Resource: An Open Letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney: Canada’s next Fisheries Minister should come from British Columbia

May 8, 2025

By Email To: The Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

Re: Canada’s next Fisheries Minister should come from British Columbia

Dear Prime Minister,

As critical Pacific Salmon Treaty renegotiations with the United States approach, and with the persistent threat of Alaskan overfishing, the ongoing phase-out of open-net salmon farms in B.C., and the necessity of building on the previous Liberal government’s Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, we believe that Canada would be best served by appointing a Fisheries Minister from British Columbia. Here’s why:

1. Alaska’s extensive interception fisheries on Canadian salmon continue to pose a significant and immediate risk to the stability and future of one of Canada’s most important fisheries.
2. The Pacific Salmon Treaty, a vital bilateral management tool for both nations, will be renegotiated during your leadership.
3. The previous government’s $647 million investment to reverse the decline of Pacific salmon requires strategic continuity to safeguard its intended outcomes.
4. The crucial work of transitioning B.C.’s foreign-owned salmon farming industry onto land is in its early stages. A Minister from B.C. will inherently understand the importance of completing this process.
5. British Columbia’s fisheries are unique in that the principle of adjacency does not apply, allowing foreign beneficial owners to profit from harvesting and processing our seafood. The urgently needed reform of British Columbia’s fishery management framework has been discussed extensively and needs to be implemented.
6. The threat from offshore industrial fishing fleets remains acute along Canada’s 25,725 km Pacific coastline.

Prime Minister Carney, the fisheries of British Columbia are integral to the livelihoods of Indigenous people, commercial harvesters, anglers, guides, lodge owners, processors, retailers, numerous local businesses, and consumers. Healthy fisheries translate to greater prosperity, well-being, and security for Canadians. Furthermore, many of British Columbia’s unique ecosystems are fundamentally supported by salmon river networks that additionally underpin culture, recreation, tourism, and the resulting economic security these landscapes provide for many BC communities. A capable and knowledgeable Fisheries Minister from B.C. is best positioned to protect Canadian food security, defend our coastal economies, uphold our sovereignty and constitutional rights, and ensure the resilience and success of our ecosystems and the fisheries they sustain in a rapidly changing world.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sincerely,

Aaron Hill
Executive Director
Watershed Watch Salmon Society

Misty MacDuffee
Wild Salmon Program Director
Raincoast Conservation Foundation

Greg Knox
Board Chair
SkeenaWild Conservation Trust

CC by Email to: The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada.