Pacific Region Conservation and Protection

2017 SALMON PROGRAM RESULTS

Forum on Conservation & Harvest Planning January 23, 2018

South Coast Area Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast

2017 South Coast Area Successes • CSTAT project highlighted Fishery Officers working together to

complete a project with Resource Management and statistician support

• Stronger collaborative working relationship with Resource Management

• Looking for more collaborative opportunities with First Nations, i.e. enforcement protocols, joint patrols and relationship building

• Increased presence at SFAC and SFAB meetings – fall 2017 meetings attended (local and SCA SFAB mainboard)

• Staffing at management and supervisory ranks of C&P will lead to increased organizational stability and operational efficiency

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2017 Compliance Project (CSTAT)

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• Compliance project focused on Johnston Strait Chum fisheries • 69 inspections of seine vessels, 7 charges (frc and mesh

size) and 25 warnings (frc, logbook, hail and licence conditions)

• 129 inspections of gillnet vessels, 3 charges (frc, retain prohibited species) and 119 warnings (frc, hail, prohibited species, net marking, licence conditions)

• 12 inspections of troll vessels – one warning (frc) • Follow up work will be done on late catch reporting this

winter • Will provide a defensible compliance rate for this fishery which

assist with MSC certification and make increase market price

2017 Commercial Fisheries

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• Strong Fishery Officer and MPP presence on Cowichan fisheries with no violations

• Nov 2 – 24 openings – 11 vessels checked with no violations

• MPP presence increased compliance rates • Area 26 Kyuquot fishery opened for the first time in 30 years

with good compliance. 22 vessels checked in area 25 and 26 chinook and sox with 5 violations

• Increased opportunities in Georgia Strait Chum fisheries with strong C&P presence (CSTAT)

2017 Aboriginal Fisheries

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• Ahousaht (T'aaq-wii-hak) demo fisheries required focused monitoring. Lack of an agreed fishing plan and management measures complicated enforcement

• Limited First Nation collaboration on enforcement matters • One Johnstone Strait pink fishery with sox retention, good

C&P presence with no compliance issues • Joint patrols with guardians to monitor WCVI Chinook

fisheries • Sox from WCVI were sold in Douglas Treaty area

2017 Recreational Fisheries

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• Enforcement of recreational fisheries focused on conservation concerns and areas with reduced compliance

• Total of 396 violations for SCA from January 1 to December 18, 2017 • Top 5 compliance issues in order – barbed hooks (173), reporting

(78), licence (52), closed area (31), species/size (22) • Online licencing and website errors created complex enforcement

situations • Compliance with fishery regulations increased with officer presence • Barbed hook violations are still very prevalent and a concern as this

measure is the foundation for fishery management approaches

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South Coast Area Patrol Time Results 2014- 2017(hours)

Patrol Time 2014

Patrol Time 2015

Patrol Time 2016

Patrol Time 2017

Aboriginal Salmon 471.25 482.50 219.75 153.75

Aboriginal Salmon- EO 78.75 157.50 159.75 109.0

Comm. Salmon - Net 1059.75 804.25 768.50 1033.75

Comm. Salmon - Troll 167.5 151.00 74.50 112.0

Rec – Salmon (Non-Tidal) 180 388.75 309.0 151.25

Rec – Salmon (Tidal) 2,157.5 2,612.75 2,151.25 1692.75

UCAT –Salmon (Unlicensed/Closed Area Time)

540.25 945.75 642.75 571.75

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Marine Patrol Program • The CCGS Martin Charles was operational for 239 patrol days in the South

Coast and Lower Fraser areas in 2017. The vessel patrolled with a full time contingent of two to three officers whose purpose was to support land based Detachments by patrolling their marine areas of responsibility.

• Focused on priority fisheries / closed time patrols in areas that have been historically difficult to regularly access by land based officers

• Participated in the Compliance Statistics (CSTAT) imitative in Johnstone Straits for the month of October.

• The Ship patrolled 14,800 nautical miles. The RHIB put in 750 +/- hours of patrolling effort, in support of SC & LFA Detachments in 2017

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Marine Patrol Program Results South Coast

2015 2016 2017 Patrol Days 242 226 239 Commercial Vessels Inspected 191 381 249

Aboriginal Vessels Inspected 43 21 96

Recreational Vessels Inspected 601 540 666

RCAs Inspected 469 657 425 CSSP Closures Inspected 70 350 190 Violations 447 596 354

Number of Seizures - - 154

Patrol track CCGS M Charles (April –September 2017)

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Distance Patrolled Nautical miles patrolled 14,800 nm Kilometers patrolled 27,410km

Distance equal to 6 trips from Nanaimo BC to St Anthony NL Or BC to Australia and back and a trip to NL!

