Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne has invited the Atlantic Salmon Federation to sign a joint declaration on salmon conservation.

The provincial government says the Federation has stated publicly that they would welcome working with them regarding what they’re calling Ottawa’s “lack of commitment to wild salmon stock management” in the province.The declaration states that 75 per cent of all wild Atlantic salmon originating from North American river systems are Indigenous to the province and that Newfoundland and Labrador “bears an immensely disproportionate foundation for the future of all of North America’s wild Atlantic Salmon.”

It also calls on DFO to reverse its decision to allocate “disproportionately high resources” to areas with a low level of production and recruitment of the species and for a realignment of funding and salmon conservation resources to better reflect this province’s position.