B.C. Fishermen Push For New Salmon Treaty B.C. Groups Rally, Launch Newspaper Ad Campaign
British Columbia fishing groups are launching an advertising campaign in Canada and the United States to press for a new Pacific salmon treaty.
About 20 people from commercial, sport and native fisheries rallied in front of the U.S. consulate here on Monday over the lack of a treaty.
Jim Sinclair of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union said the treaty issue is not related to Canada’s federal elections Monday but is simply about the fair allocation of fish.
Talks aimed at reaching a deal on dividing the West Coast salmon catch have broken off and no new talks are scheduled.
The dispute heated up last week when four American boats were seized as Canada enforced a requirement that U.S. boats check in with Canadian authorities when they enter Canadian waters. The boats were released after their skippers paid fines of about $220 in U.S. dollars.
The United States then said it was suspending resumption of treaty negotiations scheduled for Friday until there is a more favorable climate for talks.
“The Americans have to come to the table … for the simple sake they’re going to be saving the salmon, if nothing else,” said fisherman Don Mollard, who parked his boat in front of the consulate Monday.
“We can’t expect Canadians to subsidize enhancement programs for the Americans to catch. It’s just as simple as that.”
Sinclair said British Columbia fishing interests will keep up the pressure on politicians from both countries with a print ad campaign in the region’s large daily newspapers this week and with another rally in Vancouver on Thursday.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll be running ads outlining what we consider to be the issues that we’re facing with the Americans today,” Sinclair said.
“It’s a call for Canadians and for Americans to show their concern and to pressure the governments to come up with a reasonable solution to this problem.”
Sinclair said the ads will run in the Vancouver Sun and Province, The Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The News Tribune of Tacoma, the Juneau (Alaska) Empire and the Portland Oregonian.
The treaty covers salmon management in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and southeastern Alaska and guarantees each nation “equity,” which is defined as benefits from the fish in proportion to the spawning that occurs in each nation’s inland waters.
Canada says U.S. fishermen have been catching roughly 4 million more salmon each year than they should be, while the United States claims Canada doesn’t calculate the value of the fish correctly.
xxxx