Vancouver BC, August 17, 2021 - The TBuck Suzuki Environmental Foundation has been awarded funding to pilot new technologies to enhance fishery sustainability. Fish harvesters partnering with the organization will test new technologies in the shrimp trawl fishery and the salmon seine, and herring seine test fisheries along the BC coast. 

Fish harvesters in the shrimp trawl fishery will be testing the use of different types of LED lights to prevent bycatch of eulachon. They will be adding lights to the sides of their shrimp trawl, encouraging the eulachon to avoid the trawl. Fish harvesters participating in the salmon seine, and herring seine test fisheries will be testing the impact of using knotless nets on the condition of fish that are caught. 

Testing innovative technologies is an important step to enhance the sustainability of BC’s fisheries, contributing to the protection and restoration of wild BC fish stocks, particularly salmon, herring, and eulachon while also supporting the seafood sector. The technologies to be tested were selected with direction from experienced fish harvesters, and harvesters will also be leading the testing and data collection for the project.  

The project is one of 12 projects receiving a portion of the $10.23 million in funding under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF). 

Quotes

Megan Eadie, Director of Innovation, TBuck Suzuki Foundation: “The T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation has been supporting fish harvesters’ efforts to reduce marine pollution and enhance sustainability for forty years. We are excited to continue these efforts through this project. All of the ideas we will be testing were brought forward by harvesters who are invested in the ecosystem where they earn their livelihood. Fishermen carry a wealth of knowledge about how to enhance the fisheries they work in, and we’re happy to be able to get this opportunity to use their expertise and bring their ideas into the fishery.”

James Lawson, UFAWU-Unifor President and commercial fish harvester: “It’s great to see the province utilizing the knowledge of people who live and breathe fisheries to increase sustainability.”

Link to funding announcement from Department of Fisheries and Oceans

For more information contact Hannah Fiegenbaum – Communications Manager, T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation [email protected]