As per the press communiqué of Canadian government the Fisheries Ministry has announced the first round of a two-year, $ 28.5-million licence retirement program. The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, said that the program aims to boost the economic viability of the commercial chinook troll fishery off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. She added that the government is committed to sustainable and economically viable fisheries on the West Coast and across Canada.
According to Minister Ashfield this licence retirement program will help commercial fishermen and coastal communities manage the recent reduction in the total allowable harvest of chinook off the West Coast of Vancouver Island under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. New program will modernize the Department’s commercial salmon allocation framework and funds to support economic development on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.
The Minister also said that the mitigation program is designed to reduce effort in the commercial salmon troll fishery and to protect and conserve weak Canadian and U.S. chinook stocks. In the first round of the licence retirement program, the Department will accept bids from harvesters in the West Coast commercial troll fishery (Area G).
