A federal judicial inquiry into the state of sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser River which begins hearings next week has released a discussion paper detailing its areas of interest.

The organizational structure of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; the harvesting sector, which will include an examination of pre-season planning; and the methods for forecasting run sizes and conservation efforts, will all come under examination by the inquiry led by British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen.

But the key focus of the commission appears to be on fish biology and ecosystem issues - a category in the discussion paper which includes numerous, lengthy sub-sections, including water pollution, salmon farms, logging, diseases and parasites, predators, non-retention fisheries, climate change, urbanization and agricultural activities and hydro.

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