Gaps in policy implementation obscure conservation progress after two decades under Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy

Canada’s Policy for Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon (WSP) was designed to protect wild Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) by prioritizing biodiversity, habitat integrity, and sustainable management. While the policy established enduring conservation orthodoxy within Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), implementation has been slow, inconsistent, and incomplete. Major gaps in habitat assessments, population monitoring, and strategic planning have limited the policy’s effectiveness in reversing salmon declines. Fragmented governance, discretionary decision-making, and insufficient regulatory enforcement further weaken the policy. Using case studies of Skeena sockeye ( Oncorhynchus nerka), Interior Fraser coho ( Oncorhynchus kisutch), and Cowichan chinook ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), we illustrate both successes and shortcomings in policy application. We recommend prioritizing population assessments, supporting Indigenous and regional leadership, considering salmon ecosystems in management decisions, strengthening the policy’s legal authority and governance structures, increasing resources for implementation, and strengthening science-based decision making. Without urgent action, the Wild Salmon Policy risks remaining an aspirational framework rather than a functional conservation tool. Addressing these deficiencies is essential to ensuring the long-term resilience of wild Pacific salmon against environmental and anthropogenic threats.