I think it really comes down to many of our first nations—just as examples, the Fraser, Skeena or many of these areas that have many nations along these rivers. We have asserted it ourselves too. We have southern first nations that don't fish early or late in the Stewart because, quite simply, they know how imperilled the salmon are—literally, it's into the hundreds of fish. If we could do that and if we kept the declarations and treaties amongst ourselves, I think there is a real ability.... That clearly demonstrates that first nations in the south know the issues for some of our salmon species that are in peril and at risk.
This year was an anomaly. Just for example, we expected about 100,000 going back into the upper reaches of the Stewart; 700,000 came back. We haven't seen these numbers in, literally, 30 years—into the millions of pink and sockeye this year. I think this year is an anomaly, and much of it has to be better understood about why increased numbers came back, whether it's habitat, as stated by colleagues and witnesses.
There are things that happened five, six years ago: the Big Bar and Chilcotin slides, mass slides, atmospheric rivers and the many fires that we experienced over the last 20 years, siltation.... My background is forestry. I used to be an RPF. Certainly, those issues have an effect on many of the fish species—in particular, salmon.