First and other anti-salmon farming organizations emphasizes the need for responsible advocacy based on facts and science,” says Kingzett. “We commend Pattison Media for their commitment to promoting accurate information and ensuring that false advertising is promptly removed.”

The BCSFA remains committed to promoting accurate and science-based information regarding salmon farming. We urge the public to seek reliable sources and engage in open dialogue to better understand the benefits and sustainable practices of this vital sector.

ABOUT THE BC SALMON FARMERS ASSOCIATION

BC salmon farmers are committed to reconciliation, and all farms operating in BC are currently done in agreement, negotiation, or established partnerships with First Nations in whose territories we operate. These agreements are founded upon recognizing First Nations’ right to exercise jurisdiction over the land, resources, and waters within their territories.

Farm-raised salmon generates over $1.2 billion for the provincial economy supporting thousands of jobs. Additionally, farm-raised salmon provides a nutritious and sustainably produced protein with a low carbon footprint that contributes to Canada’s food security and Blue Economy.

The BC Salmon Farmers Association represents over 60 businesses and organizations throughout the value chain of finfish aquaculture in BC. Our members account for over 95% of the annual provincial harvest of farm-raised salmon in British Columbia.

For more information, visit bcsalmonfarmers.ca.

Major Economic Damage, Job Losses, If Salmon Farm Licenses Are Not Renewed

  Feb. 23rd, 2022

BC COASTAL COMMUNITIES FACE MAJOR ECONOMIC DAMAGE, JOB LOSSES IF SALMON FARM LICENCES ARE NOT REISSUED BY DFO CAMPBELL RIVER, BC –

NEW ECONOMIC ANALYSIS REVEALS MORE THAN 4,700 JOBS and $1.2 BILLION IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AT RISK IF 79 LICENCES NOT REISSUED

BC Salmon Farmers Association

The BC Salmon Farmers Association have released an independent economic analysis outlining the consequences to BC’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous coastal communities if 79 salmon farming licenses are not reissued by the federal government by June 2022. The report by RIAS Inc. found BC would lose more than 4,700 jobs, $1.2 billion in economic activity annually, and $427 million in GDP if these licences aren’t renewed.

An additional $200 million in economic activity and 900 jobs would be lost outside of BC. Federal aquaculture licences at 79 BC salmon farms are due to expire on June 30, 2022. Eighty per cent of these salmon farms operate in agreement with the First Nations in whose territories they operate in. For these salmon farms to continue producing a sustainable alternative to declining wild salmon stocks, while working with First Nations, their licences must be reissued by the new Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Minister Joyce Murray.

In December 2020, former DFO Minister Bernadette Jordan failed to reissue licences for salmon farms operating in the Discovery Islands, creating economic hardship and uncertainty for many of BC’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous coastal communities. In making her decision, Minister Jordan ignored the scientific consensus that salmon farms do not pose more than minimal risk to wild Pacific salmon, as well as her own department’s advice.

The decision is currently before the courts in the form of a judicial review. If the 79 licences up for renewal are not reissued, Indigenous and non-Indigenous coastal communities will face even greater devastation. “Coastal communities in BC deserve better, especially during an ongoing pandemic that has already caused severe stress, mental health strain, and economic pressure on many families, households and communities,” says Ruth Salmon, Interim Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association.

“After years of instability and concern, these communities deserve a secure and prosperous future,” says Salmon. To minimize any further loss to coastal communities, BC Salmon Farmers need legitimate reissuance of all 79 licences. The reissuing of these licences would drive BC and Canada’s economic recovery, deliver on Indigenous reconciliation, support the restoration of wild salmon populations, safeguard Canada’s food security and sustainability, enhance Canada’s contribution to climate change mitigation, and align with the federal government’s Blue Economy agenda as outlined in the 2021 Speech from the Throne. “We invite Minister Murray to visit the affected rural, coastal communities to better understand the integral role salmon farming plays to the socio-economic wellness of these small towns,” says Salmon.

Find the full report here: https://bcsalmonfarmers.ca/licences/

Find the Impact Map on Coastal Communities here: https://map.bcsalmonfarmers.ca/

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: BC’s salmon farming sector is the provinces #1 seafood export, #1 agri-food export, and is designated an essential service by Federal and Provincial governments. BC Salmon Farmers hold agreements with 17 First Nations on B.C.’s coast. 79 (all remaining) federal finfish aquaculture licences will expire on June 30, 2022. More than 4,700 well-paid jobs are at risk in communities like Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Port Hardy, Port McNeil, Tofino, Ucluelet, and Port Alberni. About the BC Salmon Farmers Association: Farm-raised salmon is B.C.’s highest valued seafood product, the province’s top agricultural export, and generates over $1.6 billion towards the B.C. economy, resulting in thousands of jobs. The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association represents over 60 businesses and organizations throughout the value chain of finfish aquaculture in B.C. Our members account for over 95% of the annual provincial harvest of farm-raised salmon in British Columbia.

Made-in-BC Semi-closed System Installed at Grieg Seafood BC Farms in Esperanza Inlet

After trialing a made-in-BC semi-closed technology solution at its farms off the Sunshine Coast region, Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. (Grieg) has announced it will be proceeding with the installation of these semi-closed system at all three of its farms in Esperanza Inlet, off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The new CO2L Flow system (pronounced Cool Flow) is a form of semi-closed containment, which allows for farmers to raise or lower custom designed farm enclosures – ensuring the farmed fish benefit from natural ocean conditions, while also providing protection for wild salmon. The system has been used successfully to rear several generations of fish at Grieg’s farms in the Sunshine Coast region. 

In all the trials, farmers noted better growth, lower mortality, better feed conversion rates (meaning the fish are more effective at converting feed into growth), and most significantly - a dramatic reduction in the need for sea lice treatments.

“As a company, we are always looking for ways to improve our operations, and this includes transitioning from standard farming equipment, to new, cutting-edge technology aimed at reducing potential impacts from our operations. This new system utilizes retractable barriers, which are capable of being lowered to 15 metres, fully encapsulating the sides of the farm. This has several benefits, including preventing the lateral interaction of wild and farmed salmon populations, providing protection for farmed populations from harmful algae, and allowing our farmers to better control water quality in the system using a unique aeration technology,” says Rocky Boschman, Managing Director for Grieg Seafood BC Ltd.

“As ocean-based farmers, one of the most common questions or concerns we hear is regarding sea lice, and the transfer of lice between wild and farmed populations. The CO2 L Flow system with its barrier protection has resulted in drastically reduced sea lice numbers on the farmed population, which in turn reduces the need for us to treat. During the trial period at our west coast site, we were able to keep sea lice levels so low that the fish did not require treatment for lice. Overall, we are pleased with the results and there is no denying that this new system represents a transition towards what in-ocean farms can one day become.”

What sets this system apart from others is the use of local knowledge, and on-the-ground learning to guide the development of a system which would work in partnership with nature to address challenges.

“I have been farming in these waters for over 30 years. In that time, I have learned that nature is the best engineer. If you want to find a solution, you need to work with the ocean and the natural conditions. So, when we started looking at how we could adapt semi-closed technology into our operations, we looked first and foremost to the oceans’ naturally occurring deep, clean water as a guide,“ says Dean Trethewey, Seawater Production, Certifications and Regulatory Director.

“The CO2L Flow Max system has taken some tried and true technology, such as sea lice curtains, and paired them with cutting edge aeration technology, to create a completely new system. During sensitive wild salmon migration periods or times when we know there is harmful algae in the region, we can lower the barriers on the farm, forming a barrier between the wild salmon and the farmed population, this prevents lateral interaction, and significantly reduces the transmission of sea lice between the populations. The barriers can be fully lifted outside of these periods, allowing the farmed fish to benefit from natural ocean conditions, temperatures, currents, and oxygen levels.”

To bring this technology to life, Grieg relied on the expertise, knowledge and successful collaboration with several Vancouver Island based technology and services companies – like CPI Equipment and Poseidon Ocean Systems. A leading international oxygen solution company, Oxzo Technologies, was also involved in the creation of some components for the system.

