FISHING AND COMMON PROPERTY RIGHTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA ARE UNDER THREAT
British Columbia’s Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP) was created in 1999 “to guide the allocation of allowable Pacific salmon catch among First Nations as well as commercial and recreational fisheries.”
But now, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is considering extreme policy changes that would REMOVE and restrict your EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES AND access to salmon - a common property resource - threatenING BC’s economy and coastal communities, and reframING conservation and sustainability goals at the expense of all British Columbians.
YOUR rights are threatened by these proposed cHANGES.
The time to speak up is NOW.
your property is on the line.
Common Property is the principle that salmon belong to ALL Canadians, and it is the foundation of fishery and resource management.
BC First Nations groups are proposing to have this term and principle dropped from the Salmon Allocation Policy, and DFO is asked to consider this extreme policy change.
Removing the principle of common property would shift public access to fishing from a right to a “privilege,” and away from a federal, conservation-based management approach.
If salmon are no longer acknowledged as a shared public resource to be managed for the benefit of all Canadians, YOUR rights could be extinguished.
your rights are on the line.
DFO is being pushed to remove the public’s priority access to Chinook and Coho, the most important salmon species for BC’s public fishery.
Under the proposed changes, the public would lose priority not only to recognized First Nations fisheries but also to all commercial fisheries. This change would overturn a policy principle in place since 1999.
This proposal would apply regardless of stock abundance, or the economic benefits generated by the public fishery, and would result in fewer opportunities for BC’s families, tourists, and coastal residents to benefit from essential, reliable access to a common property resource.
Established public rights of access would be dismantled. The public fishery would come last, being reduced to seeking “leftovers,” and YOU would have less predictable opportunities and less time on the water.
YOUR COMMUNITY IS ON THE LINE
When the public’s right to fish is threatened, so are coastal communities.
The public fishery generates significantly more economic value than the commercial fishery in BC yet could receive less opportunity.
The public fishery in BC generates $1.275 Billion in annual revenues, $643 Million in GDP, and provides 9,100 jobs. This sustains small businesses, coastal communities including First Nations communities, marinas, lodges, guides, other retail and service businesses along the West Coast.
If DFO reallocates access away from the public, coastal towns will lose their economic engine and future opportunities, negatively affecting thousands of British Columbian families.
The public fishery also provides food security options to British Columbians, whereas commercial fisheries export 70% of their catch outside of BC.
This isn’t just about fishing. This is about survival.
THE FUTURE OF RECREATIONAL FISHING IN BC IS on the line.
The time to speak up is NOW.
British Columbians deserve a fair and balanced outcome for common property resources, their management, and sustainable fishing opportunities.
If the proposed policy changes are accepted they will be almost impossible to reverse.
Contact the Government of Canada and make your voice heard.
Spread the message online, and in your community.