It will be fascinating to see how this money is actually spent. The article mentions using part of the $30M to retire licenses from commercial troll fishers.
I’m guessing the $15M ($7.5M from Canada and the same from the U.S.) will be helping to replenish the PSC portfolio. This could mean renewed funding in 2010 (or maybe 2009). Perhaps some of the accepted fall 2008 proposals may get funded, despite the hit the portfolio took in the U.S. recession?
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U.S. to compensate B.C. fishermen under latest pact to protect salmon
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Last Updated:
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 | 11:25 PM ET
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| The U.S. government will hand over millions of dollars to compensate the B.C. fishing industry for dramatic cuts to salmon fisheries. |
| The $30-million US salve is one of several changes that took effect in the Pacific Salmon Treaty at the beginning of this year, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of declining Pacific salmon stocks in Canada and the U.S. |
| Most of the U.S. funding will be for the loss in the chinook salmon catch off the west coast of Vancouver Island. |
| The federal and U.S. governments will also each contribute $7.5 million for other programs aimed at helping the recovery of disappearing salmon stocks along the Pacific coast. |
| As much as 75 per cent of the chinook caught off Vancouver Island are bound for U.S. waters |
| in the past fishermen on both sides of the border were taking their maximum allowable catch |
| It’s abundance-based management now. |
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