Although the system has shown amazing results in initial trials, Grieg continues to look for ways to improve the system to help further reduce any potential impacts from its operations.

“As a company, we will continue to look for ways in which we can innovate and continue to improve our operations. Currently, the new system already has tremendous benefits through the elimination of lateral interaction between wild and farmed populations and provides both welfare and performance benefits for our farmed salmon – but it doesn’t collect solid waste which is the next opportunity we want to address. We are continuing to look for solutions that will support the recovery of solid waste and ways in which it could be used for some type of value-add product like fertilizer or soil enrichment,” added Boschman. “We will continue to look to nature, local technology, and our farmers to help provide us with solutions as we continue to innovate, transition and improve.”

The system will be installed at all three farms in Esperanza Inlet (Lutes Creek farm, Steamer Point farm and the Esperanza farm) in time for the outmigration of juvenile wild salmon in early 2023.

CO2L Flow system quick facts and additional Information: 

• Grieg Seafood launched the first trial of the system in 2019

• Since then, three pilot cycles of fish have been raised in the system

• Overall, fish raised in the system see an average increase of 40 per cent in growth, a 19 per cent (19%) increase in survival, and a 13 per cent (13%) improvement in feed conversion ratio (FCR)

• The system uses retractable barriers to ensure there is no lateral transmission between wild and farmed salmon populations – which is important during the critical in and out wild salmon migration periods

• During periods when the barriers are down, the system uses an innovative, cutting-edge oxygen technology, to address low-oxygen levels within the farm system - helping to ensure the welfare of the farmed population

• To date, Grieg Seafood BC has seen a dramatic reduction in the frequency or need to treat farmed populations within the system for sea lice

• The system is unique in that it can be adapted to fit existing Grieg Seafood farm sites

• The system is sourced and built locally, contributing to the local economy and supporting the development of innovation and technology on North Vancouver Island

• Moving forward, Grieg Seafood will continue to look for ways to collect solid waste for value added products such as fertilizer or enriched soils

Kris McNichol, President, CPI Equipment Inc., says, “CPI Equipment Inc. is proud to partner with Grieg Seafood BC on their full-scale CO2L Flow semi-closed system in 2022. Over the past two years, CPI has worked diligently with Grieg Seafood on trials to improve the efficiency of oxygen transfer to seawater in their sea pens by using CPI’s ODiN Aerations system in conjunction with Moleaer’s nanotechnology. By achieving a greater supply of water quality within the semi-closed environment, we have been able to support the creation of a new ocean-based system. Working with our customers for over 20 years and striving to develop better technology within the aquaculture market both locally and internationally is an important part of our company's success. The knowledge-sharing and teamwork between Grieg Seafood and CPI Equipment shows how people, ideas, and new technology can collaborate to meet the needs of aquaculture for the future.

Heather Clarke, Co-Founder, Poseidon Ocean Systems, says, “When we were first approached by Grieg Seafood to collaborate on the new semi-closed technology they were developing, we jumped at the opportunity as this project will not only provide solutions to global problems, but also addresses some of the biggest challenges faced by the industry in terms of sea lice, algae, and improved conditions within the farm system. Poseidon is a Campbell River based company, which was founded only six years ago. Because of the vision of industry leaders like Grieg Seafood who are committed to constant improvement, evolution and working head-on to address the concerns raised regarding salmon farming, we have been able to expand our business internationally to assist producers like Grieg Seafood and others meet their biggest challenges.”

Gonzalo Boehmwald, Commercial Assistant Manager Oxzo Technologies Canada, says, “This project – the CO2L Flow system - is demonstrating what is possible in salmon farming in terms of using innovation and new technology to improve operations, and Oxzo Technologies Canada is proud to be part of the team working on delivering these new systems for Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. Oxzo has been helping farmers find unique solutions for more than a decade using innovative and cost-effective solutions of supplemental aeration and oxygenation. Our proven, patented technologies and Grieg Seafood’s drive for innovation and overall operational improvements are a perfect fit."

Coastal Indigenous release plan for sustainable Canadian salmon farming

ANISHINABE ALGONQUIN TERRITORY/OTTAWA, ON -- Coastal First Nations from British Columbia came to Parliament Hill today to release a new, positive plan for modern, sustainable, in-ocean salmon farming in their traditional territories.

The Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS) has developed a Nations-led, science-backed, and industry supported plan for salmon aquaculture that is responsible, realistic, and achievable, and will drive the following five outcomes for their rural communities:

- Wild salmon revitalization
- Economic Reconciliation
- An Indigenous-led Blue Economy
- Social and ecological well-being for their territories and communities
- Food security and affordability for their communities and all Canadians

“As conservationists, our coastal Nations have travelled thousands of kilometres to Parliament Hill to present a solution to what’s been a divisive issue in BC: a real, achievable plan for salmon farming that enables our remote communities to continue to thrive socially, economically, and culturally while working to revitalize wild salmon,” says Dallas Smith, spokesperson for the Coalition.

“We have proven we can be both salmon stewards and salmon farmers in our sovereign territories, and by asserting our rights and title with this comprehensive plan, we fully intend to lead this process to achieve what’s best for our communities,” Smith adds.

Nations that participate in the Coalition span from western and central Vancouver Island to BC’s central coast. They have been working alongside the Department of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO) and the Province of British Columbia to develop a framework for the modernization of salmon farming in their traditional waters.

The plan announced today ensures that the future of salmon farming in BC is led by the Nations in whose territories the farms operate, while retaining good, sustainable, year-round jobs and building economic and scientific capacity in Indigenous communities. It also integrates the vision for a new Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (iCAHS) based in Campbell River, BC.

“Because of the work and dignity that comes with the salmon farming industry, we have had no suicides in my community of Klemtu for the past 18 years. Think about that,” says Isaiah Robinson, Deputy Chief Councillor for Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation, located 800 km north of Vancouver, on the Central Coast. “My community now has 99 per cent employment and 51% of our income comes from the salmon farming sector. It makes no sense to shut it down. There is no industry that can fill that space.”

With 40% of the fish farms in BC closed in recent years, nearly 400 jobs have already been lost, small businesses have been impacted, and food bank lines are longer in communities like Port Hardy on Northern Vancouver Island. Considering the impact on remote communities, any further decision-making regarding the future of the sector must be done so with Rightsholder Nations at the table, and with their communities top of mind, says Smith.

“With new technology and best practices, and the guardianship and monitoring of our Nations, the salmon farming industry is even more modern than it was 10 or even five years ago. Salmon farmers have innovated far more quickly than any other industry I work with, and at our request,” adds Smith, “But our Nations want to keep working with the industry to truly elevate the potential of our rich marine spaces. To do that, we need the government to also partner with us sit together at the table to implement this plan for modern, sustainable, in-ocean salmon farming that provides a realistic solution for our Nations.”

“If Canada is going to walk the talk on true reconciliation, I think every Canadian would agree that the future of modern salmon farming in BC must be shaped by the coastal First Nations in whose territories the farms are located.”

The FNFFS plan titled, “Indigenous-led Finfish Aquaculture Transition Framework” has been delivered to new DFO Minister Diane Lebouthillier last week, and requires specific commitments to succeed, including:

Government investment in territory-specific Indigenous-led science, technology, and stewardship.

Greater investment and broader, territory-specific siting and implementation of new barrier and monitoring technologies.

The completion of social and economic impact studies in First Nations communities to understand the significance of the presence of the modern salmon-farming sector.
Greater trust and transparency in data-sharing between DFO, industry, ENGOs and First Nations.

The creation of a new Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (ICAHS) in Campbell River to unite western science and Traditional Knowledge in modern scientific methods, as well as provide a coastal training centre for Guardian Watchmen and scientific capacity building for Indigenous communities.

The immediate renewal of long-term salmon farm licensing (9 years) for investment security and growth.

info@firstnationsforfinfish.ca

BC Indigenous Coalition lobbies Ottawa on the salmon farm industry ​

OTTAWA -- Chris Roberts, elected chief councillor, Wei Wai Kum First Nation, based out of Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, in coastal British Columbia, spoke in Ottawa today.


