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.

Manage fisheries for sustainable benefits Safeguard the genetic diversity of wild 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 Georgia Strait 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 Teslin HW Yukon HW Alsek Taku Lower Stikine Nass Haida Gwaii Bella Coola Rivers-Smith SC WVI EVI Boundary Bay Lower Fraser Okanagan Lower Thompson S Thompson N Thompson Middle Fraser Upper 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 Middle Fraser Okanagan Boundary Bay EVI NEVI NWVI WVI Yukon HW Nass Coastal Alsek NC E-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

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