DFO: Ministerial Roundtable on Resource Sustainability

I was very pleased to be in Vancouver yesterday to host a roundtable discussion on the salmon fishery in British Columbia. We had members of the provincial government, First Nations community, harvesters, processors, sport fishers, and conservation interests all together to discuss what we can do together to sustain the salmon fishery in B.C.

Canada's New Government has made significant contributions to B.C. fisheries. Under the Fraser Basin Initiative, we committed $10 million to support collaborative projects aimed at conserving the rebuilding of salmon stocks in the Fraser River watershed. This year, we funded 28 separate projects. Then in July, we announced a $175 million to improve catch monitoring and reporting, support greater participation of First Nations and an integrated commercial Pacific fishery, and put in place a common set of rules for everyone.

Yesterday's discussions expanded on this financial support and laid the groundwork for dealing with the health and future of B.C.'s fishery especially in light of some challenging environmental conditions. We talked about the need for more scientific research, building economic stability through working co-operatively, and taking a look at how we can improve marketability of our product by emphasizing quality over quantity.

We had an open exchange of ideas and views. We need to continue this spirit of cooperation and collaboration in order to attain our goals to conserve salmon in B.C. and ensure the health of this remarkable fish.

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