Reviewing 20 years of progress towards sustainable fisheries under Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy

The Wild Salmon Policy was adopted in 2005, to safeguard salmon biodiversity and provide sustainable benefits to Canadians. Over the last 20 years the WSP has made important contributions to conservation, but many gaps remain. We find that many Conservation Units (83%; 324/390) have not had status assessments, a key element of the WSP. Changes in fisheries targeting Skeena and Nass sockeye, and Interior Fraser River coho salmon have promoted recovery of some CUs, but failure to robustly implement WSP strategies for north and central coast chum and coho salmon populations creates conservation risks with potentially devastating consequences for fisheries and ecosystems. Most Chinook salmon CUs in British Columbia are unassessed (81%; 65/80), and two out of the 15 assessed CUs are considered healthy (green status zone). Despite these risks, changes in the management of mixed-stock Chinook fisheries have been inadequate for reversing declines. A renewed commitment to WSP implementation, and an increased focus on transitioning harvest out of high-risk mixed-stock fisheries can support improved outcomes for Pacific salmon in Canada.