Conservationists warn DFO facility closures could risk future of endangered salmon

ii salmon river preservation organizations and an Indigenous irrigate protector say the conclusion to close federal biodiversity facilities in the Maritimes could be the final nail in the coffin for an endangered salmon population.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed late Friday that it will discontinue its Atlantic Salmon Live Gene Bank program, closing facilities in Mactaquac, N.B., and Coldbrook, N.S.

The gene banks are designed to help at-risk Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon populations by raising wild juvenile salmon to adulthood, facilitating mating and releasing the resulting juveniles, according to DFO’s website.

Nikki-Marie Lloyd, who is from Annapolis Valley First Nation, used to work at the Coldbrook facility as an Indigenous liaison.

She said she's seen first-hand the valuable work it does, and without it, the Inner Bay of Fundy salmon population could disappear. 

“This is a managed extinction,” she said. “And it is being done by the government that is supposed to protect these species.”

Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon has been listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act since 2003.

At the time, it was touted as Canada's first-ever conservation strategy "to restore and rebuild wild Atlantic salmon populations and their habitats."

“We will use the best information available to support rebuilding of the stock, decision making, climate resilient actions and mitigate threats to this iconic species," the statement said.

The department did not respond to questions about how many people work at the two facilities, what will happen to their jobs or provide a timeline for the closures.

The closures are among broader cuts the federal government announced in its budget last year. The future of one of Canada's oldest federal research farms in Nappan, N.S., is also up in the air.

Amy Weston, the managing director of the Nova Scotia Salmon Association, agrees with Lloyd, saying that without the gene banks, this specific population of salmon will be extirpated.

“The population is extremely low,” she said. “Without having some preservation of the live gene bank, of some part of the population, there's really no hope for recovery.”

Deirdre Green, the executive director of regional programs with the Atlantic Salmon Federation, raised the same concerns, criticizing the decision and reiterating the risks it poses for Inner Bay of Fundy salmon.

“[DFO is] meant to be the competent party responsible for recovering these and protecting these fish,” she said in an interview.

Green added that DFO's national conservation strategy was announced before the cuts, and is not enough to compensate for them. At the time of the announcement, the federal government said $6.1 million had already been invested and it would allocate an additional $1 million to the strategy.

“We've consistently advocated for $400 million for that strategy and that one million is just nothing. It's a drop in the bucket," Green said.

In an emailed statement, Green later added that the call for hundreds of millions in investment reflects the true scale of recovery required.

"Live gene banking is explicitly listed in the federal recovery plan for Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon," she said. "You can’t claim compliance with recovery obligations while dismantling one of the only measures keeping this population from extirpation."

The conservationists are not alone in thinking that without the facilities, this could be the end for the Inner Bay of Fundy salmon population. 

Between 2013 and 2017, DFO conducted a population estimate in the Inner Bay of Fundy, which found that fewer than 105 adult Atlantic salmon are returning to the rivers they call home each year. 

The report also found that the fish that did make it back were almost entirely from the two biodiversity facilities.

"Under current conditions, it is highly unlikely that adult returns to these rivers can be maintained without the support of the Live Gene Bank program, given the lack of juvenile production from natural spawning," it said.

Both Lloyd and Green would like to see the live gene bank facilities continue to operate.

Green said she hopes an opportunity will arise for an organization or First Nation to take over, while Lloyd said she'd like to see a Mi'kmaw group keep the gene banks running.

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Reporter - Editor

Giuliana is a journalist originally from Lima, Peru. She is interested in stories about rural Nova Scotia, science, the environment and more. If you have any story tips, you can reach her at giuliana.grillo.de.lambarri@cbc.ca.

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