SVIAC is proud to support the advocacy work being led in Ottawa by the Public Fishery Alliance (PFA). This coordinated effort is focused on ensuring that the voices of recreational anglers, coastal communities, and small businesses are heard as the federal government considers changes to the Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP), and the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) recovery measures.
Representatives from the Public Fishery Alliance recently travelled to Ottawa to meet with Members of Parliament from the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party and the Green Party, and federal officials, to raise concerns about the current review of the SAP being conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the potential impacts of proposed new 2025 Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery measures that could significantly impact the livelihood of communities up and down the BC coast.
SVIAC has been working closely with the PFA and other partners to highlight several key concerns:
- The need for a balanced and transparent review of the Salmon Allocation Policy that recognizes the importance of public access to salmon fisheries.
- Ensuring that science, conservation outcomes, and socio-economic impacts are fully considered before major allocation changes are made.
- The potential for additional restrictions associated with new Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery measures to significantly affect recreational fishing opportunity across coastal British Columbia.
- The importance of recognizing the role that recreational anglers play in conservation, hatchery enhancement, monitoring, and stewardship.
Through this national advocacy effort, the PFA is working to ensure decision-makers understand how changes to allocation and access could affect thousands of families, coastal communities, and the broader public fishery.
SVIAC believes that effective salmon management must support conservation, respect Indigenous rights, and maintain reasonable public access to fisheries that have long been part of coastal life on Vancouver Island and throughout British Columbia.
We will communicate more information to our members as more information becomes available about the future direction of the Salmon Allocation Policy and SRKW related measures.