Prince George, B.C. – Internationally recognized fisheries specialist, Dr. Brian Riddell   of the Pacific Salmon Foundation says there are three things threatening salmon

·         climate change.

·         Ecological changes in the strait of Georgia,  

·         Human responses to changing landscapes and productivity of salmon over time

Dr. Riddell says while the three points may seem overwhelming to most of us, there are people who have the knowledge and the ability to deal with these issues, “Nothing is impossible to do, what we need is the will to do it.”

The Pacific Salmon Foundation is rolling out a new program this year aimed at celebrating those who have taken steps to protect salmon.   Under the project, salmon-friendly certification will be given to golf courses, land developers, wineries, developments  and farms that operate near wild Pacific salmon habitat and who have taken steps to ensure their operations do not have detrimental impacts on salmon habitat.

Speaking to a lunch gathering in Prince George, Dr. Riddell  says he left government because he believed the government had lost the “excitement” about salmon, and believed he could rekindle that excitement if he was outside the government realm and working in the public.

“We need to keep a salmon culture in B.C.” says Dr. Riddell,   “It is worth far more than it is given credit for.”

He says the Pacific Salmon Foundation   is looking at developing a “Salmon Alliance” made up of the many groups in B.C. who want to protect salmon. His hope is that the more who are under the same umbrella, the louder the voice for salmon.

More than 50 thousand people visited the Adams River, but he says just because the Fraser Sockeye were back this year, that doesn’t mean “the salmon are back”.  Dr. Riddell says the Fraser River sockeye are not the only species. “Salmon have survived despite us but their future is increasingly in our hands. Their future is more about our willingness to act than it is about their potential to survive.” While Dr. Riddell is part of the effort to make salmon the “provincial fish” he says “ Pacific salmon in B.C. can not simply become a symbol, Do not take them for granted.”