Lack of political will dooming wild salmon
By John Fryer, Times Colonist May 20, 2010
Brian Ridell, the chief executive officer of the Pacific Salmon Foundation is, at best, only half right when he asserts that salmon decline is strictly "a science issue." (May 18). He further questions the need for the current Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the decline of the Fraser River sockeye.
At least as important as the science is the complete lack of political will to tackle the continuing decline of B.C.'s iconic fish species.
In the fall of 1996, I had the privilege of chairing a joint federal-provincial investigation into the B.C. salmon fishery. We visited 22 coastal communities and met with nearly 2,000 people from the industry.
What I concluded was that the strong competing interests of First Nation, commercial and recreational fishermen had resulted in the overfishing of all salmon species up and down our coast and rivers. Each group strongly assert their "right" to take their "fair share" of the resource. The inevitable result of such attitudes is the decline of all species of these fish -- eerily reminiscent of the late 19th-century buffalo hunters who would not stop until the last one was slaughtered.
Until our political leadership at both federal and provincial levels screws up the courage to protect our salmon from overharvesting, the stocks will continue to decline, making it all so similar to what happened in Atlantic Canada to its iconic fish species -- the cod.
Getting the science right might help, but without strong political leadership and action, our salmon are doomed.
John Fryer
Victoria
