Implement Cohen Commission recommendations
Petitioners ask the House to implement all 75 Cohen recommendations to save Pacific salmon. The government responds it has taken action and plans a BC net‑pen ban by 2029.
Why we would sign this petition
- Implements measures that could reduce risks from salmon farms near Fraser River sockeye, including relocating or prohibiting net‑pen farms in sensitive areas.
- Requires tracking and public reporting of pesticide use in forestry and agriculture, improving evidence to manage contaminant risks to salmon.
- Creates a coordinated federal approach to address warming waters and other drivers, supporting long‑term rebuilding and ecosystem monitoring.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Implementing all 75 recommendations at once may be costly and complex, requiring time, resources and coordination across federal, provincial and Indigenous jurisdictions.
- The government says it has already acted on many recommendations, so demanding immediate full implementation may duplicate ongoing work or overlook progress.
- Rapid restrictions on net‑pen aquaculture could harm workers, coastal communities and industry without clear transition supports and may need careful socioeconomic planning.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED We, the undersigned residents of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following: THAT, WHEREAS a public survey done in 2011 found that 70% of British Columbians agree with the statement that, "wild Pacific salmon are as important to British Columbians as the French language is to Quebeckers"; WHEREAS the Fraser River sockeye run unexpectedly collapsed in 2009, with only 1 million of the expected 10 million salmon returning to spawn; WHEREAS this collapse prompted the Government of Canada to launch a comprehensive Federal Commission of Inquiry, headed by the Honourable Bruce Cohen and released in 2012, to investigate the cause of this catastrophic decline; WHEREAS among the 75 recommendations stemming from Justice Cohen's inquiry were: The Government of Canada should remove from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans mandate the promotion of salmon farming as an industry and farmed salmon as a product, The Department of Fisheries and Oceans should explicitly consider proximity to migrating Fraser River sockeye when siting salmon farms, should consider relocating existing salmon farms that are too close to existing salmon runs, and should consider prohibiting net-pen salmon farming altogether, especially in the Discovery Islands, Department of Fisheries and Oceans should encourage British Columbia to require users of pesticides in forestry and agriculture to record, and report annually to the province, the areas where pesticides were applied and the amounts used, and To improve future sustainability of the Fraser River sockeye, the Government of Canada should champion, within Canada and internationally, reasonable steps to address the causes of warming waters and climate change; and WHEREAS years later, the recommendations made by Justice Cohen in the Inquiry have yet to be implemented. THEREFORE, YOUR PETITIONERS call upon the House of Commons to act on the precautionary principle and immediately implement all of the 75 recommendations made by Justice Cohen to save our salmon.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Fisheries Signed by Ernie Klassen The Government of Canada acknowledges the importance of the Cohen Commission’s recommendations. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), along with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and the Province of British Columbia (BC), have addressed all 75 of the recommendations and continue to work to address the challenges facing Pacific salmon. Please see the2018 Cohen Response Status Update Report and Annex, which outlines the specific actions taken to address the recommendations, including Recommendation 3: “The Government of Canada should remove from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ mandate the promotion of salmon farming as an industry and farmed salmon as a product.” DFO’s Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative establishes a more comprehensive and transformative approach to support Pacific salmon rebuilding in both the immediate and longer term. Working collaboratively with Indigenous groups, and partners and stakeholders across BC and the Yukon, the main goal of this initiative is to conserve and restore wild Pacific salmon stocks and their ecosystems for all that depend on them. The petition highlights Cohen Commission’s Recommendation 15: “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans should explicitly consider proximity to migrating Fraser River Sockeye when siting salmon farms” and Recommendation 17: “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans should apply revised siting criteria to all licensed salmon farm sites. Farms that no longer comply with siting criteria should be promptly removed or relocated to sites that comply with current siting criteria.” These have been addressed in the context of Recommendation 19: “On September 30, 2020, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans should prohibit net-pen salmon farming in the Discovery Islands (fish health sub-zone 3-2) unless he or she is satisfied that such farms