Pacific Salmon Indigenous Communal Commercial Licence Alternation Program

The goal of Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) is to stabilize and rebuild Pacific salmon and salmon habitat for the people, communities and ecosystems that depend on them. To support conservation of Pacific salmon and provide greater stability for commercial harvesters, we have implemented commercial salmon fishery closures in areas of conservation concerns. To mitigate socio-economic impacts on Indigenous commercial harvesters, we have launched the Pacific Salmon Indigenous Communal Commercial Licence Alternation Program (Alternation Program). In-depth program details and instructions as to how to apply to the Alternation Program are available in our Program Guide.

The voluntary Alternation Program allows Indigenous communal commercial salmon licence eligibility holders (Category F) to alternate their salmon licence eligibility in return for financial support. This funding will contribute to acquiring alternative non-salmon commercial fisheries access, for example, halibut. Funding may also be available for training, gear and/or vessel modifications to help remove barriers to fishing newly acquired access. After participants acquire new access, their communal commercial salmon licence eligibility(ies) will be permanently retired.

The Alternation Program will prioritize funding to Indigenous communal commercial salmon licence eligibility holders who have been affected by the long-term closure of salmon fishing in areas of concern in British Columbia and Yukon. However, all eligible applications received will be evaluated and considered.

External third party advisory and evaluation services will be provided to support the implementation of the Alternation Program. These services will be provided free of charge.

A Business Development Team (BDT) with wide-ranging expertise and knowledge of the fishing industry will help interested program applicants:

• complete their applications and ensure that applications fit within the parameters of the program
• implement their proposed plan
• complete reporting

An independent third-party evaluator will assess application eligibility, practicality and feasibility, as well as alignment with the Alternation Program’s objectives and priorities, and will make recommendations to us.

Neither the BDT nor the independent third-party evaluator will make decisions on program applications.