"It's through our rights and title that we must have a say on how, if and what kind of salmon farming can take place in our territories, in our backyards, where we have lived for millenia.

"After the disrespectful and damaging decisions to close salmon farms in my territory the Laichwiltach People, in the Discovery Island without proper consent of the rights holders, we at the coalition can no longer trust that the minister Murray can deliver a thoughtful, unbiased transition plan for the remaining salmon in our sovereign territories.

"That is very worrisome as I stand here with my brothers and sisters . . .

"We as First Nations, we are the original environmentalists, not the fancy downtown activists that you hear about.

"Our people have been looking after wild salmon for thousands of years, and we continue to do so through our guardian programs and our monitors, and we will continue to do so.

"People 5,000 km away will not be making political activist driven decisions for ancient nations that have been stewards of our lands and waters and resources, since time immemorial.

"Now we know there are divergent views on salmon farming among First Nations on the coast of British Columbia. And that's their right. But it's also our right as First Nations to be able to say, YES.

"If a nation can say no to a resource extraction development activity in their territory, they should be able to say yes. And that's because it's done on their terms, on terms that are set out by the laws and traditions of our people.

"Those laws and traditions guide how business is carried out and how things are to be monitored properly.

"This enduring stewardship obligation that I talk about is bestowed to all of us by the Creator of the territories that we call our home, all across Turtle Island.

"And we must respect each other as sovereign nations, and trust in each other that we will uphold those. And when we disagree, we should come together nation-to-nation to talk about our difference of opinion to find areas of compromise, and to seek to understand how we might be able to move forward collaboratively.

"The DFO minister Murray's decision to close all salmon farms in the Discovery Islands, against the wishes of the right's holder nations, in our case the Laichwiltach people, has set a dangerous precedent.

"Not only does it mean that the rest of the transition planning process for the sector is unstable, it threatens salmon farm operations in the rest of the territories where the nations want those farms to operate.

"More importantly, her decision has threatened rights holder First Nations ability to pursue their self-determination, and their right to economic reconciliation by allowing outside influences to make decisions in our territories.

"Just a little bit more about the proposal that was put forward from the Laichwiltach Nations, we were seeking to understand what the impacts are, every sector, every single activity in our territories have an impact, and it's our responsibility to understand what those are, to determine if we can come to grips with it and manage them in a way that is sustainable, and in keeping with our true values and traditions.

"It's really sad that our proposal was unaccepted, because it's a lost opportunity. The opportunity that existed was to advance our guardian watchmen programs, our fisheries stewardship technicians, to directly participate in the research and monitoring to evaluate the impact from salmon farming on the environment and on wild salmon.

"I am not going to deny those exist, but as we talk about a transition, as this government likes to call it, we wanted to be on the front lines of what that would be, to embrace new innovations and the possibility of new technologies that could be implemented to reduce or eliminate the risks to wild salmon.

"And the fact that our proposal was disregarded is troubling. It sends a signal that I don't know if there was ever a genuine interest in supporting a transition.

"And so to just kind of mandate something to land-based in this case, it doesn't make sense to me, because there's a lot of evidence and investment across the world where this has been attempted, and maybe it will be figured out one day, but if we talk about a transition and going towards something better, we have to embrace and work with what we have now.

"To try and flick it off like a switch I think it flies in the face of what is required to have investment in research and development and bring new innovations.

"So we call on Prime Minister Trudeau to pass a critical file on to more responsible and unbiased minister to complete. We strongly recommend the minister of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, the Hon Mark Miller, for this job.

"We are also fathers and mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, like you, who want to see our families succeed and communities thrive and have a promising future.

"Like you, we want our people to have good jobs, and like you we want everyone to be able to afford healthy food and put food on their tables for their families.

"The government of Canada is on a dangerous track, with policy decisions to close sustainable farming in our waters. They are suggesting that we grow Canadian salmon on land, even the B.C. government says it's not feasible, and at this point in time it does not make sense.

"We have with us, an example here, the salmon that you see, it was not grown in Canadian waters, where it could have been or should have been. It was not grown in any of our territories, where it could have been and should have been.

"It was not processed by workers in the community of Klemtu of the Kitasoo/Xai'Xais, or the community of Port Hardy on north Vancouver Island, because Minster Murray has severely impacted the production of the salmon farming industry by closing down farms in our territory, and we're concerned of the track that might continue on with the rest of the coast.

"The piece of salmon was flown all the way from Norway or Chile, thousands of kilometres away, and when you think about the net effect and of citizens of the planet that we care for, of climate change, and carbon emissions, how is that sustainable?

"And because of decisions by Minister Joyce Murray, this costs you and your family more on your grocery bills to put this healthy meal on your table for your family.

"I'm not sure what the price of it says, but I think, uh, yikes!" he looks at the label on the package, "It's $55 for this slab of salmon, something that would have previously costed around $30.

"And this piece of salmon is going to become even more unaffordable for you and your families if these decisions continue, not only because it's imported from far away, but because we no longer have the jobs of farming salmon in the communities.

"And we have also been fishing nations, it's engrained in my blood for several generations. But we are also salmon farming nations as we stand here together, and we are coastal nations.

"And we should have the right to say what happens in our territory.

"This is an important job that we have, and I am reminded by some of my Elders and people in my community that often have a difficult time coming to grips with various industries, because of their perceived impact, but when we talk about it, we're reminded that, as newcomers came to our territories, balance has been disrupted from day one, and we have constantly had to adapt to changing times.

"A lot of the things that are being sought to protect are the commercial salmon industry, which I am proud of my family's participation for many years, but an industrial full scale commercial fishery on the whole coast of British Columbia with countless canneries dotting the coastline, that was not our way as a people, but we were participants in that and we embraced it.

"Unfortunately, our rights to make decisions on how that fishery would be managed were not recognized early enough and we are suffering the consequences of a vast reduction of salmon on the coast.

"So when we look at a new industry like salmon farming, we're also meeting it head on, embracing it for the opportunity that it could be, and ensuring that things are happening on our terms.

"And that's very important because each nation is distinct and unique, and have their own set of laws and values that must be upheld, for this industry to continue."

Chinook salmon are disappearing and management changes could fix it

We ask a Chinook salmon expert to answer the question, Is it too late for the last of the Chinook salmon stocks?

It is a very real and serious situation, declining numbers of Chinook salmon returning to rivers in many areas of Canada’s Pacific coast. The disappearance has happened to countless water sheds on Vancouver Island. There is a large collection of fish hatcheries operated by Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and others in conjunction with community organizations and Indigenous communities. All hatcheries must follow DFO standard rearing practice model which is growing an S-zero type smolt released at 6 months old, i.e., adult spawn in October and juveniles are grown rapidly to attain a 3 to 5 gram release size by the following May. The number of DFO funded hatcheries adhering to the S-Zero approach is listed in the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan.

According to the expert, this ongoing 40-year approach is not working and the release of millions of juveniles chinook have ever diminishing number of adult fish returning to spawn in the rivers.

"We know the harvest of wild seafood products has flatlined in the past 10 years, and demand for sea food products now sees upwards of 60% of what is being consumed provided from "aquaculture worldwide."

Our expert operates a Pacific salmon hatchery and research program formerly growing Chinook salmon for aquaculture and a few hard-to-obtain enhancement projects. We asked what is the reason for, and solution to, the Chinook salmon problem?

"Over the past 12 years I have provided information to the DFO on how to improve and reverse the down-turn for Chinook salmon. This is based on 35 years hands on growing Chinook salmon. We looked at what DFO’s enhancement approach is, what we've learned growing Chinook for aquaculture and compared everything to the wild salmon lifecycle.

"Since 2003 we have submitted proposals to demonstrate that by incorporating changes at the fresh water rearing stage, ocean survivals can be drastically improved. DFO current ocean survivals are .17 to .6% or less. By our assessment this can be increased to 3 – 10%.