Aerial Surveillance Program • Between January 1 – November 15, 2017 there were 166 patrols over 976.21

hours. These patrols included all fishing activity along with checks of RCAs, sponge reef MPAs, and other closed areas

• Aerial surveillance identified salmon fishing activity and violations and took photographs and video. This information was shared on a near real time basis with Fishery Officers in local detachments and with the Marine Patrol Program

• Violations included six fail to hail out, one closed area and one fail to release in least harmful manner in the commercial fisheries

• Two RCA violations and one other type of closed area violation in the recreational fisheries

• No violations reported in the aboriginal fisheries

Lower Fraser - Howe Sound to Hells Gate

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2017 Lower Fraser Area Successes • Closure patrols on the Fraser River were strategically

implemented during the day and night to protect historically low number of returning Fraser River salmon. Over 100 illegal gillnets were removed from the River during these closure patrols

• UCAT patrols were the primary focus to prevent illegal harvest

• Chum fisheries took place in the Fraser River during October and November (commercial, EO, recreational and FSC) with most fishers found in compliance with regulations

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Fraser Coastal (Steveston) Successes

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• The Majority (69) of the 128 Salmon related violations were for illegal gear offences (i.e. predominantly barbed hooks & a minor # of unlicensed, closed time, retaining wild Coho, and failure to record Chinook violations)

• August 25-27th: 76 vessels / 110 fishers / 34 violations • September 4th: 20 vessels / 44 fishers / 15 violations • MPP CHARLES assistance on weekend: 68 Vessels / 166 fishers / 19

violations • September 8th: 18 vessels / 38 fishers / 1 violations • September 15th: 30 vessels / 77fishers / 3 violations • Compliance improved after C&P media event on Sept 2nd

Fraser Coastal Detachment - Violations - by Violation Type – Salmon (2017)

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Fraser Coastal Detachment - Violations - by Violation Type – Salmon (2017)

Count of Viol Type Row Labels 2017 ABORIGINAL - SALMON 10

AREA / TIME 4 GEAR - ILLEGAL/ USED ILLEGALLY 3 REGISTRATION / LICENCE 3

ABORIGINAL - SALMON (ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY) COMM. SALMON - NET 8

GEAR - ILLEGAL/ USED ILLEGALLY 3 ILLEGAL BUY/SELL/POSSESS 3 REGISTRATION / LICENCE 2

REC - SALMON (NON-TIDAL) 7 GEAR - ILLEGAL/ USED ILLEGALLY 3 QUOTA / BAG LIMITS 1 REGISTRATION / LICENCE 2 SPECIES / SIZE LIMIT 1

REC - SALMON (TIDAL) 100 AREA / TIME 8 ASSAULT/ OBSTRUCT 1 GEAR - ILLEGAL/ USED ILLEGALLY 69 QUOTA / BAG LIMITS 1 REGISTRATION / LICENCE 7 REPORTING 8 SPECIES / SIZE LIMIT 6

UCAT - SALMON - UNLICENSED/CLOSED AREA/TIME 3 AREA / TIME 2 GEAR - ILLEGAL/ USED ILLEGALLY 1

Grand Total 128

2017 FVW Detachment Successes

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• FVW have three prosecution files related to First Nation fishers utilizing restricted undersize mesh to target sockeye in the Chinook only FSC fisheries. In all cases 5 ¼” mesh was used in the targeted Fraser Chinook FSC fisheries where the net restriction was set at 8”. In one particular case, forty-nine (49) sockeye were seized from one vessel. A significant number considering the low returns

• In one case the First Nation leadership supported DFO charges by removing one of the fishers from their designation list and suspending him for 1 year

• At least two gillnets were illegally set that measured ~300 ft. in length. FVW assisted Vancouver Police Marine and RCMP by helping them to locate a stolen vessel used by this same group

2017 FVW Detachment Successes

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• FVW have 5 prosecution files related to the Fraser River commercial fishery. The majority are related to participating in a salmon fishery without operational revival tanks

• C&P led multi-agency border inspections. Fishery Officers worked in conjunction CBSA and EEC Wildlife Officers on the Canadian side of the border and with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington State Fish and Wildlife, Office of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection and the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the US side of the border. The product observed most often was chum salmon (going both ways)...the chum encountered was being sold to China

