By Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER Ottawa has launched its awaited fisheries licence buyback program to protect plummeting Pacific salmon stocks on the West Coast. Looking to fix the problem of too many boats chasing too few fish, on Wednesday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) unveiled details on its voluntary commercial licence retirement (LRP) program that will pay salmon harvesters to exit the industry. However, the union for commercial fishers says first impressions suggest the plan is “deeply disappointing” and designed to drivedown the value of licences being bought out. “It just picks off the most desperate people who need the money and have no other choice,” said James Lawson, president of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers’ Union (UFAWU). DFO says fish harvesters will get

The post Feds launch licence buyback plan to scale down B.C.’s salmon fishing fleet appeared first on The Turtle Island News.