"In 2009 we were allowed to bring in eggs and grow Chinook smolts using our methods. Preliminary adult returns in 2013 to the Sarita River are showing 15-times or greater ocean survivals compared to DFO smolts. Simply put; our 48,000 juvenile releases of S-One should see 1500+ adult returns whereas 450,000 S-Zero releases by DF0 in the same river are seeing 700 to 1700 adult returns."

What are the reasons for your higher survival rates?

"The key to smolts higher survival is due to the type of smolts, their condition and how they are grown in fresh water. Information we have gathered demonstrates the predominant lifecycle for Vancouver island Chinook is a fish that spends one year rearing in fresh water before going to the ocean. This information is supported by technical reports and simple lifecycle profiling which demonstrates wild Chinook are .5 to 1.1 gram by the first of May, then spend an additional 12 months rearing in freshwater before they migrate to the ocean in April and May at 2 to 5 gram size, referred to as an S-One. By comparison, Coho, Steelhead and Sockeye all have a fresh water rearing duration from one to three years before going to the ocean.

"The freshwater nursery stage is extremely important for proper physiological development of the immune system. By not having this fresh water development duration most of the enhanced S-Zero Chinook juveniles die from a common ocean bacterium in the first 4 months of ocean entry.

"In 2009 I gave a presentation at the Annual Aquaculture meeting entitled, 'Freshwater Hatchery Management Practices' which could be incorporated to "Re-build Wild Stocks of Chinook salmon”. AAC Advance Spec. Publ. No. 15 (2009). Dr. Beamish also did a study on Cowichan Chinook whereby only 1.8% of DFO’s smolts were alive 4 months after ocean entry verses 33.8% for wild."

What has DFO’s response been to this information?

"DFO maintains that all Vancouver Island Chinook are S-Zero type fish and go to the ocean by the first May at 3 to 5 grams. Under the Wild Salmon Policy they are obligated to grow fish similar to the wild. DFO also did several past S-One Trials saying they produced a large number of jacks and 3 year old instead of 4 year old females, with overall ocean survival similar to their S-Zero releases. This information has been their bench mark on what to expect when rearing S-One smolts and why they do not work."

DFO’s comments on the higher survivals and returns, saying, "the number of adult returns are “substantial and extremely important."

How will this play into DFO’s future approach to chinook salmon management?

"Listed in the SEP 2014 IFMP are several 'New S-One Trials' for Chinook. A number of these are for projects we have annually proposed but never been allowed to do."

Does this mean you will be growing the fish for the Trials?

"We annually submitted projects since 2003, from our hatchery and through committees to continue S-One projects. Only after I read the 2014 SEP IFMP on line posting for public comment, did I become aware that DFO has planned to do several new S-One Trials."

Were you part of the IFMP Process, which allows public and all small hatchery’s the opportunity to attend DFO meetings and submit proposals for the upcoming 2014 Season?

"Over the past four years DFO had instructed me to attend the local IFMP hatchery meetings. This year I was told I could not attend, for I was not part of their PIP program, and instead to attend an afternoon session for 'others', which ran out of time, so we simply had to email our projects.

"As well, since the ocean survivals have been so low for Chinook entries into Georgia Strait, I have asked over the past three years to be given an opportunity to attend the IFMP meetings for the Cowichan and present a proposal to grow a 50,000 entry group in the S-One program at our hatchery. I still have not been given any opportunity by the Department and have simply had to submit the projects by email.

"The Salmon Enhancement program prides itself through Public Involvement Program (PIP) working with hundreds of organizations and as part of their community outreach program. Through its PIP, DFO collaborates with community volunteer groups to undertake fish enhancement programs that are supposed to be open and unbiased. If this is not happening with regards to allowing you to participate, especially after what is most likely the “most important ocean survival information to come across DFO’s desk in the past 25 years from your efforts," all I can say is, what is going on?"

"We were told in order to participate we would need to gather letters in support. To date we have 16 letters in support from Huuayaht and Ucluelet First Nations and others, including the City, Regional District, Recreational Fishing, Oak Bay Marine Group, Salmon Festival Society, Port Authority, BC Wildlife Federation etc. who have written directly to DFO specifically requesting to allow our participation and to work with us on this topic. It has been tough, I participate on a number of fisheries committees locally, and put a lot of my time, effort and resources to trying to make a difference and help to get the Chinook issue addressed."

What do you think needs to be done next?

"To date our hatchery program is the only one that has delivered proven S-One results, demonstrated by actual adult returns to the Sarita River. No one from DFO has ever asked what our program is. With several new Trials listed it is important the smolts be grown in our hatchery 'proven program’, allow the true results to come in and we will transfer the protocol and assist DFO facilities to set-up a program at all locations which will ensure success. Too much time has already gone by and it should not be subject to further set-backs. We know we can provide a Chinook smolt that has more predictable, higher returns.

"DFO needs to make a common sense decision “or the betterment of the Chinook stocks, which is expected by the Canadian citizens who have entrusted DFO with the responsibility to best manage the fish. They need to read all those letters and allow our participation to ensure the future S-One trials are successful. My assessment is, there is enough information present to support immediate integration of an S-One smolt component to many of the ongoing projects, currently releasing over 20 million S-Zero smolts."

If the right decisions were made, what do you see for the Future?

A successful program is not solely measured by the number of juveniles released but more importantly the number of fish surviving to return as adults. Done properly, the integration of a successful S-One program will drastically improve many outcomes which are dependent on healthy large Chinook runs. It will, increase adult returns from a few hundred, back to historic thousands, ensuring the many runs currently at a few hundred adult returns are less vulnerable to extirpation.

"It would revitalize economic prosperity to local First Nations, recreational and commercial fishers, in turn coastal communities who would all benefit through greater access of Chinook for harvest, reduce the number of brood stock removed and juveniles required for smolt releases, leave greater numbers of adult fish to naturally spawn in the rivers, provide food to wildlife such as Orcas who target specific species and be a cost-savings to the Salmon Enhancement program as a whole."

Freelance Writing by Mack McColl 

NPAFC reports on wild salmon in the North Pacific Ocean

North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission Technical Report #18. . . 

is the summary of what scientists found so far from ocean expeditions to the North Pacific in the study of Pacific salmon.

TECHNICAL REPORT NO.18 (2022)

Virtual Conference on Winter Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Results from the Two Gulf of Alaska Expeditions April 20–22, 2021 in Canada and USA April 21–23, 2021 in Japan, Korea, and Russia

https://npafc.org/wp-content/uploads/technical-reports/Tech-Report-18-DOI/Technical-Report-18.pdf

The highlights are:

1 - pink salmon are much farther south in the winter and not competing for food with sockeye as scientists thought. This is important as these scientists thought that hatchery pink salmon were affecting sockeye salmon abundance.

2- coho and chum salmon were observed to be in schools. One large coho school had populations of coho from Oregon to Alaska. This is amazing as they had to find each other.

3- there were not many predators and this is important as scientists considered that predators were controlling abundance.

4 - steelhead live in the top few meters of the ocean and thus are affected more than other salmon by ecosystem changes.

5 - the abundances of BC chum salmon were very small possibly providing a method of forecasting adult returns several years ahead of the return.

6 - juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon in their first ocean winter can be way out in the middle of the Pacific and much farther west than previously thought. You can read about all of this in the report.

Dick Beamish

The NPAFC technical report contains this as a high-level summary:

1. The 2019 and 2020 winter expeditions to the Gulf of Alaska were the first Canadian studies of this kind since the late 1960s and the first to include an international team of researchers. All researchers volunteered their participation and agreed that all data would be publicly available (see at https://iys.hakai.org/dataset). The two expeditions were the first high seas Pacific salmon research to be privately funded and organized.

2. The research applied a variety of methodologies to study the salmon and their ecosystem:
a. DNA stock identification (including first trials of on-board analyses, Deeg et al. 2021);
b. Environmental-DNA sampling (Deeg et al. 2021);
c. Pathogens and health (Deeg et al. 2022);
d. Body composition studies to examine fish condition (Waters et al. 2022);
e. Use of stable isotopes to examine dietary overlap between species (see Espinasse et al. 2020); and,
f. A comprehensive array of oceanographic measurements.
There was evidence that coho salmon can form large schools in the winter with fish from populations ranging from Oregon to Alaska.

