Shifting salmon policy
Photo by Alex Harris.
Ecosystems are complex. They are communities of living organisms connected through interacting processes and features on the land, in water, and between the two. Yet BC’s antiquated environmental policy doesn’t reflect this. Colonial society governs ecosystems by siloing them into distinct ministries and resources instead of reflecting the interconnected nature of habitats that make them function in the living world. This “siloed decision making”is the root cause of many of the ecological challenges we face today.
Our policy goals
1. Manage fisheries for ecosystems
- Set salmon harvest at levels that optimize the benefits of spawning salmon to watersheds and wildlife.
- Shift away from historic management paradigms that minimize the number of spawning salmon reaching rivers and maximize harvest (called Maximum Sustainable Yield). Move towards fisheries management that meets salmon spawning targets that are ecologically based, not harvest-based.
- Shift harvest toward selective terminal fisheries (conducted in or near the rivers of origin) that respect the ‘place-based’ nature of salmon, and optimize the benefits to ecosystems, Indigenous cultures, and local communities.
2. Implement ecological-based governance
- Conservation planning and a commitment to sustainability that looks 7 generations ahead.
- A “whole-of-government” approach that implements shared solutions by Indigenous, federal, provincial, and municipal governments to achieve salmon recovery from inland watersheds and rivers, to the open ocean.
- Governance that honours Aboriginal rights and title, inherent Indigenous jurisdiction and law, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
- Sustainable funding strategies for watershed-scale restoration and planning.
3. Advance land-use policies that prioritize the health of wild salmon and biodiversity
- Zoning that bolsters functioning watersheds and riparian habitat (i.e.protect natural features, limit impervious surfaces, reduce urban sprawl, adopt nature-based solutions).
- Forestry policy that prioritizes salmon health by restricting clear-cutting in salmon watersheds, and incentivizes a sustainable, second or third-growth forest economy.
- Climate adaptation policy that incentivizes nature-based solutions including natural shorelines, intact riparian areas, unrestricted floodplains, managed retreat, and use of rain-gardens in urban areas.
Our recent reports
Recent articles
Special Committe on Sustainable Aquaculture – Final Report – Volume 2
Report to the Government of British Columbia from the Government-appointed Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture, volume 2. The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. ISBN 978-0-7726-5787-9 Appendix – Economic Impact Study SPSA Final Vol 2
Wake-up Call
By Jennie Christensen PhD Candidate, Wildlife Toxicologist, Grizzly Contaminant Project Spring is here – sunnier days, warmer weather and the growth and blossoming of plants and flowers. It is a time of heightened spirits, and many species will begin their annual rituals celebrating a renewal of life and nature. While we may begin to clean…
Small Streams Survey Report (2006)
This report documents 127 previously undocumented salmon-bearing streams surveyed on BC’s central coast between 2003-2006 in Heiltsuk Territory. Small Streams Survey Report (PDF) Summary Small stream surveys were carried out by members of the Heiltsuk Nation, volunteers, and staff of Raincoast Conservation Foundation between September 2003 and October 2006. Our objective was to document salmon…
Juvenile Salmon Migration Mapping: A Pilot Study in Roscoe Inlet
The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate whether it is feasible to undertake a large-scale juvenile salmon migration mapping project on the central coast. View the report in .PDF
Stable isotopic niche predicts fitness of prey in a wolf-deer system
Darimont, C.T., P.C. Paquet and T.E. Reimchen. 2007. Stable isotopic niche predicts fitness in a wolf-deer system. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society. 90:125-137 Isotope niche predicts fitness. pdf
Salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest
This popular summary gives an overview of the importance of salmon in the ecosystem and Raincoast’s work to protect the abundance and diversity of salmon. Salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest