OTTAWA – In the House of Commons yesterday (November 5), Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for an inquiry into the sockeye salmon shortage in B.C.
“We are very concerned about the low and falling returns of sockeye salmon in British Columbia,” the Prime Minister said, before adding that Trade Minister Stockwell Day will provide further details today (November 6). “[He] will be making an announcement outlining the terms of reference for a judicial inquiry, as well as the judge who will lead that inquiry.”
This comes after speculation about the collapse of the sockeye run on the Fraser River. It turns out only about one million fish returned to spawn, while between 10 and 13 million had been expected. The fallout was felt during the summer as the shortfall led to the closure of commercial, recreation and aboriginal sockeye fisheries on the river.
In what some are calling the worst return on record, there is ongoing concern about the long-term outlook for the B.C. salmon stocks.
