Yes, there is sustainable BC salmon available this year.
In June, the federal government announced the widespread closures of approximately 60% of BC’s wild salmon fisheries.
The government acknowledged that the decades-long declines in salmon populations can be attributed to a variety of complex factors such as climate change and habitat degradation, that the declines have been decades in the making, and that fish harvesters have been asking for changes for years.
There are also the ongoing issues of diseases and pests associated with open-pen fish farms, continued clear-cut logging and mining in sensitive salmon-bearing watersheds, and significantly weaker regulations on the recreational sector, to name just a few.
So it’s fair to ask where you can still access fresh wild BC salmon in a sustainable way.
Today, the 40% of BC salmon fisheries that remain open meet the highest sustainability standards. The Area F (North Coast) troll fishery was open for pink salmon earlier this summer and the spring salmon fishery opened on Aug 12th. There have been seine and gillnet openings in Barclay Sound, a Nass river seine opening for pinks, a spring salmon gillnet opening in Nootka and more to come.
Chef Dai Fukasaku, owner of Fukasaku of Prince Rupert, serves local troll caught Northwest spring salmon and Skeena river sockeye caught during the Skeena Tyee Test Fishery. This test fishery has been ongoing since 1955 and helps evaluate the Skeena river salmon and steelhead trout yearly returns.
“Operating a business in the fishing hub of Prince Rupert, it is our privilege and pride to source local wild salmon, support local fishermen, and serve them to locals and visitors. As long as I have access to local wild salmon, I will keep sourcing and serving them: I hope it will raise more consumer awareness and appreciation for our ocean, fishermen, and the issues surrounding them. ”
Another prominent voice of support for local caught salmon is that of Rob Clark: a recipient of the Order of Canada for his work as co-founder of the Ocean Wise Seafood program.
“Our wild salmon harvesters, the very people that provide us with healthy, tasty, sustainable and locally produced food, need and deserve our support. They contribute to our food sovereignty, essential to our national security, and they should never be undervalued, overlooked or taken for granted.”
Now, more than ever, we should all be finding ways to celebrate the remaining precious wild salmon. One of the ways you can show your support is by participating in the Chef’s Table Society’s 5th annual Wild Salmon Celebration at the end of August to showcase the versatility of salmon and the resilience of both the fishery and its fishers.
Article by Chelsey Ellis