Reflections on Canada’s 2005 Wild Pacific Salmon Policy (WSP) with Suggestions Going Forward

This paper highlights the need for more integrated and strategic planning to conserve Canada’s wild Pacific salmon amidst climate change. Two decades after the release of the WSP, which shifted management focus away from fisheries to the restoration and maintenance of ecologically and/or genetically distinct units of diversity (i.e., conservation units (CUs)), salmon (including steelhead) populations continue to decline. Reasons are diverse but generally well-known. Of many suggestions going forward, the author highlights the need to (1) expand the vision for domestic salmon management that maintains an overall focus on conservation while acknowledging that socioeconomic benefits sometimes take precedence; (2) set realistic goals for all Conservation and Stock Management Units recognising the constraints imposed by a changing climate; (3) develop a structured decision-making process that defines measurable actions to achieve these goals while considering individual CU status; (4) strengthen Canadian leadership to build international consensus on density dependent effects of competition in the marine environment and appropriate responses; and (5) ensure adequate stable funding to monitor salmon populations and their ecosystems, with findings made readily accessible.