3. The first estimates of the total population of Pacific salmon within the survey areas were made using the method developed by Russia and applied to our data by A. Somov (TNIRO, pers. comm.). When estimates were adjusted for equal sampling areas, the total population estimate was essentially identical at 54.95 million salmon in 2019 and 55.2 million salmon in 2020, over an area of 697,500 km2. It was fortuitous that the studies occurred during an unpreceded marine heat wave in the Gulf of Alaska. These abundance estimates were made at a time in 2019 when there were historic poor salmon returns to British Columbia in the fall of 2019, and in 2020 when there was a collapse of the salmon catches in all countries resulting in a total commercial catch equal to low catches in the early 1980s.

4. Extensive oceanographic survey (Pakhomov et al. 2022) plus our biological sampling enabled us to begin to associate winter environments with salmon abundance, distribution and diet. A major objective of the expeditions was to understand how climate and ocean conditions that affected growth in the coastal ocean was related to salmon survival in the first ocean winter. Pacific salmon species are different and behave differently in the winter ocean, therefore decreasing the interspecific competition between them (Radchenko 2022). Ross and Pena (2022) provided an historical perspective of the ocean environment in 2019 and 2020 based on Canada’s longest time series of Pacific Ocean observations along Line P and at Canada’s Weather Station Papa (50oN, 145oW). In total, sampling along Line P now provides 75 years of detailed oceanographic data (Pena and Bograd 2007).

5. Our collaborations between countries demonstrated the value of international cooperation, particularly in studying Pacific salmon in an open environment the breadth of the North Pacific Ocean. These surveys were highly informative and demonstrated the utility of trawl nets to sample Pacific salmon in the deep-water marine environments, but there are certainly further questions to address. Principle in them is the effectiveness of the trawls to representatively sample the fish community in the surface layers, including the species composition of salmon and in the broader fish community. It was notable that trawl catches did not include many salmon predators or competitors in both the 2019 and 2020 expeditions. In 2022, a charter vessel will utilize Japanese research gillnets to compare catches with trawlers fishing at similar times and places.

The 148 Page Technical Report #18 (condensed below) begins with the following:

"The abundance estimates of all Pacific salmon in the survey area in 2019 and 2020 were made using the methods of Russian scientists (Volvenko 1999, 2000). The estimates of 54.95 million fish in 2019 and 51.3 million in 2020 were similar but much lower than expected. However, commercial salmon catches in British Columbia in 2019 and 2020 were at historic lows and catches in Southeast Alaska were at low levels in 2019 and 2020. Chum salmon returns to Japan also continued their decline in 2019 and 2020. In addition, there was a basin-scale collapse of all Pacific salmon commercial catches in 2020 with the total catch by all countries declining to levels of the early 1980s. Thus it was possible the unexpected low abundance in our survey catches was a consequence of extremely low abundances in the Gulf of Alaska in the winters of 2019 and 2020. At the same time, there was an unprecedented marine heat wave in the Gulf of Alaska from 2014 to the end of 2019 (Bond et al. 2015; DiLorenzo and Mantua 2016; Cornwall 2019; Suryan et al. 2021). It is unclear if the unique appearance of the marine heat wave was responsible for the low abundances of salmon, but it should be clear that there needs to be a much better understanding of the factors affecting the ocean survival of Pacific salmon if we are to be responsible stewards of Pacific salmon in a future of rapidly changing ocean ecosystems as occurred from 2014 to 2019."

https://npafc.org/wp-content/uploads/technical-reports/Tech-Report-18-DOI/Technical-Report-18.pdf

Page 12 "Chum salmon O. keta are the most abundant salmon in the North Pacific Ocean. Some experts placed chum salmon second (e.g., Fukuwaka et al. 2007), thereby missing the point of existence of several year classes spending mainly three-four winters at sea. Chum salmon are also the most “domesticized” salmon, considering the proportion of hatchery-originated stocks in the total species abundance. Japan led in chum salmon hatchery propagation and fishery harvest before the mid of the last decade. Then, unexpected, a decline of the chum salmon run happened, which is more frequently explained by the climate warming and deterioration of environmental conditions for salmon at the southern edge of their areas. Total chum salmon harvest in the North Pacific gradually declined since 2015."

Page 14 "The 2019 Gulf of Alaska survey clearly showed sockeye salmon adherence to subarctic waters with two-layer structure. Nine of ten sockeye salmon catches larger than 1 fish/hour occurred northwards of latitude 52ºN, where the surface mixed layer was notably thinner - about 50 m, than the area southwards with the mixed layer depth below to 100 m (Pakhomov et al. 2019). This circumstance can impact the increase of sockeye trawl catches both due to a salmon distribution density increase throughout the area of better food conditions and due to the shrinking of the vertical distribution range. It is known that sockeye salmon are good divers, and this salmon prefers to feed near the thermocline, where vertically migrating zooplankton are accumulated due to a concentrating effect of any physical border. Such feeding behaviour can partially explain the notable prevalence of sockeye salmon night-time catches before daytime catches in our winter surveys. Biologically, sockeye salmon are more adapted to feed visually at dusk. They possess bigger eyes, adapted for visual detection of food at dusk and have many midwater zooplankton and nekton prey in their diet. In addition, sockeye salmon display a similar pattern of daily redistribution in the freshwater period in big lakes (Clark and Levy 1988)"

Page 15 "In February - March 2009, coho salmon catches were larger than in the trawl survey in the Gulf of Alaska in 2019. In the spring of 1991, coho salmon were captured at the southern limits of that survey area only. In early February 2019, during the R/V’s Professor Kaganovskiy passage to Vancouver, coho salmon were found in catches of only three out of nine trawl hauls in a small amount. It looks like quickly migrating coho salmon can be found here and there in offshore central and eastern North Pacific during winter.

At the same time, coho salmon can be found year-round throughout the North American shelf. Despite the proportion of coho abundance in the Strait of Georgia and the oceanward side of Vancouver Island changes between autumn and winter, notable numbers of coho salmon dwell in the near-coastal zone even in the most severe season. Along the western coast of Vancouver Island, coho salmon can be found in significant abundance in all winter months (Beacham et al. 2016). This is why coho salmon are always considered as the salmon species with a mostly near-coastal distribution in winter."

Page 15 "Chinook salmon are a relatively rare salmon in the trawl catches in upper pelagic layer. Juvenile and immature Chinook salmon keep themselves dispersed and were mostly captured by trawl in single numbers later in winter and spring. Few Chinook salmon were captured in the Gulf of Alaska in February - March 2019, in April - May of 1990, and in February of 2006 until R/V Pacific Legacy captured almost 30 fish at the southwestern coast of the Vancouver Island in April 2020. In the western North Pacific, juveniles of the first ocean winter predominate in catches in autumn and early winter. In October, they start migrating from the shelf water domain to deep-water areas with a general south-eastern direction. Near the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula coast, the peak of Chinook salmon outmigrant abundance is reached in November while most of them migrate further to the Subarctic Current area in December and January."

Page 16 "Chinook salmon were found throughout the whole outer shelf and upper continental slope from the Olyutorsky Bay to the Bristol Canyon (Radchenko and Glebov 1998). Chinook bycatch in the walleye pollock fishery is an important fisheries management problem. Despite all measures undertaken, including fishery restriction in areas of the most frequent salmon occurrence, Chinook salmon bycatch still exceeds 15,000 fish per year including salmon from every major North American stocks (NPMFC data, https://www.npfmc.org/bsaisalmon-bycatch/salmon-bycatch/)."

