DFO's Wild Salmon Policy: The Challenge

of Moving from Monitoring to

Management Action

Smithers, BC

March 14, 2007

Why a Wild Salmon Policy?

• Concern for reduced abundance and diversity of Pacific salmon and habitat loss

• New legislation and policy

• Obligations to First Nations

• Marine Stewardship Certification

• Need for a common vision.

Managefisheries for sustainable

benefits

Safeguard thegenetic diversity ofwild Pacific salmon

2) Assessment of habitat status

1) Standardized monitoring of wild salmon status

3) Inclusion of ecosystem values and monitoring

Maintain habitat and ecosystem

integrity

Restore and maintain healthy and diverse salmon populations and their habitats for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of Canada in perpetuity

Goal

Objectives

Strategies

Conservation of wild salmon and

their habitat is the highest priority

Honour Obligations

to First Nations

Sustainable Use

Guiding Principles

4) Integrated strategic planning

5) Annual program delivery

WSP Overview

6) Performance Review

Open Process

• Identify the unit of biodiversity to conserve: the Conservation Unit (CU)

• Develop preliminary list of CUs

• Develop Indicators and Benchmarks

• Develop Stock Assessment Framework

Strategy 1 – Monitoring Salmon Status

How to Identify CUs?- Proposed Approach

Step 1 Taxonomy

Step 2 Glacial History

Life Histories(the diversity you see)

Local knowledge

Ecology(“adaptive landscape”)

Geography (physical limits to exchange)

Molecular Genetics(hidden diversity)

Step 3

Conservation Units

Unique Ocean Zones (boxes) and associated watersheds (coloured)

QC Sound-Hecate Strait

Alaska Downwelling

Arctic Ocean

Bering Sea

SE Alaskan Fjords

Nass-Skeena Estuary

Outer QCI

Dixon Entrance

GeorgiaStrait

Coastal OR-WA

QC Strait – Johnstone Str – S Fjords

VCI Coastal Current Puget Sound

Describe the adaptive environment of pink, chum, and ocean (river) type sockeye

Each zone has at least one CU

13 ocean zones in BC, 12 with anadromous salmon

Ecology - Ocean Zones

Ecology – Freshwater Zones

26 freshwater zones with anadromous salmon in BC

NC

NC

NC

Teslin HWYukon HW

AlsekTaku

Lower Stikine

Nass

Haida Gwaii

Bella Coola

Rivers-Smith SC

WVI

EVI

Boundary Bay

Lower Fraser

Okanagan

Lower Thompson

S Thompson

N Thompson

Middle FraserUpper Fraser

Middle Skeena

Lower Skeena

Upper Skeena

Lower Liard

Lillooet

Joint Adaptive Zones

Taku

Teslin HW

Middle Skeena

Upper Skeena

Upper Fraser

Lower Thompson

N Thompson

S Thompson

MiddleFraser

Okanagan

Boundary Bay

EVINEVI

NWVI

WVI

Yukon HW

Nass

Coastal 3-4-5

Alsek

NCE-Haida Gwaii

W-Haida Gwaii

N-Haida Gwaii

Lower Liard

MI Lillooet

SC

Rivers-Smith

Bella Coola

Lower Skeena

Lower Fraser

Lower Stikine

SE AK Fjords

33 joint adaptive zones with anadromous salmon in BC

Adaptive zones & FN Linguistic boundaries

Benchmarks

Benchmarks

Reporting CU Status

Progress to date ….• Habitat requirements for different life history types

documented• Developed two-tiered approach using PRESSURE and

STATE indicators• Developed preliminary list of habitat indicators

What's next…• Finalize, refine and pilot indicators • Development of monitoring framework including web-

based information system

Strategy 2 – Habitat Status

• Stream length channelization/floodplain alienation • Stream length riparian zone alteration• Road density• % watershed area conversion to various land uses

(e.g. forestry, agriculture, urban)• % watershed area impervious surface• % wetlands loss• Water abstraction (quantity, timing)

Ranked stream habitat Pressure indicators

• Habitat Quantity: #Km fish accessible stream length, #Ha fish accessible off-channel habitat

• Stream discharge • Channel stability • Water temperature • Water chemistry parameters • LWD, Instream cover• Sediment load

Ranked stream habitat Status indicators

• Pressure• Road density, % riparian zone altered• % watershed impervious surface area• % water-shed area various land cover alterations• % lake foreshore altered, recreational pressure.

• Status• Accessible shore length, barriers;• Accessible off-channel habitat area• Temp, water chem. (nutrients, D.O., pH, conductivity,

contaminant)• Sediment/substrate

Potential Lake Indicators

• Pressure• % surface area disturbed off-shore/in-shore• % shoreline altered• Invasives, shipping traffic

• Status• Eel-grass, marine riparian vegetation• Spatial distribution of wetlands and mudflats• Flux of detrital organic matter (C,N,P)• Accessible off-channel habitat area• Estuarine habitat area, sediment, TSS• Pathogens, water chemistry, aquatic invertebrates

Potential Estuarine Indicators

Progress to date ….

• Reviewed potential indicators to monitor status of freshwater ecosystems (PFRCC assisted)

• Consulted on approaches to incorporating ecosystem values

What's next…

• Convene Workshop/Panel to develop integrated framework

• Pilot monitoring program

• Review of trends in marine survival of salmon

Strategy 3 – Ecosystem Monitoring

• Develop long term strategic plans for CUs

• Requires right governance structure for fisheries marine use and land-use planning.

• Requires right planning approach

Strategy 4 – Strategic Planning

1.Identify planning priorities

2.Identify resource management options and alternative management strategies

3.Establish biological, social and economic performance indicators

4.Assess the likely impacts of management alternatives

5.Select the preferred management alternative

5-Step Planning Approach

1. Mechanism for shared delivery of ecosystem monitoring and management – balkanization

2.Development of effective and affordable habitat/ecosystem indicators

3.Capacity to develop appropriate social and economic indicators

4. Integration/sharing of data over multiple levels of government

Challenges

5. Lack of governance structure for integrated planning of oceans, fisheries and watersheds: considering scale based fisheries commission/sustainability roundtable

6. Engagement of First Nations and appropriate approach to ATK/TEK

7. Water

Challenges

A Small Wind ?

• A results-based ecosystem monitoring program delivered by all 4 levels of government, industry, NGOs and volunteers

• A scale-based sustainability round table that brings regulators and community perspectives together to advise initially and ultimately co-manage resources. Interagency committee + BV CRB

• A joint technical committee that supports the roundtable and provides integrated data/information and analyis.

Vision