West Coast and Other Fisheries West Coast Fishery

West Coast and Other Fisheries

West Coast Fishery • Salmon is most important (400 times larger than Atlantic catch) • 5 Kinds: Coho, pink, spring, chum, and best of all, sockeye. • Also harvests: herring, halibut, cod, crab, shrimp, and oysters

Salmon on West Coast? • Life Cycle: • Hatch in fresh water streams and swim to Pacific • • • to spend adult lives Mature salmon return to coastal waters during summer and fall (this is where fishermen await them) The ones that escape, head for the same stream where they were hatched. They lay their eggs in the gravel beds and then die

Collapse of West Coast Fishery • Re-evaluation of West Coast fish management as • • a result of disaster on East Concern came in 1994 when 1 million fewer salmon arrived to spawn Many thought Dept. of Fisheries didn’t have enough data to make informed decision on how many fish could now be caught every year

Reasons for Collapse 1. 2. 3. Over fishing Changes in the Environment Lack of Salmon Treaty

Over Fishing • 1990’s: US and Cdn boats bringing in over 800, 000 tons/year • Salmon could not survive at this rate • Too few adults reached spawning rivers • Where there was once over 100 major fish -processing plants in BC, now there are fewer than 10

Changes in Environment • Increase of temp in Pacific Ocean which threatens salmon habitat • Salmon like temp below 7ºC • California has already lost salmon to the North (BC/Alaska) • If continues, southern limit will continue to move north towards Alaska and Bering Sea

Lack of Salmon Treaty • Dispute between Canada and USA concerning • • where salmon may be caught and how much may be taken by each country Canada states coho is diminishing, while US officials say there’s enough (restrictions not needed) As long as the 2 countries can’t come to agreement, salmon may disappear completely

Challenges to West Coast • 1. 2. 3. 3 Competing demands for salmon in BC Commercial Fishing Sport Fishing by the First Nations

Commercial Fishing • 80’s and 90’s caught 94% of salmon • Other groups caught about 3% total

Sport Fishing • Wants bigger share of available salmon • Reason is economic: -a salmon caught by a recreational angler yields a much greater economic benefit than a salmon caught by a commercial-fishing boat

First Nation Fishing Demand is growing for 2 reasons: 1. Supreme Court decision in 1990 guaranteed the right of the First Nations to fish for their own food as well as for social and ceremonial purposes. This takes precedence over all other considerations except conservation 2. The right to fish commercially is a focus of many First Nations land claims in BC

Another Challenge… • Aquaculture: Fish farms • More salmon than caught in wild • Value of salmon caught by commercial boats in 2002 was about $57 million • Value of salmon raised on fish farms is about $521 million • Has made it tough for fishermen trying to earn a living

Fresh Water Fishery • Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, Great Slave Lake, and 600 other small lakes • Great Lakes is most important, and Lake Erie is the largest producer • Species: pickerel, whitefish, trout, perch • Less than 2% of total fish caught in Canada • Only about 7000 jobs

Sport Fishing • Major industry that generates more money than all commercial fishing in the country • About 4 million people/year, 1 million from other countries • Spend about $6. 7 billion ( boats, guides, accommodations, food, equipment, etc) • 2/3’s occurs in Ontario