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1999 September and November Report of the Auditor General of Canada

September and November 1999 Report—Chapter 20

Appendix B—Conditions Necessary to Achieve Sustainable Fisheries

• An ecosystem-based management system has been adopted. As a result, the watershed is the essential stewardship unit and local watershed interests are directly involved in fisheries and environmental management decisions.
• Salmon escapement goals (how many fish must return to a stream to sustain the run) are established by using a habitat-based conservation approach and consider non-human uses of salmon and the ecosystem (biodiversity, wildlife, etc.). In addition, managers recognize the inherent variability in the productive capacity of freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats, and the impact of this variability on salmon populations.
• Resource managers have adopted a risk averse approach to harvest management, which minimizes the potential for not achieving escapement goals.
• Salmon fisheries have been restructured to reduce mixed-stock fisheries, increase terminal fisheries, emphasize selective harvesting methods, and expand stock-specific fisheries.
• Decisions on the allocation of surplus salmon and steelhead production are independent from biological decisions that establish the total allowable harvest of these resources.
• The emphasis of artificial propagation has shifted from salmonid production (to support harvests) toward salmonid restoration (helping to rebuild weaker stocks).
• The social and political environment has changed to focus decision-making authority in watersheds, to provide incentives for stewardship initiatives, and to establish regional and international oversight for salmon production.