The federal government is also adding another $431,000 to Parks Canada's five-year Atlantic salmon recovery project.

"It's not only about our people, it's about all British Columbians and Canadians," said Robert Phillips with the First Nations Summit.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced the news on Friday, but noted fishing for Sockeye is permitted during daylight hours only, and that the catch limit is two per day.

A coalition of conservation groups were told this week to register their salmon-protection strategy for a review by New Brunswick's Department of Environment and Local Government.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation's annual "State of Wild Atlantic Salmon Report" released today indicates returns for large salmon were the third lowest in the past five decades.

Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne suspended licenses at 10 sites owned by Northern Harvest Sea Farms sites in October after the company failed to disclose the death of 2.6 million salmon.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says plans are underway for a pneumatic fish pump to help fish migrate past the Big Bar landslide.

Lawyers on behalf of a group of wildlife advocates argued last fall that the minister's decision was not valid because he did not consider the impacts when the hatched fish are released into sea cages.

The session was held in opposition of the Nova Scotia government’s plan to impose industrial scale open-net pen fish farming in Atlantic waters.

The DFO says blasting work will commence "shortly," and are working to ensure that blasting has the "lowest possible impact to fish and fish habitat."