Coho salmon swim at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Capilano River Hatchery, in North Vancouver, on Friday July 5, 2019. The federal government is offering to buy Pacific salmon commercial fishing licences off anyone looking to get out of the industry as it tries to protect dwindling salmon stocks.
The federal government is offering to buy Pacific salmon commercial fishing licences from those looking to get out of the declining industry as it tries to protect the fish that remain. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has earmarked $123 million for the voluntary retirement program and two future initiatives that will dispose of derelict vessels and allow Indigenous communal commercial licence holders to switch to another species.Jeff Grout, a salmon resource manager with Fisheries, says about 1,300 licences are eligible for the program, which will buy them at market rate and take them out of circulation.
Fisheries and Oceans has said many salmon stocks are declining to “historic lows” due to the effects of climate change, habitat loss and other threats.