About YSSC

The Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee will work within its mandate towards achieving the objectives of the Umbrella Final Agreement established in Chapter 16 Section7.17. These general objectives related to the management of Salmon in the Yukon provide the broad policy context for the Sub-Committee.

Specifically, the Sub-Committee may exercise the following powers and responsibilities assigned to it in the UFA:

may recommend to the affected Minister and Yukon First Nations policies for the management of Salmon and their habitats;
may make recommendations to the affected Minister and Yukon First Nations on the need for, and on the content and timing of Salmon harvesting and management plans in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16;
may make recommendations to the affected Minister and Yukon First Nations on the need for, and on a position on, interjurisdictional agreements affecting the use of Yukon Salmon resources;

may seek, from a Council or the public, input on specific aspects of a Salmon management plan;

subject to Yukon First Nations Final Agreements, may make recommendations to the Minister on new opportunities and proposed management measures for commercial uses of Salmon;
after consultation with affected Yukon First Nations, shall make recommendations to the affected Minister and Yukon First Nations on allocation, in amount and by area, of Salmon to users, in accordance with the Chapter 16; and
may make recommendations on management measures required to best ensure that the basic needs allocation of a Yukon First Nation is met, recognizing that resources available for fisheries management may be limited.

Who's involved?

Salmon fishing in the Yukon is governed by international treaties and a few interconnecting institutions that work together to preserve and enhance the territory’s salmon stocks.

The Pacific Salmon Treaty (1985) and the Yukon River Annex to the treaty provide the framework for program management, stock conservation and harvest allocation for the Yukon River.

In April 2001 Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced that representatives of the United States and Canada had successfully ended sixteen years of negotiations on Yukon River salmon. Following negotiations, the delegations prepared and initialled the text of a Yukon River Salmon Agreement (YRSA) that addressed all fishing conservation and management issues, including harvest shares. This agreement provides certainty and stability for Yukon fishers with the first ever catch limits on interception of Canadian-origin Yukon River salmon.

After ratification, the Parties officially signed the Yukon River Salmon Agreement in Washington, DC on December 4, 2002.

The Yukon River Salmon Agreement outlines steps to ensure the future for Yukon River salmon through coordinated management, rebuilding plans and habitat protection.

Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee (YSSC) members form the majority of the Canadian portion of the Yukon River Panel, which was re-established under the YRSA. The Panel makes recommendations to the Government of Canada and respective agencies in the U.S. on conservation and management of salmon originating in the Canadian portion of the Yukon River.

Within the Yukon, the YSSC is mandated by the Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA), an agreement between Yukon First Nations, and the federal and territorial governments. Members of the YSSC come represent both First Nation and non-First Nation populations along the Yukon River. The composition of the ten-member Committee is laid out in the UFA and is carefully structured to ensure diversity and balance. The Yukon Salmon Committee is a forum for public involvement in all aspects of the management of salmon stocks and fisheries. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is the federal government agency responsible for salmon management. They provide technical and administrative support to the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee and administer the federal Fisheries Act, Regulations and Policies.