Salmon Steward

26 spring/summer 2020 psf.ca VOICES FOR SALMON M artin Paish has been fishing and caring for Pacific salmon in B.C. all of his life. "Salmon fishing, salmon management and salmon stewardship have been a part of dinner table discussions and everyday life since before I can remember," he says. Martin thanks his father, Howard, for this acute awareness of Pacific salmon's role on the West Coast. From the moment he caught his first salmon off of French Creek in 1968, a three-pound blueback, it's safe to say he was hooked. Martin put himself through university by devoting his summers to working as a fishing and hunting guide, and went on to work for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on a salmon enumeration fence in the Yukon for an additional summer. This led him to pursue a 28-year career in lodge management, enabling him to do what he first fell in love with: fishing this iconic species in some of the most high-profile spots across B.C. An active member of the Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) since 1997, Martin is able to dedicate the time and effort to understand what is vitally needed to Martin Paish CONSERVATION THROUGH COLLABORATION M y salmon adventure started with a summer in one of the most beautiful places in the world: Rivers Inlet. I was a research assistant study- ing salmon health with scientists at Simon Fraser University (SFU). My time spent on the water with members of the Wuikinuxv Nation and the staff of Good Hope Cannery opened my eyes to the immense beauty and importance of Pacific salmon, and I have dedicated myself to understanding and conserving them ever since. It was very timely, then, that the federal government announced the $142-million British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF) in the summer of 2019 as I was completing my master's research at University of British Columbia (UBC) and considering how best to apply myself to salmon conservation. Over the next five years, this fund will support projects all over the province with a focus on innovation, infrastructure and science partnerships to ensure the long-term sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. Of the 192 projects submitted, 23 were approved by August, one of which was a science-based hatchery review by the Pacific Salmon Foundation. Every year, roughly 300 million fish are released from B.C.'s hatcheries to enhance dwindling stocks and sustain fisheries. However, despite the overwhelming investment in salmonid enhancement operations, surprisingly little work has been done to review their effectiveness and the impact of hatchery releases on wild populations. Results to date from PSF's Salish Sea Marine Survival Project highlight the continued poor survival from hatchery programs around the Strait of Georgia. For example, PIT tag results from the Cowichan River show consistent survival rates less than 50 per cent than that of wild fish. The goal of this review Samantha James PSF BIOLOGIST A BETTER PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY is to change that — to optimize hatchery practices and improve the efficiency of enhancement strategies. The review will be conducted in close collaboration with members of Department of Fisheries and Ocean's (DFO) Salmonid Enhancement Program and will be transparent, evidence- based and objective. I was brought onto the team specifically to explore the effectiveness of hatchery release strategies. When is the best time to be releasing fish? What is the optimal smolt size? How is this different for each species of salmon? Are seapens giving us the results we want? Which strategies work best in which regions? Answering these and other key questions will be the first step towards a more efficient enhancement strategy for Pacific salmon stocks. The importance of this project cannot be understated, and I am proud to be working with the PSF and DFO to bring you the answers. Samantha James (right) personally recounts her path to stewardship.

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