Page 16 "Based on diet studies, the Chinook salmon near-bottom distribution can be related with its major prey distribution. In summer, Chinook salmon of the first and second marine years mostly consume juvenile squid dwelling in the upper pelagic layer while older salmon hunt for larger squid, keeping themselves in the near-bottom realm. Chinook salmon measurements in the Bering Sea showed that pelagic trawl catches mostly consisted of younger salmon while the bottom trawl catches were for older and larger fish (Radchenko and Glebov 1998). This is also evident in an example of Chinook salmon behaviour with the Data Storage Tag. In its second winter, this fish started diving deeper and spending more time in at depth (Myers et al. 2016). In the Strait of Georgia, overwintering Chinook salmon mostly prey for forage fish and present an important prey for residential orca whale populations (Riddell et al. 2018)."

Page 17 "The ocean distribution of salmon is complex and variable, depending on spatio-temporal scale and synergies among heredity, environment, population dynamics, and phenotypic plasticity (Myers et al. 2016). Recently, new information was collected in scarcely studied regions and seasons, and summary reviews were published on the marine life phase of Pacific salmon (Shuntov and Temnykh 2008, 2011; Beamish 2018; Pakhomov et al. 2019; Somov et al. 2020). Nevertheless, considering salmon wintering in high seas, scientists remain puzzled and often say contradictory things (as shown by Shuntov et al. 2017). In this review, species-specific distinctions in salmon ecology are highlighted that determine differences in species distributions, migrations, feeding habits, and trophic relationships and should be taken into account during planning of further salmon studies in the winter ocean."

Page 17 "The cherry salmon migration pathway from the western Kamchatka coast lays across the southern Sea of Okhotsk where it can occur in relatively high abundance up to 15–21 fish per hour (Shuntov and Temnykh 2011). In winter, as well as during spring - summer migrations, cherry salmon feed intensively. The basis of their diet are small fish including Japanese anchovy, capelin, sand lance, juveniles of arabesque greenling, walleye pollock, as well as squid and amphipods (Shuntov and Temnykh 2011). Despite cherry salmon staying mostly in the marginal seas, it also can be preyed upon by pelagic predatory fish of the ocean realm. In August 1994, we had a rare observation of cherry salmon preyed upon by daggertooth. A daggertooth specimen with two cherry salmon in its stomach was caught in the upper layer in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Northern Kurile Islands (Radchenko and Semenchenko 1996)"

Page 42 "Keywords: lamprey, salmon shark, dogfish shark, marine mammal, daggertooth, wounds, scars Predation on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) at sea remains one of the big “unknowns” for salmon marine ecology (Pearcy 1992; Beamish 2018). The answers to basic questions such as who are the major predators (fish, birds, marine mammals), whether predation is random or selective (e.g., based on size or health), or how it varies in space and time are all poorly understood. Perhaps the biggest challenge to understanding predation is discovering predators “in the act” of preying on salmon by finding salmon remains in predator stomachs. "

Page 49 "Together, chum, pink, and sockeye showed lower Relative Infection Burden (RIB) in the GoA compared to coastal British Columbia (BC) (Fig. 1a). In contrast, RIB in coho was higher in the GoA than in coastal waters (Fig. 1a), although the number of infectious agents as well as their diversity was lower in the GoA for all species (Fig. 1a, b). This suggests that the higher RIB in coho in the GoA is due to the higher loads of VER, Loma sp., and I. hoferi. "

Page 56 "Results of this study demonstrated substantial annual differences in cephalopod abundance and composition in winter period in the Gulf of Alaska. For example, in 2019, B. borealis was the most frequently caught squid (~81%) which also dominated by weight (~60%). In 2020, A. felis was the most abundant (~47%), however O. borealijaponica dominated by weight (~58%). Squid distribution and abundance differences most likely were related to oceanographic conditions (0.33 ℃ cooler in 2019; developing spring bloom in 2020; change in water movements) and methodology (shallower vertical net opening in 2020). Cephalopod larvae occurrence in Juday nets (B. borealis, G. onyx, J. diaphana, T. borealis) confirm that these species use the winter in the GoA as a spawning and nursing ground. Applying molecular techniques showed better catch-eDNA reads agreement in 2020, when an addition of bleach deactivator (sodium thiosulfate) was introduced into the sampling protocol. Although, results of eDNA analysis faced a few challenges (e.g., the need for an improved references database - sequence data and taxonomy), it did provide very promising results and indications that it can greatly improve verification of species identification and monitoring in the future. Overall, squid winter studies proved to be a valuable addition to salmon studies."

Page 64 "Sustainable use of salmon resources is based on accurate forecasting of stock abundance. In Kamchatka, forecasting of the Pacific salmon stock abundance is largely based on the Ricker model, i.e.,stock-recruitment (Ricker 1954; Shepherd 1982), or standard sibling model that forecasts abundance of a given age-class for a given year based on the abundance of the previous age-class in the previous year (Peterman 1982). Autumn surveys in the southwestern Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk study juvenile salmon seaward migration. Trawl catches from these surveys are used as empirical data for pink and chum salmon in the model “juvenile fish at sea-offspring returns”.

Forecasts also utilize data on juvenile salmon abundance in rivers. These data were obtained by enumerating salmon juveniles in traps at selected streams in Eastern and Western Kamchatka. Ecological indicators can play an important role in making decisions about the catch forecast. Math modeling is always limited by a number of predictors and by the method’s errors. Fish abundance is the main and often the only predictor used in forecasting. In such a case for Pacific salmon, multi-factor characteristics of the environment is hardly considered that reduces the forecast informativity (Urawa et al. 2016)."

Page 72 "Introduction - A major objective of the two expeditions was to improve the understanding of the winter ecology of sockeye salmon in the open ocean with a specific focus on fish originating from British Columbia (BC). Methods and preliminary results are summarized in two reports by Pakhomov et al. (2019) and Somov et al. (2020). In this report, we repeat some of the catch results from these two reports, but focus on the highlights as they relate to new analyses and interpretations with a focus on sockeye salmon originating from the Fraser River in BC.

Most sockeye salmon spend 1 to 3 years in fresh water before migrating into coastal areas in the spring. They move offshore in the summer and winter where they remain for 1 to 3 years before returning to natal rivers to spawn in the late summer and fall (Burgner 1991; Farley et al. 2018). Average annual commercial catches of sockeye salmon by all countries in recent years from 2000 to 2020 averaged 16.5% of the total weight of all commercially caught Pacific salmon. Since 2000, the commercial catch of sockeye salmon by all countries has an increasing trend with an average from 2000 to 2020 of 148,904 MT. Over the period from 2000 to 2020, Alaska catches averaged 109,537 MT, Russian catches averaged 32,933 MT and Canada (BC) averaged 6,427 MT. However, in BC, the recent catches in 2019 and 2020 were 2.4% and 2.7% of the average catch from 2000 to 2020. Thus, as commercial catches were increasing in Alaska and Russia, they were declining in Canada with a major collapse in 2019 and 2020. There is no clear understanding of the cause of this collapse; however, the first two expeditions are providing new information on the ocean residency of sockeye salmon that will help direct future research.

General results

The Gulf of Alaska expeditions were conducted from February 19 to March 17, 2019 and March 12 to April 6, 2020. In 2019 fishing was conducted by the Russian research vessel Professor Kaganovskiy (Pakhomov et al. 2019) and in 2020 the fishing was conducted by the Canadian commercial trawler Pacific Legacy (Somov et al. 2020). There were 64 sets completed in 2019 and 52 sets completed in 2020, however sampling locations varied (Fig. 1) due to a combination of weather and a requirement to refuel mid-trip during the 2020 expedition. In both years most sets were conducted south of 52oN and west of 137.5oW (2019 - 50%; 2020 - 65%; southwest quadrant; Table 1). In 2019 the northwest region of the survey area (north of 52oN and west of 137.5oW; northwest quadrant) had 37.5% of the sets with no sets in the northeast (north of 52oN and east of 137.5oW; northeast quadrant; Table 1). In comparison, in 2020 there were only 2% of the sets in the northwest quadrant but 31% of the sets in the northeast quadrant. Additionally, in 2020, 25% of the sets were conducted in the southeast region of the study area (south of 52oN and east of 137.5oW; southeast quadrant) whereas in 2019 13% of the sets were in this region (Fig. 1; Table 1)."

