Students Propose Innovative Solutions for the Conservation of Pacific Salmon
VANCOUVER March 19, 2002
"We, the delegates representing the nation of Canada and the States of Alaska and Washington, agreeing that the preservation of the Pacific salmon species is vital to the environmental, economic, cultural, and spiritual health of the northern Pacific coast of North America, propose the following actions..."
Thus begins a Plan of Action to address concerns about conservation and enhancement of the Pacific salmon fishery issued by Grade 5 - 7 students from Vancouver, Seattle, Prince Rupert, and Ketchikan at the Pacific Salmon Summit. The culmination of six months collaborative research into all aspects of the Pacific salmon fishery, the Plan of Action is the result of an intensive face-to-face Summit at the SFU's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue on Monday March 11.
Observed by representatives from stakeholder groups, and members of the Pacific Salmon Commission, youth delegations from the three jurisdictions stood in each other's shoes to negotiate a Joint Statement of Concerns and Plan of Action. Students from Vancouver and Prince Rupert represented the interests of Washington and Alaska respectively, while students from Seattle and Ketchikan represented the southern and northern British Columbia perspectives.
Students identified seven high priority concerns and proposed several innovative solutions for preserving Pacific salmon, focusing on immediate actions and long-term assessment, research, and education. Students have made detailed recommendations for habitat enhancement, fisheries management, and regulation of salmon farming as well as addressing challenges for specific salmon stocks such as the sockeye on the Nass and Skeena Rivers. The students' recommendations have been published on the project's Web site at http://7thfloormedia.com/salmon and they will be sent to government representatives from the three jurisdictions.
The Pacific Salmon Summit was spearheaded by Julie Zilber, Co-Director of 7th Floor Media at Simon Fraser University. "I am so excited about this project," she said. "The work these students and their teachers have done is phenomenal. It just goes to show what students are capable of if they're challenged with real-world problems."
Students who participated in the project not only learned about the complex, inter-locking issues affecting the Pacific salmon fishery; they also gained a greater understanding of the concerns of their cross-border neighbours, and gained insights into the process of consensus-building.
"I've really enjoyed the Salmon Summit project. It has shed a lot of light on the salmon treaty disputes that have been going on for years. I understand a lot more than I did before," said Ross Duncan, one of the Vancouver students. "It's also fun to get to know people from different states and different countries. And I got to learn problem-solving skills that I might be able use in business or politics later on."
For more information about the project and for a complete list of student concerns and proposals, please visit the Web site at http://7thfloormedia.com/salmon.