2017 FVE Detachment Successes

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• Successes:

• i. Higher profile patrols on non-compliance rec. fisheries (Stave-Chwk)

• ii. Good compliance on the Economic Fisheries • iii. Removing illegal gillnets during closed time • iv. Good support from Bands with charges

2017 FVE Detachment Successes

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• Patrol Hours:

• UCAT – 1016 hours- 57%- 270 Vehicle, 87 vessel, 16 Heli patrols • FSC - 461 hours - 10% -30 charges • Rec. Fish - 602 hours-20% 1118 checks 89 violations • Closed Time Charges -15 individuals fishing gillnets illegally • Total Gillnets seized: 90 (Chilliwack to Hells Gate)

2017 Lower Fraser Area Challenges

• Officers focused their recreational enforcement patrols in tidal waters of Area 29 and 28. Non-compliance was at high levels for many weeks. Chief C&P held a media briefing to educate the public on the historic low returns of salmon and our increased focus on:

• 1) the non-compliance within the tidal salmon recreational fishery and

• 2) the high number of illegal gillnet seizures occurring upstream of Chilliwack

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Lower Fraser Area Patrol Time Results 2013- 2017 (hours) Patrol Time

2013 Patrol

Time 2014 Patrol Time

2015 Patrol

Time 2016 Patrol

Time 2017 Aboriginal Salmon 1104.75 748.0 1357.50 785.00 622.75

Aboriginal Salmon- EO

257 261.0 83.5 73.0 65.5

Comm. Salmon - Net 153.25 617.25 167 197.25 131.5

Comm. Salmon - Troll

5 7 6 0

Rec – Salmon (Non-Tidal)

1628.25 1035 1551.50 1080.0 871.5

Rec – Salmon (Tidal) 269 268.25 616.75 465.50 434.5

UCAT –Salmon (Unlicensed/Closed Area Time)

3690.5 3258.5 4150.25 4180.25 2641.5

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BC Interior – Hells Gate to Alberta Alberta Border

BC Interior Patrol Priorities

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2017 BC Interior Area

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2017 BCI Successes

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• Fishery Officers were strategically placed to deal with fishing closure timing and illegal activities such as illegal fishing on the Fraser River sockeye runs – especially during weak runs

• Meetings with First Nations and enforcement presence provided a deterrence in most areas to combat any illegal sockeye fishing on the poor 2017 sockeye return

• Relatively good compliance for the sockeye closure, except for one First Nation community near Lillooet who protested and harvested approx. 13,000 summer run sockeye

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2017 BCI Challenges • Officers from Kamloops and Salmon Arm spent the majority of the

summer months in Lillooet dealing with extensive close time fishing for Fraser River sockeye

• Officers from Williams Lake were evacuated from their homes for 13 days. Many of the fishing sites along the central interior area were under public evacuation order or alert for more than 30days. As a result, very little fishing and patrol effort occurred in the central area

• Low salmon returns, resulted in a lack of sport fishing opportunities for salmon throughout the BCI. Limited to only the Thompson and Shuswap Chinook

Mount Polley Breach • August 4, 2014 Imperial Mines had a tailings pond breach. More than10

million cubic meters of effluent was released into Polley and Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely

• Extensive Joint investigation being conducted by the Conservation Officer Service, Environment Canada and DFO

• Violations of the Fisheries Act - section 35(1) Destruction of Fish Habitat and 36(3) – deleterious substances deposit

• 5 Fishery Officers are working full time on Mount Polley file. The investigation should be complete in late 2018. As of December 06, 2017, C&P has dedicated 20,528.5 hours to the investigation

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BC Interior Patrol Time Results 2014- 2017 (hours) Patrol Time

2014 Patrol Time

2015 Patrol Time

2016 Patrol Time

2017

Aboriginal Salmon 735.75 1,466.75 1,055.0 586.75 Aboriginal Salmon- EO 75 2 8 N/A Demonstration Fishery- Net

449.75 665.0 233.5 N/A

Comm. Salmon - Troll N/A N/A 9.50 N/A Rec – Salmon (Non-Tidal) 906.75 763.75 750.50 377.0 Rec – Salmon (Tidal) N/A 5.0 25.50 14.25 UCAT –Salmon (Unlicensed/Closed Area Time)

1256.75

2035.50

2,080.25

1468.50