Pacific Salmon Indigenous Communal Commercial Licence Alternation Program guide: 1. Overview

1. Overview

The Pacific Salmon Indigenous Communal Commercial Licence Alternation Program (Alternation Program) allows Indigenous communal commercial salmon licence eligibility holders to voluntarily alternate their salmon fishery licence eligibility in return for financial support. The funding will provide support to acquire new commercial non-salmon fishery access and, if related to the newly acquired access, can include financial support for:

• fishing gear
• vessel upgrades or modifications
• training

Once a licence holder acquires new access, their communal commercial salmon licence(s) will be permanently retired.

The objectives of the Alternation Program are:

• to reduce overall commercial salmon fishing efforts in areas of conservation concern
• to mitigate socio-economic impacts from long-term closures on Indigenous commercial harvesters by providing alternative fishing opportunities
• to help remove barriers and provide support for fishing a new commercial species such as training, gear, and vessel modification

Applicants will outline primary and contingency assets they wish to acquire in exchange for alternating their communal commercial salmon licence eligibility(ies). The funding they receive will be guided by market value for equivalent commercial licence eligibilities, in addition to other factors, and will be provided through a Contribution Agreement. Once funding is received, program participants will conduct follow-up transactions such as acquiring a new commercial non-salmon licence eligibility on the open market and buying new gear for their vessel.

Funding

The amount of financial support provided will be based on a variety of factors including:

• the number of applications received
• the availability of program funds
• the market value for equivalent commercial licence eligibilities proposed for alternation and other eligible costs
• the number of past or present requests for similar support by the same applicant

Funding provided by the Alternation Program can be used towards eligible activities, and it may not cover the full cost of acquiring new commercial access. Other supplementary funding, such as private investment, financing, own source and other government programs may be used to cover the balance, as long as total government funding does not exceed 100% of the total project cost.

Related links

• Pacific commercial fisheries licensing rules and policies
• National online licensing information
• Analyses of commercial fishing licence, quota and vessel values