pose at most a minimal risk of serious harm to the health of migrating Fraser River Sockeye salmon. The Minister’s decision should summarize the information relied on and include detailed reasons. The decision should be published on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ website.” In response to Recommendation 19, DFO looked at the overall risk to Fraser River Sockeye Salmon from pathogens that can be found at Atlantic salmon farms, which was important in assessing whether current siting criteria are sufficient in the protection of wild salmon stocks, including migrating Fraser River Sockeye. DFO completed risk assessments on nine known pathogens, assessing the risk of them coming from aquaculture operations in the Discovery Islands area to Fraser River Sockeye. It was concluded that each pathogen posed no more than a minimal risk to Fraser River Sockeye Salmon abundance and diversity under the current fish health management practices (Aquaculture research related to Cohen Commission recommendation 19). DFO continues to improve its understanding of pathogens and pests to adapt their management in response. Siting of aquaculture operations is a shared process in BC, requiring a provincial crown tenure, a federal navigable waters permit, and a federal aquaculture licence. Licence conditions for aquaculture set out the specific operational and reporting requirements to which license holders must adhere in order to operate legally and be in compliance with the Fisheries Act and associated regulations. They contain provisions to ensure that aquaculture sites are operated in an environmentally sustainable manner that minimizes the risk to wild fish stocks and the marine resource. Licences have not been reissued in the Discovery Islands. In June 2024, the Government of Canada announced in a Policy Statement its intent to ban open net-pen salmon aquaculture in BC coastal waters by June 30, 2029. In support of the Government of Canada’s Policy Statement, a draft Salmon Aquaculture Transition Plan for British Columbia (the Plan) was developed on September 20, 2024. The Plan lays out a responsible approach to transform the marine salmon aquaculture sector in BC, while working with First Nations, industry workers, coastal communities, and Canadians. The whole-of-government approach is being led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, with a number of partner departments closely involved, including DFO. Over 110 engagements with First Nations and stakeholders have been completed since the fall of 2024. The Government of Canada and its partner agencies will continue to work collaboratively with First Nations to support and improve engagement in ongoing aquaculture management, including through enhanced monitoring of open net-pen aquaculture licences, engagement in processes associated with the decommissioning of sites, and measures associated with the Plan’s desired outcomes, which are to support long-term food security while protecting ecosystems and wild salmon for generations to come. Furthermore, the Government of Canada is committed to working together with Province of BC, affected First Nations, coastal communities, and others impacted on the West Coast to transition away from open net-pen salmon aquaculture. In relation to the Cohen Commission’s Recommendation 54: “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans should encourage the Province of British Columbia: to require users of pesticides in forestry and agriculture to record, and report annually to the province, the areas where pesticides were applied and the amounts used to develop and maintain a pesticide-use database (that includes information on location, volume / concentration, and timing of use) and make that information publicly available,” BC has a system in place to monitor, report, and disseminate information on pesticide use across sectors (aquaculture, agriculture, forestry). BC requires users to report pesticide use, and has the ability to provide information on total use. Standards of use are consistent with Health Canada requirements. Specific to pesticides used for aquaculture purposes, under the authority of the Aquaculture Activities Regulations, DFO collects all information regarding the deposit of deleterious substances, including both drugs and pesticides. Any use of registered pesticides, including hydrogen peroxide are reported to DFO through a 72-hour notification requirement, and a quarterly report includes dates and amounts of product used. Both ECCC and DFO have taken action in response the Cohen Commission’s Recommendation 74: “To improve future sustainability of the Fraser River Sockeye, the Government of Canada should champion, within Canada and internationally, reasonable steps to address the causes of warming waters and climate change.” DFO works to address climate change impacts in aquatic ecosystems as a part of an ECCC-led, whole-of-government effort. Through this work, DFO conducts vulnerability assessments on Pacific species, including salmon and warming waters, and continues to monitor trends in sea surface temperature, oxygen levels, and ocean acidification in freshwater and marine areas. This monitoring data is important to understanding the causes of change and is used by DFO in studies to quantify the rate of change in freshwaters and marine waters inhabited by Pacific salmon.