It's time for a fair Pacific Salmon Treaty

As soon as salmon harvest seasons open here on the West coast, the Alaskan fleet is ready to pounce. It’s not a new headline. Fisheries in Southeast Alaska have always positioned themselves along the migration route that millions of salmon take from the North Pacific feeding grounds to their home rivers as far south as California. Alaska’s interception fisheries are the first, and the largest of several interception fisheries that pluck salmon off their migration routes.

Because these fisheries intercept salmon from populations that migrate across borders, the Pacific Salmon Treaty was signed to ensure that returns to each country are equivalent to production. The treaty has since become a cornerstone of fisheries management in Alaska, B.C., Oregon and Washington. However, this 10-year-old agreement has not prevented overfishing, and many of our populations have gone into rapid decline under its tenure.

If we unite to demand a better treaty, we’ll build the power we need to ensure our government and representatives to the Treaty process don’t settle for a deal that undermines our salmon. Learn more about why Canadian negotiators need to stand firm for a fair Pacific Salmon Treaty: