“There is no question that climate change is having a significant impact on our salmon,” he said Thursday at a news conference in Vancouver.

“Not only do these declines have direct impacts on our ecosystems and the health of our environment, but they have serious impacts on the health of our economy.”

In one of the most dramatic shifts, the federal department has adjusted the number of returning Fraser River sockeye expected this year to slightly more than 600,000, down from an earlier projection of nearly five million.