cover image: The evolution of commercial salmon fisheries in British Columbia

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The evolution of commercial salmon fisheries in British Columbia

14 Dec 2004

"British Columbia's wild salmon stocks are healthy and well-managed." "B.C. salmon stocks are over-fished and on the brink of collapse." These diametrically opposed statements are typical of the polarized public discourse surrounding the current state of British Columbia's wild salmon stocks. Which statement is true? Technically neither, though ample support could no doubt be generated for each position. In truth, assessing the state of salmon stocks and understanding the factors influencing salmon abundance are extraordinarily complex. Without doubt, one of the elements impacting BC's salmon stocks is the commercial salmon fishery. As a major user of the salmon resource, the commercial salmon fleet must clearly conduct its fishing operations in a responsible and sustainable manner. Has this been the case? Has the commercial salmon fleet adapted its fishing practices over the past few decades in response to shifting environmental, competitive, and political pressures? Is the commercial salmon fleet now a responsible steward of the resource, as portrayed in some circles, or an un-checked fish-slaughtering gauntlet, as claimed in others? In this paper, we shed light on how the management and operation of the commercial salmon fishery has changed over the past few decades, so that the reader may make an informed assessment of how this key salmon resource user is contributing to, or detracting from, the overall health and diversity of BC's salmon stocks. Before chronicling changes in the conduct of the Pacific commercial salmon fishery over time, we provide some background information to allow the reader to view the commercial salmon fishery in its proper context.
oceans agriculture environment aquaculture conservation water science and technology natural resources biology fish overfishing fishing rivers fishes fisheries management fish and humans gillnetting fishing pressure gillnet oncorhynchus coho salmon catch shares sockeye salmon chinook chinook salmon sockeye coho chum wild salmon pacific salmon fisheries gillnetters trollers

Authors

Nelson, Stuart

ISBN
9781897110225
Pages
38
Published in
Canada

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