RIGHTS-HOLDER COASTAL FIRST NATIONS CELEBRATE BOTH THE CYCLICAL SOCKEYE RETURN AND THE CONTINUATION OF SALMON FARMING IN THEIR TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES
LAICH-KWIL-TACH TERRITORY/CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – The Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS) welcomes the promising Fraser River sockeye returns observed in 2025—good news for our communities and our marine environments that we have cared for since time immemorial. As rights-holders and guardians of our coastal waters, we pair our Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western science to steward both wild and farmed fisheries that sustain our communities.
While this is a time for celebration in our communities, we remain deeply disappointed to see that recent media coverage erroneously claims that this year’s strong Fraser sockeye returns are the result of salmon farm closures. They are not linked. Peer-reviewed science does not support these broad claims. The Department of Fisheries and Ocean’s peer-reviewed Discovery Islands risk assessments—completed in direct response to the Cohen Commission—concluded no more than a minimal risk to migrating Fraser River sockeye.
When such one-sided narratives go unchallenged, they threaten and undermine:
- Our Rights & Title and our role as decision-makers for our Territories
- Reconciliation & equity opportunities through Indigenous-led aquaculture partnerships
- Year-round jobs & revenues that keep families together and support our communities
- Evidence-based decision-making, by dismissing peer-reviewed federal science; and
- Food security and affordability, by weakening a reliable domestic supply of nutritious, low-carbon protein for Canadians.
First Nations know these runs rise and fall. The ocean changes from year to year, and when conditions line up, sockeye salmon do well, whether farms are operating or not. For example, the 2010 Fraser sockeye run—about 28.2 million fish—was the largest in living memory while farms were operating, underscoring that attributing big returns solely to farm removals does not tell the whole story. Issues that impact salmon include climate change, overfishing, marine mismanagement, past logging, and development practices.
Long-run trends from the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) provide essential context when evaluating any single season:
Average returns are higher post-1990.
- 1950-1989: – approximately 6.54 Million total returns
- 1990-2023: approximately 7.9 Million total returns
Data Source: https://www.psc.org/publications/data/
For many coastal First Nations, responsible, Indigenous-led salmon farming provides a vehicle towards participating in and supporting an economy that works for all Canadians. It creates good-paying, year-round jobs and revenues in rural and coastal regions, supports youth training and development programs, and helps keep families on the water connected to their culture. Salmon aquaculture also strengthens Canada’s food system by providing a reliable domestic supply of low-carbon, nutritious protein, which is vital as the federal government works toward an economy that works for all Canadians, is fair across generations, and lowers the cost of living.
Dallas Smith, Tlowitsis First Nation and spokesperson for the FNFFS Coalition said: “The First Nations Finfish Coalition continues to call for science-based, rights-holder-led decisions and balanced reporting that must include the coastal First Nations who have salmon aquaculture directly in our traditional territories. We will continue to steward wild salmon recovery and responsible aquaculture together, blending Western science and traditional ecological knowledge, to sustain healthy ecosystems, strong economies in strong communities, and a secure food system for our people and for Canada”.
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About FNFFS:
Media Contact:
Dallas Smith,
Spokesperson for the FNFFS Coalition
dallas@firstnationsforfinfish.ca