Some Nuu-chah-nulth leaders are blaming federal mismanagement of seals and sea lions for the chinook salmon crisis affecting much of BC’s coast.
Larry Johnson, chair of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society’s fisheries committee, told Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper that they are looking to develop a plan that brings back a controlled harvest of seals and sea lions.
Johnson said meat from the marine mammals was part of the Nuu-chah-nulth diet for thousands of years.
He said the pinniped population has exploded since the federal government prohibited hunting them more than 50 years ago.
First Nations, recreational anglers, and commercial fishers have all urged DFO to look beyond simple fishing closures, and take a wider ecosystem approach to restoring dwindling Fraser River chinook stocks.