Development of an Inland Rivers Fisheries Traceability System – Demonstration of the Chain of Custody and Identification of Fish Stocks.

DFO’s Pacific Fisheries Reform emphasizes a shift to more precautionary and selective commercial fisheries in the future. To this end, the Fraser River First Nations have been building a river-based salmon fishery through a series of demonstration projects. Traceability is a necessity in this fishery as it must be clearly demonstrated at the point of retail sale the source of the fish to give the assurance that the fish have been handled and processed in sanitary conditions. It is also a necessary part of these fisheries to demonstrate that the fish are from the designated fish run and not from an endangered stock. This information will be obtained by performing DNA tests on fish samples.