A pink salmon fishery in British Columbia, Canada, has become the first in the province to gain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
The Walcan Quinsam River Pink Salmon fishery is now certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard, the organization announced in a press release. The fishery is managed by the A-Tlegay Member Nations, which includes the We Wai Kai Nation, Wei Wai Kum First Nation, Kwiakah First Nation, Tlowitsis Nation, and the K’ómoks First Nation.
“This MSC certification reflects decades of stewardship and collaboration,” Walcan Seafood President Camerion Pirie said. “Working alongside the We Wai Kai and Wei Wai Kum Nations to harvest only surplus salmon, we’re able to protect the resource while bringing a premium product to market.”
Walcan Seafood is a processor and exporter of wild and farmed seafood, and the company partners with the Wei Wai Kai First Nation at its Quinsam River hatchery to harvest wild pink salmon. The fishery is located at the Quinsam River weir, a tributary of the Campbell River, which according to MSC allows for selective management of the fishery.
“The fishery occurs during the pink salmon run from late July through October, only in years when salmon returns are surplus to the need for natural spawning and hatchery broodstock,” MSC said. “Non-target species are intercepted in low numbers and are released upstream unharmed, minimizing environmental impact.”
Management of the fishery is performed through Canada’s Reconciliation Framework Agreement for Fisheries Resources. Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans recently signed a 20-year Reconciliation Agreement for Fisheries Resources with the A-Tlegay Member Nations, which put a collaborative governance structure in place and recognized the role the member nations had in managing the fisheries in the region.
Revenue from fish sales from the fishery are reinvested into A-Tlegay Member Nation communities and support local economic development, MSC said.
“As a species that is central to the cultural and economic fabric of coastal communities in British Columbia, we are thrilled to have wild Canadian salmon in the MSC program,” MSC Canada Program Director Kurtis Hayne said. “The Walcan Quinsam River fishery is an example of strong Indigenous leadership, careful stewardship, and science-based decision-making that delivers positive outcomes for both ecosystems and communities.”