Page 75 - "Ocean migration pattern of sockeye salmon from the Fraser River and other areas around the Gulf of Alaska: Juvenile sockeye salmon from the Fraser River and other rivers from Washington State to SE Alaska mostly spend two winters in the ocean (Burgner 1991; Farley et al. 2018). Ocean entry times vary, but in general, the coastal residence time is short, with juveniles moving offshore in summer and migrating quickly in a counterclockwise direction north. The counter-clockwise movement was proposed by French et al. (1976) and by Hartt and Dell (1986). The reasons for this interpretation were summarized by Burgner (1991) and Farley et al. (2018). More recent stock identification methods using DNA generally support this proposed interpretation of a rapid movement northward with residence in the Gulf of Alaska for two winters before returning to spawn in natal rivers (Tucker et al. 2009; Beacham et al. 2014); however, sampling for the work supporting this migration model was focussed within the coastal areas. "

Page 77 "There should be little doubt that it is time to understand where sockeye salmon are in the two years of their ocean residence and what might affect their distributions. As ocean warming events (Bond et al. 2015; Cavole et al. 2016; DiLorenzo and Mantua 2016) increase in frequency and other climate related changes in ocean conditions occur that affect sockeye salmon, this understanding becomes an essential contribution to forecasting returns and to understanding the future of sockeye salmon production in the Fraser River and other rivers."

"Conclusion We suggest that the surprising poor returns of sockeye salmon returns to British Columbia in 2019 and 2020 identify the necessity to expand research to provide a bigger picture and more complete understanding of the factors that regulate sockeye salmon abundance in the ocean. We suggest that the data collected in 2019 and 2020 should not be dismissed as being too small to be of use, but to be the first indication that more effort will provide new methods of forecasting and stewardship."

Page 119 "British Columbia and Washington State sockeye salmon indices of BC sockeye salmon systems are run reconstructions for major river systems to account for
differences in fishery removals over time; these indices include the Nass River, the Skeena River, Barkley Sound sockeye (southwest coast of Vancouver Island), and the Fraser River (Fig. 4). These reconstructions involve multiple sockeye populations within each watershed. To account for the cyclic dominance in Fraser River sockeye salmon and wide differences in the abundance between lines (Roos 1991), baseline averages and deviations were calculated within cycle lines. Each reconstruction is based on quantitative estimation of spawning abundance, total catches in fisheries along their adult migration routes, and were consistently conducted during this period.

For these BC indices, sockeye returns have been less than baseline averages in recent years: Nass River, -33 to -51% since 2016; Skeena River, -15% to -59% with the greatest reduction in 2019; in Barkley Sound, -46% to -72% with the largest deviation in 2019; and for Fraser River, a progressive decline from -42% in 2015 to -90% in 2020. In Washington State, sockeye indices were examined for Baker Lake (Skagit River, Puget Sound), Lake Washington (Puget Sound), and Columbia River. Trends in these sockeye populations each differ. Returns to Baker Lake have been rebuilding from hundreds of sockeye in the 1980s to ~20,000 during the past decade. Pattern of sockeye returns to Washington Lake (Fig. 5) in 2019 and 2020 were 89% and 86% less than their baseline average, and have similar trend to Fraser River sockeye. In the Columbia River, sockeye returns have been improving over the past decade but reductions were observed between 2017 and 2019, followed by an above average return in 2020 (Fig. 5). Other smaller sockeye populations in Washington State (Gustafson et al. 1997) were not assessed."

Page 128 "Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) While the abundance of coho salmon was expected to be very limited compared to sockeye, pink, and chum salmon in the deep-water environments of the Gulf of Alaska, coho salmon were widely distributed and commonly caught in both 2019 and 2020 winter expeditions (Beamish et al. 2022 this volume). The distribution of coho salmon throughout the Gulf of Alaska was one of the most interesting observations."

Read the report in its entirety here: https://npafc.org/wp-content/uploads/technical-reports/Tech-Report-18-DOI/Technical-Report-18.pdf

This Condensed Material from NPAFC Publications was posted to McColl Magazine as a review, and assembled by Mack McColl on July of 2022

B.C. aquaculture unique in the World

Indigenous Rights Include Choosing to Grow Atlantic Salmon in Traditional Territory

The unique nature of B.C. aquaculture, I learned, was the Indigenous leadership behind it. This does not preclude arguments from Indigenous chiefs and leaders who oppose the industry in their waters. I never heard an Indigenous chief or leader say publicly another nation is wrong to oppose fish farms.

Dr. Dick Beamish's talk at BCSFA's Seafood West summit

The year 2019 was the International Year of Salmon and featured a 'signature event' in the North Pacific with a study of the behavior of Pacific salmon. The study was conducted a group of 18 scientists aboard a Russian charter vessel spending 25 days in the Gulf of Alaska. (A second voyage was in March 2020 truncated by Covid-19.)

Dr Dick Beamish was instrumental in putting together this close examination of the iconic Pacific fish species in its offshore habitat, a major science expedition included with the year of Pacific salmon recognition. Beamish spoke to the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association at Seafood West in fall of 2018.

"The Russians caught 650,000 metric tonnes of pink salmon last year. Why was the number so high? They don't know." The record pink salmon catch in Russia was made primarily for the purpose of harvesting highly prized caviar. Nevertheless there is no explanation for the extraordinary size of the harvest.

Beamish notes Russia doesn't catch salmon the same way Canadians and Americans do. Russians set nets close to shore near the mouth of the rivers and the fish swim in to be caught. Canadians and Americans remain largely engaged in hunting the catch.

"Not long ago Japan had a rising amount of chum salmon to harvest," he says, peaking at 250,000 metric tonnes, but more recently their total catch of chum dropped to 70,000 metric tonnes.

The numbers of Pacific salmon being caught in wide ranging amounts creates a fount of mystery. "In the 1970s the thinking was doubling the catch was possible until the quantity of the catch dropped in Canada to 30,000 metric tonnes. After the 70s we believed we were seeing a shortage of juveniles but that thinking has been proven incorrect."

Knowledge of the behaviour of wild salmon is still basically at square one. "We may have an understanding of the fish. it seems when they grow faster, quicker they survive better. What we need out of the study from the science teams is focus on the fundamental reasons of salmon abundance."

The International Year of Salmon was announced in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2018 to take place in 2019. It is a chance for Pacific salmon harvesting countries to promote effective stewardship of ecosystems, says Beamish.

"We need the scientists to come up with hypotheses and test them. It costs $1.1 million to charter a Russian vessel, which we got reduced to $900,000. We have raised money from the Pacific Salmon Foundation, North Pacific Salmon Commission, and others, and the salmon farmers of B.C. have been major supporters."

The expedition's purpose is to take into account everything known, and work on the unknowns to find a way to accurately forecast returns, or even explain the size of returns, like record numbers of pinks in Russia, and shrinking numbers of chum in Japan.

The cooperating scientists from several nations will be storing the recovered data at University of British Columbia to be made available to all. "The aim is to discover fundamental mechanisms behind salmon migrations."


Beamish asks, "What are the probables? We will probably find Pacific salmon rear in the Gulf of Alaska in winter. Their abundance is determined by the end of the first winter. Specific populations grow in specific areas. Faster, quicker growth contributes to better survival."

Beamish says anomalous warming in the North Pacific in recent years has had a major impact on growth, but it's difficult to qualify the effect. Furthermore, hatchery production adds complications. There is a need to understand variables in the release of hatchery salmon. "You have to be more experimental about raising smolts to be released."

Whatever the outcome, next year promises to contain an exciting learning process related to the understanding of Pacific salmon dynamics in their ocean habitat.

