Finding Common Ground So Salmon Can Swim

Justice Bruce Cohen commission on the decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon will be difficult but hopefully meaningful.

Salmon farmers, environmentalists, commercial fishermen, and First Nations – while their opinions may vary widely on many issues, they all agreed on one thing this past week: Justice Bruce Cohen has a long, tough job ahead of him.

On June 15 and 16, Justice Cohen, who was selected by Prime Minister Harper last year to lead the federal inquiry into the decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon, heard preliminary presentations from many of the groups granted standing for the commission. The presentations were intended to highlight any missing items from his discussion paper, released a week before, and help to establish priorities for investigation.

The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association feels that the discussion paper outlines the complexity of the issue and gives an indication of how difficult it will be to assess. Our representative agreed with other presenters who said that a holistic approach needs to be applied to the assessment of the sockeye’s ecosystem, and that scientific experts and site visits should be open to all participants.

We also agree that the timeline for the commission presents a challenge. Over 40,000 documents have already been released, and the Government of Canada suggested in their presentation that hundreds if not thousands more might be on their way. While that makes full assessment difficult for everyone, it will make it nearly impossible for some groups that are relying on government-appointed funding. We support these groups’ request that more funds be made available, even though we would not access that money.

The reason for our support on this point is simple. Justice Cohen’s task is a difficult one, but everyone engaged wants it to be meaningful too, with real outcomes that the public feels confident in. If some groups feel at the end that they couldn’t fully participate, this commission will have missed an opportunity to unite British Columbians around a precious resource we are all passionate about.

We are confident in the process and in the people who have been selected to engage – from participants to scientific advisors. A raft of expertise is ready to be applied to the full issue of survival for wild salmon, from climate change to loss of habitat, predation, fisheries management, logging, industrial activity, and more.

The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association feels the commission is a primary priority this year – we see it as an opportunity to correct misinformation, answer questions, and share the extensive scientific and procedural work that has been done to make our industry the well-managed, sustainable business it is.

We’re here to find co-operative solutions – to find opportunities for consensus. And, considering the submissions about the challenging work ahead of Justice Cohen, it seems we’ve already found our first point of agreement.