Publicforums

Public Forums

The Cohen Commission on the decline of the Fraser River sockeye salmon will hold a series of public forums in communities that have an interest in the Fraser River sockeye salmon. These forums will provide an opportunity for community members to make a presentation to the commission. The commission has identified five questions, the answers for which will assist it address the mandate of the commission:

  • What is your vision for the sustainability of Fraser sockeye?

  • What is required to secure the future of Fraser sockeye?

  • What are the major habitat issues for Fraser sockeye and how can these be mitigated?

  • How can Fraser sockeye be effectively harvested?

  • How can citizens participate in the recovery of Fraser sockeye?

In answering the above questions, please keep in mind the commission’s mandate:

  • to conduct the Inquiry without seeking to find fault on the part of any individual, community or organization, and with the overall aim of respecting conservation of the sockeye salmon stock and encouraging broad cooperation among stakeholders,

  • to consider the policies and practices of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (the “Department”) with respect to the sockeye salmon fishery in the Fraser River – including the Department’s scientific advice, its fisheries policies and programs, its risk management strategies, its allocation of Departmental resources and its fisheries management practices and procedures, including monitoring, counting of stocks, forecasting and enforcement,

  • to investigate and make independent findings of fact regarding

    • the causes for the decline of Fraser River sockeye salmon including, but not limited to, the impact of environmental changes along the Fraser River, marine environmental conditions, aquaculture, predators, diseases, water temperature and other factors that may have affected the ability of sockeye salmon to reach traditional spawning grounds or reach the ocean, and

    • the current state of Fraser River sockeye salmon stocks and the long term projections for those stocks, and

  • to develop recommendations for improving the future sustainability of the sockeye salmon fishery in the Fraser River including, as required, any changes to the policies, practices and procedures of the Department in relation to the management of the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery.

At the public forum

  1. Presentations are limited to a maximum of 10 minutes. If there are more presenters than the available time, presenters may be asked to shorten their presentation.

  2. Presenters who prepare written materials are encouraged to provide a copy to the commission.

    1. If you have not previously provided a copy of your presentation to the commission, please bring 6 copies to the forum.

    2. With the presenters’ permission, the presentation will be placed on the commission’s website.

    3. Presenters are also invited to submit their presentations using the Public Submission process on the commission’s website.

    4. If the written material is more than five pages long, presenters are asked to include a short executive summary for the presentation. Recommendations included in the presentation should be brought forward to the executive summary.

    5. If presenters wish to share their written materials with the audience, a table will be available for this purpose.

  3. Presenters who require the use of audio-visual equipment (e.g. an overhead projector and/or LCD projector) should advise the commission well in advance. Audio-visual equipment will be available provided you tell the commission in advance that you require these services.

  4. All presentations will be recorded for use by commission staff.

  5. A podium with a microphone will be available.

Recording and summarizing the proceedings

  1. An audio recording will be made of every public hearing. These recordings will not be posted on the commission’s website.

  2. Written summaries of the public forum presentations will be prepared by commission staff and placed on the website. Summaries of public forum presentations can be viewed on the commission’s website.

Change of schedule

If there are any changes to the dates, times or locations of a public forum, they will be on our Schedule page and you will be contacted by email (if provided) or telephone.

Further information

If you require further information please contact Leo Perra, Executive Director at


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