A commercial licence buy-back program is just one piece of the DFO’s new plan to help recover salmon populations on the west coast.
That program seeks to ensure all commercial licence holders seeking to exit the salmon harvesting sector get fair market value for their licences.
All holders of full or reduced fee salmon troll, gillnet, or seine commercial licences in BC are eligible for the voluntary program.
Known as the Pacific Salmon Commercial Licence Retirement Program, the measure is available to some 1,300 licence holders in BC.
It was among three new measures announced yesterday as part of the $647 million Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, introduced by the DFO in 2021.
Another will allow for the environmentally safe disposal of any gear or vessels for those retiring their licences.
While not available quite yet, the third measure would give Indigenous groups the option to exchange their communal commercial salmon licences for non-salmon licenses, or funding.
Comments