Federal Court dismisses B.C. First Nation request for more salmon
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia First Nation has lost a bid for a larger allocation of the scarce Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery.
The Squamish First Nation opposed a decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2014 that raised its sockeye catch from 20,000 to 30,000 fish, and also increased allotments of chum and pink salmon.
The First Nation filed an application for a judicial review after federal officials rejected its request for 70,000 sockeye for food, social and ceremonial purposes.
In a judgement posted Wednesday, Federal Court Judge Ann Marie McDonald dismisses the application, ruling the department’s regional director general of the Pacific region “made a reasonable decision in a procedurally fair manner which respected any constitutional limits on her discretion.”