National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The West Coast’s commercial salmon fleet is clearly in the midst of transformative change.
Ottawa has shuttered approximately 60 per cent of B.C.’s commercial fisheries since 2021 and last month launched a licence buyback program to lure fish harvesters to exit the industry to protect plummeting salmon stocks.
Continue reading Who gets to fish for B.C. salmon in the future?National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The federal government is touting lofty goals at the United Nations biodiversity conference underway in Montreal, but Ottawa is failing to save iconic salmon and steelhead trout populations on the edge of extinction, B.C. conservation groups say.
Continue reading Endangered salmon are left to flounder as Canada hosts COP15National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ottawa has launched its awaited fisheries licence buyback program to protect plummeting Pacific salmon stocks on the West Coast.
Looking to fix the problem of too many boats chasing too few fish, on Wednesday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) unveiled details on its voluntary commercial licence retirement (LRP) program that will pay salmon harvesters to exit the industry.
Continue reading Feds launch licence buyback plan to scale down B.C.’s salmon fishing fleet
By Kaitlyn Bailey, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Commercial fisherman Joel Collier was shocked when he docked in Prince Rupert this past summer, seeking a shower and shops to restock on supplies, only to find that many of the services and businesses he expected had disappeared.
“Prince Rupert being a huge fishing hub in the past, it was a pretty alarming change,” Melissa Collier, Joel’s wife, a fellow fisherman and co-owner of their harvest business, said.
Continue reading Commercial fisherman alarmed by lack of amenities in Prince Rupert harbour
By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After a sluggish first week, activists took to the streets of New York City to push delegates negotiating a United Nations high seas treaty to act with urgency.
The “high seas” — waters that aren’t managed by a nation — account for roughly two-thirds of the world’s oceans. The vast majority are unprotected. A UN high seas treaty would be the first legally binding conservation framework for these waters, and would enable protection from overfishing, industry, resource extraction — like deep sea mining — and other activities. The treaty is key if the world is to protect 30 per cent of oceans by 2030, something more than 100 countries, including Canada, have called for.
Continue reading Activists call on UN delegates to move fast on high seas treaty
