U.S., Canada Cut Bait Again, Leave Salmon Talks Reeling Coho, Fraser River Sockeye Numbers Cause Breakdown This Time

Pacific Salmon Treaty talks broke down Friday for the second time this year.

There was no indication when or if the negotiations between Canada and the United States might resume.

The talks - to renew the U.S.-Canadian treaty dividing the Pacific salmon harvest - had resumed Wednesday after collapsing May 20 in Seattle.

Negotiations bogged down over the issue of coho and Fraser River sockeye.

The United States wanted reductions in the coho catch, which Canada was willing to accept due to dangerously low coho levels.

Canada, meanwhile, wants reduced U.S. catches of Fraser River sockeye. The United States wants about 20 percent of the run, while Canada wants to hold the U.S. share down to about 16 percent, Canadian Press reported.

Negotiators didn’t even get to Canadian allegations about overfishing in Alaska, the issue that has caused friction in the past.

Canada walked out of the last round of talks when Canadian negotiator Yves Fortier discovered his U.S. counterpart didn’t have authority to negotiate a deal without getting clearance from American stakeholders.

In another development, British Columbia Premier Glen Clark announced he was canceling a lease that allowed the U.S. Navy to test torpedoes off Vancouver Island.

The treaty covers salmon management in waters off Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and southeast Alaska. The 1985 pact is supposed to be renewed annually, but negotiators have not been able to reach agreement on terms for renewal since 1994.