“I strongly believed that in an enormous province like B.C. it was never going to be possible to conserve and maintain salmon stocks if it was only done by government.”
– John A. Fraser
Pacific Salmon Foundation remembers The Honourable John Allen Fraser and his contribution to Pacific salmon conservation
Pacific Salmon Foundation remembers John Allen Fraser, PC, OC, OBC, CD, KC, who passed away on April 6, 2024, aged 92. The Honourable John Fraser was a former Canadian politician, salmon conservationist, and one of the founding visionaries behind the establishment of PSF.
“On behalf of the Pacific Salmon Foundation I would like to acknowledge the tremendous contributions made by John Fraser throughout his career and into retirement. John was extremely passionate about wild salmon and a pioneer for salmon conservation and restoration in British Columbia,” says Michael Meneer, CEO and President, Pacific Salmon Foundation.
John led a distinguished political career that spanned three decades, serving as MP for Vancouver South from 1972 to 1993. During his time in federal politics, he held office as Canada’s Minister of Environment (1979-1980), Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (1984-1985), and served as the Speaker of the House of Commons between 1986 and 1993 until his retirement.
Known for his keen interest and knowledge of environment and sustainability, Fraser led efforts in the mid-1980s to establish an organization that would protect the future of wild salmon populations in British Columbia. Using his influence in Ottawa, he persuaded the federal government to allocate funding to create the Pacific Salmon Foundation in 1987.
“John Fraser was absolutely essential in the establishment of Pacific Salmon Foundation and his support in our early days helped lay the foundation for the significant organization that PSF has become for Pacific salmon,” says George Hungerford, founding chairman of PSF. “Environment, salmon, and conservation were part of John’s DNA and PSF benefited and grew because of the support he built for our mission in Ottawa and Vancouver.”
In an interview celebrating PSF’s 25th anniversary in 2012, Fraser explained his original vision.
“I strongly believed that in an enormous province like B.C. it was never going to be possible to conserve and maintain salmon stocks if it was only done by government,” said Fraser. “The idea at the time was to establish an institution in the private sector with a mandate to raise funds and manage habitat protection and restoration.”
Honourable John Allen Fraser [right] with former PSF CEO Brian Riddell in 2004.
“John saw the Pacific Salmon Foundation as a way to engage B.C.’s angling communities with salmon conservation,” says former PSF CEO, Brian Riddell, who worked closely with Fraser throughout the 1990s and 2000s. “We’ve lost one of B.C.’s great conservationists.”
Upon his retirement, Fraser continued to advocate for salmon conservation. He was a member of PSF’s board of directors for 12 years from 1995 to 2007, and from 1998 to 2005 he chaired the Federal Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, tasked to report on the state of salmon stocks and habitat. In 2005, he was appointed as chair of the BC Pacific Salmon Forum.
Fraser leaves behind a legacy of public service and will be remembered for his years of dedication to protecting wild salmon in British Columbia.
