Salmon Advisory Panel

Salmon is one of the most popular seafoods on the West Coast, with both economic and cultural significance for many coastal communities. In the absence of eco-labels, sustainably sourced salmon and overfished salmon are indistinguishable to buyers.

By identifying sustainable options, we can give people the tools they need to make ocean-friendly choices when it comes to their salmon.

The Salmon Advisory Panel combines the best available science with their expert knowledge to assess the status of B.C. commercial salmon fisheries across all five Pacific Salmon species. Panel members have the ability to adjust the scores of salmon fisheries, either up or down, based on real-time information often missed in high-level fishery assessments, such how a specific gear type is being used or conservation measures integrated into fishing practices.

All sustainable salmon recommendations are the result of scoring through the Rapid Assessment Standard with guidance and input from panel members, derived through collaborative discussions and data analysis.

“The Ocean Wise Rapid Assessment Standard is nimble enough to adapt to the annual variations of Pacific salmon in a way that compliments other systems that look at longer-term population trends. Many Indigenous communities can see the importance of evaluating sustainability of Pacific salmon in this way because it regularly considers both salmon abundance and diversity, thereby preserving the tapestry of environment, culture, and economy that is central to all salmon ecosystems as well as those that depend upon them.” – Dave Moore, Authentic Indigenous Seafoods Co-operative

Ocean Wise’s Salmon Advisory Panel includes experts spanning various aspects of the fisheries and seafood space. The diversity of the panel ensures a holistic and inclusive approach to addressing the multifaceted challenges of B.C. Salmon sustainability.

Assessing the sustainability of B.C. Salmon fisheries is difficult for a few reasons.

The status of B.C. Salmon populations tends to vary from year to year. While standard seafood assessments take roughly a year to complete and stand for up to five years after the fact. This method clearly does not align with the annual fluctuations of B.C’s salmon populations.

No two salmon fisheries are the same. Many B.C. Salmon fisheries are mixed stock fisheries, meaning they may harvest different salmon populations and species at the same time. This is because B.C.’s vast expanse of unique river systems are often home to many different salmon runs. Evaluation at the fishery level is essential to accurately assess which populations are being fished and the impact the fishery is having on a specific ecosystem, which has been difficult to achieve historically.

Data limitations and impacts associated with climate change also create serious challenges to the assessment of BC salmon that require a more nimble, hands-on approach.

Ocean Wise is committed to helping businesses and consumers access the most sustainable seafood available to combat overfishing for a healthy and thriving ocean. All Ocean Wise Recommendations are based on the most thorough and up-to-date information available. Therefore, the lack of current data for B.C. Salmon coupled with annual fluctuations in population status, made it difficult to generate accurate sustainability ratings before the formation of the Salmon Advisory Panel.

These help connect people buying salmon to an ocean-friendly option and encourage consumers to support local fisheries operating sustainably. To do this, we need a process to both identify these sustainable options and make them easy to identify for businesses and consumers. Ocean Wise only Recommends B.C. Salmon from fisheries with effective management plans in place and minimal ecosystem impacts.