Dr. Richard J. Beamish C.M., O.B.C., Ph.D., D.Sc.,F.R.S.C. http://www.richardbeamish.com/
Richard.beamish@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Freelance Writing by Mack McColl 2018, Updated 2020

Science of wild salmon report on North Pacific Ocean

The North Pacific Marine Science Organization held the PICES-2019 Annual Meeting in Victoria, B.C., Oct. 16-27, 2019, "Connecting Science and Communities in a Changing North Pacific"

Dr. Richard Beamish, one of the scientists behind the 'Year of the Salmon' expedition to the North Pacific last February by an international team of scientists of various disciplines, was in Victoria, B.C., to hear the emerging reports from the first expedition.

Meanwhile, Beamish and Brian Riddell are working with the Pacific Salmon Foundation to organize a second scientific expedition to the North Pacific the late winter/spring 2020.

Beamish says, the first expedition was very successful. They estimated that there were about 55 million salmon in the survey area. Abundances were large for chum and coho but much smaller for pink salmon (which should have been the most abundant).

Fraser River sockeye abundance was very low, possibly an indication of what is now expected to be returned. Fraser River sockeye were found farther west than previously known. Pending are the reports of the overall health of fish that were caught in the North Pacific and a test of the idea that abundance of salmon is determined by the end of the first ocean winter.

Beamish and Riddell with the support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation are raising funds for a second expedition. They have receive strong support from the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, a five-year funding program, established late in 2018, with 70 percent from Federal money and 30 percent from B.C. province money. The fund has been instrumental in supporting the study of salmon throughout B.C..

The underlying purpose of the salmon study expeditions to the North Pacific is to understand the mechanisms that regulate salmon abundance. "There is a mechanism that ensures a small percentage of salmon survive to return to the rivers to spawn."

Beamish has said the surviving 'spawners' have to be the 'fastest,' 'quickest' fish in the fight for survival in the oceans and that the eventual spawners must show a lot of strength in the early development phase of their four-year life-cycle. It's a fight for survival in the ocean.

In addition to the normal challenges to the salmon's survival, scientists are studying how climate change is changing ocean ecosystems. in the North Pacific. "The international scientific community has joined together as part of the International Year of the salmon to work cooperatively, to understand the effects of climate change on the salmon in the North Pacific," says Beamish.

The privately organized Gulf of Alaska Expeditions are an important facet of the salmon studies being done by researchers from several Pacific salmon producing countries.

Pacific salmon community comes together in Canada

to cast a ‘Beamish’ of light on salmon science
​​

Gulf of Alaska Expedition Departed Feb 18, 2019

A scientific expedition sailed into the Gulf of Alaska in the month of February of this winter with scientists from Korea, Japan, USA, Canada, and Russia, "We're surveying as much of the Gulf of Alaska as we can in 25 days," says Dr. Richard Beamish. "All species in the gulf waters are being studied," and, with 2019 being declared the International Year of Salmon, obviously a focus will be made on this iconic species.

There are 50 people onboard the Russian vessel to conduct the experiments, 21 scientists, and 29 crew, technicians, and assistants. The expedition is a first-ever mission to study the ocean ecology of these important fish, about 1/3 of all salmon are in the Gulf of Alaska in the winter and this includes Asian chum salmon. "Overall we are going to have an estimation of the numbers of all salmon," says Beamish. The expedition will have DNA evidence of the origins of the fish. Eighty percent of the fish in the study are most likely to be chum and pink salmon.

Salmon in the gulf will be coming from a variety of sources, "A percentage of pink salmon will have been reared in hatcheries." Fish arrive in the winter to compete for available food, "Winter is when the food for the fish is at a minimum. Thus we will calculate the 'carrying capacity' of the gulf with the purpose of evaluating effective stewardship of fish resources."

Several hypotheses have been tabled, for example, "We intend to learn the most efficient use of hatcheries. Commercial fishing effects are also part of the science. There is annual demand on salmon fish stocks. With the operation of salmon hatcheries around the Pacific Rim, there are concerns that the hatchery fish impact wild salmon. A major reason for the expedition is to understand the basic mechanisms in ocean science."

Pink and chum are the most prevalent and probably the most observable. "This study has never been done to this extent, although the Japanese have gone out and done about 10 sets on one occasion, and about 15 sets on another."

Observations will be made on growth rates, age of the fish, and fish health. "We will test the hypothesis that abundance of these salmon appears may be determined by the end of their first year in the ocean.

We will look to see if the fish that grow faster, quicker in the first months at sea show the greatest chance of survival." Dozens of measurements will be taken, including extensive observation of the present state of oceanography.

"We are looking at the presence of plankton, predators, and salinity," says Beamish. "The issues of climate will be closely examined. Salmon inhabit the top 40 metres of ocean and temperature conditions affect the presence of plankton. Plankton is a major part of the diet of pink and chum, but not the exclusive food, squid is major, and small fish."

The program for this scientific expedition was put together by Dr. Beamish, "It was privately arranged. The scientists agreed to gather data and take it to the University of British Columbia to be shared for the purpose of study and reporting." Beamish wasn't on the voyage to the gulf departed Feb. 18 and returning to Vancouver Mar 18., "I'm too old."

The data will be assembled and preliminary reports will begin to emerge by the fall of 2019. "DNA evidence takes time to collate." One of the questions they are hoping to answer is, why is the commercial fishery for salmon experiencing some of the highest catches in history? Last year the Russians caught 640,000 metric tonnes of pink salmon which was their highest catch in history.

The scientists want to provide mechanisms for discussing sustainable harvesting practices, especially in light of changing climate and ocean conditions.

"As a society, we want to be the stewards over what's available and have consistent returns of fish to the rivers. One of the amazing things about salmon on the west coast is how they rarely go to extinction of the fish in the rivers. Other species across the country such as yellow perch, walleye pike, can have complete failures in some years. But such events are very rare here with salmon."

Even so, Beamish notes, the trends on salmon abundance on the Fraser runs have been going downward in the past 30 years. "The 2009 run of sockeye returning to the Fraser was the worst in history and there has been a declining trend since the early 1990s. However, the return in 2010 was the highest in history. Chinook salmon in the Fraser River are also declining in abundance. It is important to understand the mechanisms that cause these trends and this is a main reason for the expedition. " WEBSITE FOR DR. RICHARD BEAMISH

Dr. Beamish is expecting the return of an international team of scientists from the Gulf of Alaska on or about March 18, 2019. They set off from Vancouver on February 18. "The work is proceeding better than expected," says Dr. Beamish. "They have had good weather and they are exceeding all expectations in covering the areas of the gulf to be studied."

The scientists studying fish and oceans in winter conditions in the Gulf of Alaska come from Russia, Korea, Japan, Canada and USA, "They are getting along very well. Conditions on the ship are good, although all the instructions and signage are in Russian," it's a Russian vessel after all, "and language barriers do exist among the crew and professionals, everybody is getting along very well, the food is great."

They are finding the catches smaller than may have been anticipated, however, since it's never been done before, nobody really knew what to expect. "They are catching all species of salmon. The majority have been chum salmon. They have plenty of samples, there's not much left of the fish they catch," everything is preserved for the vast amount of study underway on the ship and that which is to come in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia.

"We expect them to come into Vancouver on March 18 as planned. They will also visit the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, and we expect them in Nanaimo on March 20." A historically important biological station in Russia will be sending a team of scientists and administrators to meet up at the historically important station in Nanaimo.





This anchor-project in the 2019 International Year of Salmon has been developed by Dr. Beamish and funding has come from a variety of sources, including $200,000 from the BC Salmon Farmers Association. See https://yearofthesalmon.org/gulf-of-alaska-expedition/

John Paul Fraser is Executive Director of the BCSFA, "We are all anxious to see and learn about the findings," of the Gulf of Alaska expedition, "so that we can better tackle the problems together.

"BC’s salmon farmers are proud to be a founding sponsor of this expedition, and we are all anxious to see and learn about the findings," says Fraser.

"As Dr. Beamish says, there’s a ‘black box’ out there in the North Pacific that we have shed no light on."

Fraser adds, "And because of Dick’s brilliance and perseverance, the salmon community is coming together to cast a ‘Beamish’ of light on the unknown challenges the salmon face."

Freelance Writing by Mack McColl