Salmon Allocation Policy Review
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
January 23, 2026
RE: Review of 1999 Salmon Allocation Policy
To whom it may concern,
As the Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands I became aware of this consultation on the Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP) through concerned constituents. As the deadline is today, I wanted to offer some thoughts. However, I want to preface this submission by noting that the consultation is clearly for those entities playing an operational role in the BC salmon fishery. It is not a conventional public consultation.
The 1999 SAP appears to have served us well. No doubt in 2026 it is clear some updates are needed. The former Minister of Fisheries, the Honourable Dominic Leblanc, made the decision in 2018 that it was time for modernization. Balancing and respecting Indigenous rights holders with the settler culture and divergent interests of sports fishers
(recreational) and commercial, all with varying degrees of priority in the conservation of five species of wild salmon is a complex and sensitive endeavor. The role of non-governmental groups specializing in science-based wild salmon conservation has been significant and valuable.
I want to commend DFO for having undertaken this exercise with caution and respect to those interests. In my own consultations with various participants in this process, I have heard praise for DFO’s work in reform of the related and complex issue of hatcheries for Chinook. Currently Chinook are plentiful due to the Chinook hatcheries in Washington
State. DFO has made real progress in reform of the hatchery policy.
The concern I want to share is that despite careful efforts from DFO to communicate the steps being taken regarding the updating of the SAP, it is clear that the short timeline for this online process has created unnecessary concerns, even panic, in some sectors.
As the first posting for this process was in early December 2025 with a deadline of today, January 23, 2026, the timing was not ideal. Obviously, many concerned with the salmon allocation process were, like all Canadians, on holiday through much of this period. My suspicion is that a longer timeline for this phase of the multi-year consultation framework might have alleviated concerns, particularly in the recreational fishery sector. By far, the largest number of letters of concern I have received, as well as people speaking up in my local community meetings have been from recreational fishery representatives fearing an imminent re-allocation to their detriment.
To avoid unnecessary ruptures in the delicate balances achieved in allocation policy, I suggest a pause would be wise. We must respect Indigenous rights. That is fundamental. So too we must ensure that the conservation of wild salmon is the paramount objective. So too, all British Columbians are concerned with the fate of our Southern Resident Killer whales. Those issues are related but not currently central to this exercise.
Thank you for your consideration of my comments.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth May, O.C.
Member of Parliament
Saanich-Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada