The Premier’s Wild Salmon Advisory Council is continuing its work toward the development of a renewed provincial approach to protecting and enhancing wild salmon, with the launch of community engagement sessions around the province beginning next month.

Members of the council will hold meetings in B.C. communities to hear directly from British Columbians regarding recommendations that were made as part of the options paper, presented to government earlier this fall. The paper provided key insights and guidance on protecting wild salmon and maximizing the value of this resource for British Columbia. The schedule for these community meetings will be available soon.

British Columbians unable to attend the community engagement sessions in person will be able to provide their input to the council through an online public engagement site.

The options paper provided 14 specific recommendations to support the health, habitat and management of wild salmon as well as the sustainability of the wild salmon industry in British Columbia.

Government had planned to refer the report to the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food to conduct a public engagement on the options paper but, due to scheduling challenges and time constraints, has chosen to ask the council to lead the public engagement.

The Wild Salmon Advisory Council consists of 14 British Columbians who have a broad understanding of the role that salmon play within B.C.’s environment, for coastal and inland Indigenous communities, and local economies up and down the coast.

The council is co-chaired by Chief Marilyn Slett of Heiltsuk Nation and Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan. Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, is also a council member.

Learn More:

To access the public engagement site, visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcwildsalmonstrategy/

For the Wild Salmon Advisory Council’s options paper, visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/426/2018/11/Wild-Salmon-Strategy-Options-Paper.pdf

To find out more about the Wild Salmon Advisory Council, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0045-001204