1 First Nations Fisheries Monitoring – Mission to Sawmill Creek Area November 17 th, 2010 Rec & FN Catch Monitoring Workshop prepared by: Matthew Parslow

2 Definitions / Key Terms ► hail: fisher report of catch and effort information ► CFA: Comprehensive Fisheries Agreement complete ► census: considered a complete accounting of catch and effort ► FVAFS: Fraser Valley Aboriginal Fisheries Society. First Nations monitoring organisation operating in the Port Mann to Sawmill Creek area. ► FSC: Food, Social and Ceremonial fisheries ► EO: Economic Opportunity fisheries

3 Fishery – FSC ► Groups:  21 First Nations in three main groups: ► Sto:lo Nation ► Sto:lo Tribal Council ► Independents ► Gears:  drift nets, set nets, beach seines and some dip net. ► Duration/Frequency:  set net: hrs, once per week  drift net: 8-12 hrs, one to three times per week ► Target Species  sockeye, Chinook, chum

4 Assess. (Drift) – FSC ► 100% hail/count program  hails/counts obtained at landing sites  Charter Patrol obtains hails ► Effort based on reports and patrols ► No expansion, use of Charter Patrol ► Catch and effort data collection by FVAFS  all except Yale/Chehalis/Scowlitz/Cheam  monitoring conducted by FN for exceptions

5 Assess. (Set) – FSC ► Survey-based program  catch per unit effort (CPUE) estimated using: ► hails/counts of catch at monitoring sites ► hails of effort (net hrs) at monitoring sites  effort estimated using: ► instantaneous effort (overflight(s)) ► effort profiles (fisher interviews) ► above data is combined to estimate catch ► Collected by FVAFS, analysed by DFO

6 Validation and Confidence – FSC ► some validation of active drift vessel counts by Charter Patrol. ► While counts of catch are obtained for some fishers, validation of catch rates is not conducted for either gear. ► Precision estimates can be, but are not currently, produced for set net estimates.

7 Gaps and Deficiencies – FSC ► Hail-based catch estimates ► potential for missed fishers (drift) ► interviews may not be representative (set) ► validation of catch/effort information ► Cheam First Nation

8 Fishery Review - EO ► First Nations signatory to a CFA can participate ► Gear types:  drift nets  set nets  purse seines  beach seines ► Fishing occurs between the mouth and Sawmill Creek. ► Target sockeye, chum and pink

9 Monitoring Plan - EO ► catch from all LFA EO and demonstration fisheries is assessed via a Mandatory Landing Program (MLP)  Landing slips produced when fish are off- loaded. ► effort estimates:  overflights (set net)  on-the-water vessel/crew counts (other) ► CPUE not estimated

10 Monitoring Plan – EO cont. ► additional measures to collect catch and effort information during selective EO or demonstration fisheries:  100% observer coverage  set-by-set catch information recorded

11 Monitoring Plan – EO cont. ► The MLPs are implemented by the First Nations and FN monitoring organisations in the area. i.e.  Musqueam  Tsawwassen  Chehalis/Scowlitz  Fraser Valley Aboriginal Fisheries Society (FVAFS)  Yale First Nation

12 Validation and Confidence - EO ► Third party validation of catch estimates is not conducted at the current time. ► As this program is a MLP it is expected that all fishers are represented by the landing slips produced (complete census). As such confidence estimates can not be produced.

13 Gaps and Deficiencies - EO ► A MLP is in place at all times when an EO fishery is occurring in the LFA, should be 100% coverage. ► potential for missed fishers ► hail-based release estimates for drift and set net fisheries

14 other sampling programs ► Coded Wire Tag Program ► LGL Fishwheel project  radio tagging project  tags encountered in fisheries are recorded and collected ► PSC Sampling (DNA and Scale)  conducted by FVAFS monitors and DFO staff

15 set net survey program overview ► catch estimated for three river sections, five sub-sections  Mission to Harrison  Harrison to Hope ► Harrison to Laidlaw / Laidlaw to Hope  Hope to Sawmill Creek ► Hope to Yale / Yale to Sawmill Creek ► the basics …  total catch = average catch / net hr (CPUE) * effort

16 ► provides the catch rate in pieces per net hour ► obtained from catch interviews (~30% of nets)  Monitors record fish kept and released, number of nets and soak time whenever gear is checked  data collected is used to determine the average number of fish caught per net hour (CPUE) ► i.e.: 36 fish caught in three nets over six hours = 36 fish / 3 nets = 12 fish / net in 6 hours = 2 fish / nethr survey: catch per unit effort (CPUE)

17 survey: effort – total net hours two pieces of information are needed to estimate the total net hours (effort) for a fishery. they are… 1.total nets fishing at one point during the fishery instantaneous effort (overflight) count 2.proportion of nets fishing at the time of the instantaneous effort count effort profiles

18 survey: instantaneous effort ► provides a ‘snap-shot’ of the total fishing effort at one point during the fishery ► obtained via helicopter overflights  conducted a minimum of once per opening  covers the area from Mission to Sawmill Creek  gives the number of active set nets at that time ► Does not tell you how much fishing occurs over 24-hours

19 If If only overflight information... survey: instantaneous effort Under- estimates effort Over- estimates effort

20 survey: effort profiles ► Proportion of gear fishing during overflights (24-hr effort surveys)  Data can be based on monitor observations or reconstructed from catch interview data  tells you the average proportion of harvesters fishing at different times of day ► Proportion of effort = the effort at the time of the overflight / the total effort for the opening

21 survey: effort profiles proportion : 15 (nets) / 409 (total net hrs) = ~4%total effort : 21 (overflight) / 4% (proportion)

22 survey: catch calculations ► so if total catch = CPUE * effort, ► and CPUE = catch / net hr = 36 SK / (3 nets * 6 hours) = 2 SK / net hr ► and effort = inst. effort / prop. of effort = 21 nets / (15 nets / 409 net hours) = 572 net hrs ► then total catch … = 2 SK / net hr * 572 net hrs = 1145 fish