Vancouver Island experiences best salmon return in decades
“We’ve seen good returns across species and populations,” said Greg Taylor, senior fisheries advisor to Watershed Watch Salmon Society.
“This is one of the best returns that there’s been for the last 20 years I would suggest,” Peter McCully, biologist and longtime volunteer with Goldstream Hatchery.
As DFO hands more responsibility for salmon management to First Nations, Taylor believes this partnership could be key to safeguarding the salmon’s future. “First Nations are stepping up and they bring a different ethic to it,” he said. “It’s a marriage between good science, good management, and a different belief system when it comes to [salmon] management.”
In 2022 open-net salmon farms were removed from the Discovery Islands – a key migration route for wild Pacific salmon.