Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is considering eliminating the principle that salmon are a public resource to be managed for the benefit of all Canadians in its new Salmon Allocation Policy.
First Nations are asking DFO to eliminate this principle from the policy that will guide allocation of salmon among First Nations Food, Ceremonial and Social fisheries, First Nations treaty-based fisheries, non-Indigenous recreational fishers, and commercial fisheries.
The changes proposed are a radical shift in the principles that govern conservation and access to public resources, removing existing recreational fishing opportunities, and curtailing public access to salmon.
Concerned Canadians can email their objections and suggestions to DFO at DFO.SAPreviewBC-PASRevueBC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
The deadline to respond is January 23, 2026.
Learn more here: fishingrights.ca
Read the DFO discussion paper here: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Discussion Paper
Background
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is reviewing Canada’s Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP), which is used to prioritize allocation of the Pacific salmon harvest among recreational fishers, commercial fishers, and First Nations.
The federal government’s current Salmon Allocation Policy maintains, “Salmon is a common property resource that is managed by the federal government on behalf of all Canadians, both present and future.”
The Common Property Resource principle has guided public resource management for hundreds of years, with roots dating back to the Magna Carta common law of 1215. In current practice, it holds that salmon belong to all Canadians.
Removing the principle of common property would shift public access to fishing from a federal, conservation-based management approach to an optional privilege granted by First Nations. Non-Indigenous Canadians would be last in line for fishing opportunities under this approach.
“Extinguishing the rights of Canadians to a shared public resource is unacceptable and likely irreversible,” said Zeman. “The public right to fish is cherished by Canadians. I cannot conceive of a world where I can’t take my children out to fish, let alone their children. A right lost will be lost forever.”
DFO is also being pushed to remove the public’s priority access to Chinook and coho salmon, the most important salmon species for recreational fishing on the West Coast. Recreational fishing supports more than 9,000 jobs and $1.275 billion in revenue in B.C., far more than commercial fisheries.
The Sport Fishing Advisory Board, which includes the BCWF, is strongly opposed to these changes. While Aboriginal and treaty rights take priority, the Public Right to Fish should not be infringed or extinguished by Aboriginal rights.
“We are calling on all Canadians to let DFO know that their rights are not to be bargained away,” said Zeman. “This is a life-or-death situation for coastal communities and a radical change to the principles that govern conservation of public resources. Alarm bells should be ringing from coast to coast.”
BCWF supports a modernized SAP that reflects the needs of all Canadians
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is reviewing Canada’s Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP), which is used to prioritize allocation of the Pacific salmon harvest among recreational fishers, commercial fishers, and First Nations.
The Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) has submitted its own analysis of the key principles and legal obligations likely to impact the modernized policy, including: Aboriginal Rights as defined in the Constitution and advanced in decisions of the courts, and; the Public Right to Fish as a Common Law principle in Canada and British Columbia.
The B.C. Wildlife Federation supports these principles for consideration by the federal government as it pursues a modernized Salmon Allocation Policy:
- No allocation for any group should put conservation objectives at risk.
- Salmon is a common property resource that is managed by the federal government on behalf of all Canadians, both present and future.
- We define priority for the purposes of fisheries allocation as “the priority of consideration,” meaning no group should be excluded from access to shared resources such as salmon.
- While Aboriginal and treaty rights take priority, the SFAB asserts that the Public Right to Fish should not be infringed or extinguished by Aboriginal rights.
- We support priority for First Nations Food, Social and Ceremonial fisheries and Indigenous rights-based commercial fisheries, consistent with the Constitution and relevant decisions by Canadian courts.
- A modernized SAP must recognize that access to most salmon stocks is constrained by by-catch and incidental mortality limits for stocks of conservation concern.
- Hook-and-line fishing by the public is highly selective and consistent with conservation objectives.
The BCWF is a key stakeholder on the Sport Fishing Advisory Board and helped support the legal costs associated with the SFAB analysis.
Read the full document below: