New salmon agreement to cover five species over 10 years

The details over a newly negotiated agreement under the Pacific Salmon Commission, are starting to filter out, one which will provide a ten year blueprint for the controversial North American Pacific fishery.

It comes amidst a ticking clock highlighting some of the critical issues of the fishery, which this year has seen an outright ban from Washington State to California and possible closures anticipated in British Columbia.

The Canadian Press outlined some of the details last week, while the Daily News had coverage in Thursday’s paper.

The agreement has fans and enemies on both sides of the border, we look at some of the feedback below, with a number of links to articles pro and con on the deal listed following the Daily News story.

Canada and U.S. mull new salmon agreement
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Pages one and three

A newly drafted fishing agreement between Canada and the United States could set out new 10-year sustainable harvest sharing regimes for the resource if approved by both governments.

Last week, the Pacific Salmon Commission announced that after 18 months of negotiations, it was recommending a new bilateral agreement for the neighbouring countries that would represent a major step forward in science-based conservation and sustainable harvest of Pacific salmon.

The agreement covers fisheries occurring along more than a thousand miles of coast line and inland waters, from central Oregon to southeast Alaska.

"I think we can all be proud of this new agreement," said Dr. Jeffrey Koenings, chair of the Pacific Salmon Commission.

"This agreement will contribute to the massive efforts underway throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada to restore and sustain the salmon resource, as well as bring greater stability and certainty to fisheries throughout the treaty area."

The new agreement would cover five species of salmon comprising thousands of separate stocks ranging from healthy and abundant to threatened and declining.

However, the Pacific Salmon Commission recognizes that the coordinating the management of salmon fisheries across numerous authorities spanning one province, one territory, four states and dozens of First Nations presents one of the most complex fishery management challenges in the world.

"From my position as executive secretary, it has been particularly gratifying to observe the commission's progress throughout these difficult negotiations, and to see that the commission now functions well enough to achieve this enormous success," said Don Kowal, executive secretary of the Pacific Salmon Commission.

"There was a time, prior to the 1999 agreement, when this kind of success simply was not achievable by the commission.

"The new agreement is designed to provide for effective conservation of the resource, and to address the interests of the people affected by it," he added.

Following the terms of the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the agreement will now be sent to the Canadian and American governments with a recommendation for formal approval.

In Canada the approval process will involve First Nations and other stakeholder groups, but because some of the affected salmon stocks are listed under the United States Endangered Species Act, approval by the U.S. will first require satisfying the legal requirements of that law.

If stakeholders in Canada and the U.S. both approve the agreement, the final step in the approval process will be an exchange of diplomatic notes between Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Secretary of State.

It is hoped that this final step will be concluded prior to the end of 2008, with each country's domestic management authorities implementing the agreement in 2009.

Vancouver Sun-- B.C. industry slams U.S. salmon treaty

Globe and Mail-- Salmon deal sells out fishermen, B.C. trollers say

Seattle Times-- A workable fix to save salmon

Seattle Post-Intelligencer-- Canadians agree to cut key salmon catch 30 percent

Tacoma News Tribune-- Putting the fate of salmon first

Victoria Times-Colonist-- Deal would cut salmon catch by 30 per cent

The Oregonian-- Salmon deal negotiated to raise returns to the Columbia River

Los Angeles Times-- Canada U. S. agree on salmon protection