This story originally appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Salmon Steward, the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s quarterly print magazine.
Choosing sustainable, wild-caught salmon in British Columbia just got easier for Canadians, thanks to new Ocean Wise recommendations.
In 2024, Ocean Wise identified 14 sustainable wild-caught salmon fisheries in B.C., representing all five species of Pacific salmon. While wild salmon from B.C. generates up to $250 million in annual sales, consumers had no way to identify sustainable options until now. Unlike Alaskan fisheries, which are commonly recognized by international eco-labels, many small-scale and First Nations-run fisheries in B.C. faced cost and capacity barriers to certification.
To bridge this gap, Ocean Wise developed a two-step approach. First, they identified potential sustainable fisheries using publicly available data, including assessments from the Pacific Salmon Explorer (salmonexplorer.ca), a Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) resource that houses the most comprehensive data on salmon and their habitats in B.C. Then, a six-member Salmon Advisory Panel refined the list, ensuring it reflected the complexities of salmon sustainability and the role of First Nations and small-scale fisheries.
“Consumers want to make sustainable choices and eat locally, but it wasn’t possible to do that before these recommendations. We were relying on non-Canadian salmon for certified sustainable choices. Now, we have local options,” says Dr. Eric Hertz, an analyst at PSF and member of the Ocean Wise Salmon Advisory Panel.
Beyond benefiting consumers, these recommendations support sustainable fishing practices and expand market opportunities and competitive pricing for local fisheries.
Ingredients for a sustainable fishery
Lake Babine Nation, located in central B.C., oversees the largest commercial sockeye fishery in the province in recent years. In 2024, its sockeye fishery received sustainability certification through Ocean Wise. A year later, it became one of the first certified Indigenous fisheries to launch a branded product in grocery stores across Canada.
“The Babine Lake sockeye fishery is well-monitored and managed. Both of those pieces come together to form a sustainable fishery,” says Greg Taylor, a member of the Ocean Wise Salmon Advisory Panel and a fisheries advisor for Lake Babine Nation.
Taylor adds that Babine Lake sockeye are harvested through a terminal fishery, meaning they are caught at the end of their migration, reducing bycatch of species following a similar route.
“There’s a sustainability challenge with mixed-stock fisheries where abundant pink salmon can co-migrate with depressed chum populations, for example. How do you catch one without hurting the other? It’s impossible,” explains Taylor. “But terminal fisheries like Babine Lake sockeye are highly selective. That’s how more fisheries should be managed.”
Another example is the pink salmon fishery near Masset, Haida Gwaii — an Ocean Wise-recommended terminal fishery with minimal bycatch.
Until now, local B.C. fisheries like Masset pinks and Babine Lake sockeye lacked access to an eco-label. Ocean Wise has paved a new path into Canadian markets, including grocery stores and restaurants.
The Salmon Advisory Panel will reconvene in 2025 to assess recommendations for the upcoming fishing season. The panel will be looking across the province for any new fisheries that meet Ocean Wise’s criteria for a sustainable fishery.
