Atlantic Salmon Federation
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
B+
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
n/r
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
66%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 66 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Atlantic Salmon Federation:
Atlantic Salmon Federation is a 4-star charity that is financially transparent. It has an above-average results reporting grade of B+ and reasonable overhead spending of 34%.
Founded in 1948, Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada (ASF Canada) works to protect salmon and their habitats through conservation and restoration. Currently, illegal fishing and habitat destruction kill thousands of salmon each year. ASF Canada has a close relationship with Atlantic Salmon Federation US (ASF US). The two charities share a website and publish combined annual reports. In F2023, ASF Canada spent $5.0m on its programs: Conservation, Research, and Education.
A Charity Intelligence 2023 Top 100 Rated Charity
Research ($2.2m) represented 44% of program spending in F2023. Through its research projects, ASF Canada monitors Atlantic salmon health and ocean conditions. It hopes to find the causes of declining salmon populations. In F2023, the charity’s research team was able to confirm the presence of Atlantic salmon in an oil and gas development region. The team also tagged two adult striped bass in the Southwest Miramichi River.
Conservation projects ($2.1m) was 42% of program spending. Within this program, ASF Canada focuses on political advocacy and habitat restoration projects. In F2023, ASF Canada held events in the charity’s first four Wild Salmon Watersheds and launched an advocacy campaign for DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) to manage ecosystem balance so that Atlantic salmon and other native fish can recover from the overpopulation of a predator, striped bass. Additionally in Greenland, ASF Canada worked with Qupanuk Olsen, an influencer who posted two videos in English and Greenlandic that were viewed more than 750,000 times on social media and also sent a film crew to document the salmon fishery in Greenland and ASF’s research work in the country.
Education ($706k) was the remaining 14% of program costs in F2023. ASF Canada publishes reports and runs education programs to engage Canadians. In F2023, the charity released a publication called Determining early marine survival and predation by endothermic predators on acoustically-tagged Atlantic salmon (salmo salar) post-smolts.
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Results and Impact
ASF and its partners advocate for new protected areas to surround Atlantic salmon rivers. The charity had success in New Brunswick, where the provincial government recently announced significant new protected areas in the Miramichi, Restigouche, and other important Atlantic salmon watersheds.
The Greenland Salmon Conservation Agreement was signed in 2016, making every person fishing for Atlantic salmon require a license and they must report their catch. The effect has been a significant reduction in the catch from an estimated 90 tons in 2014 to an average of 30 tons between 2016 and 2023. With an estimated 300 large salmon per ton, mostly egg-bearing females. This means ASF and its partners at the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) have helped save tens of thousands of large, mostly female salmon.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada's results and impact. This charity is not yet rated on impact (n/r).
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Finances
Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada had donations and special event revenues of $1.6m in F2023.
ASF Canada has a close working relationship with Atlantic Salmon Federation US, the American chapter of ASF. In F2023, ASF US contributed $2.8m (with $1.2m receivable) to ASF Canada, which has been included in international donations.
The charity received $687k in government funding representing 21% of total revenues.
Administrative costs are 13% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 21% of donations and special events. This results in total overhead spending of 34%, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada has $5.7m in reserve funds. These reserve funds are the charity’s cash and investments. In these reserve funds, $1.4m are endowed by donors. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity has 11 months of annual program costs covered by its current reserves. This shows a need for funding.
This charity report is an update that has been sent to Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on July 31, 2024, by Lily Ferguson.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending September
|
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 13.1% | 11.2% | 13.7% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 20.8% | 15.2% | 13.5% |
| Total overhead spending | 34.0% | 26.3% | 27.3% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 89.4% | 112.3% | 107.8% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 830 | 1,043 | 588 |
| International donations | 2,762 | 2,651 | 2,273 |
| Government funding | 687 | 1,336 | 1,315 |
| Fees for service | 75 | 75 | 78 |
| Business activities (net) | 45 | 57 | 71 |
| Special events | 819 | 483 | 271 |
| Investment income | 251 | (325) | 423 |
| Other income | 212 | 211 | 87 |
| Total revenues | 5,681 | 5,531 | 5,106 |
| Program costs | 4,901 | 3,646 | 3,015 |
| Grants | 53 | 40 | 0 |
| Administrative costs | 712 | 653 | 643 |
| Fundraising costs | 919 | 634 | 424 |
| Total spending | 6,585 | 4,974 | 4,082 |
| Cash flow from operations | (903) | 557 | 1,024 |
| Capital spending | 61 | 87 | 13 |
| Funding reserves | 5,729 | 5,327 | 4,391 |
Note: Ci used the charity’s T3010 filing with the CRA to report grants to qualified donees and removed them from program spending. Ci also used the T3010 to report government funding and removed it from donations. Ci adjusted for deferred revenue and deferred contributions, affecting revenues by $902k in F2023, $685k in F2022, and $758k in F2021. Ci did not include amortization of deferred capital contributions, affecting revenues by ($26k) in F2023, F2022, and F2021. Ci included endowment contributions in donations and endowment interest income in investment income. This affected revenues by $103k in F2023, $55k in F2022, and $3k in F2021.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
1 |
$80k - $120k |
6 |
$40k - $80k |
2 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Comment added August 30, 2024
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and last year, we were proud to be a 5-star-rated charity, even earning a spot in the top 100 list. This year, while our rating has changed, we are pleased to hold a 4-star rating. We are disappointed to see our rating drop, despite our continuous efforts to update our website and provide additional program details including objectives, performance indicators, results, and their impacts. We were only provided ten calendar days to respond to the most recent assessment and submit updates and changes for a re-assessment, a timeframe which ASF feels is insufficient. Understanding the importance of these ratings and the value that Charity Intelligence reviews have, ASF is already working hard to improve our standing for the next available assessment window. ASF remains committed to meeting the highest standards and expectations of our donors and supporters.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 1-800-565-5666