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SEHAB Meeting with Minister Gail Shea, May 26, 2009

View the slide presentation here

November 17, 2009

SEHAB remains a member of this WG, listed as an external partner under “Other Advisors”. The Board submitted a brief (November/07) to this committee providing input from volunteers on the valued roles and responsibilities of Community Advisors.

The Department’s position is that this Committee’s activities/recommendations should be in step with those of the SEP revitalization process.

Here is a summary of the September 10/09 WG conference call:

1. Participants -Barry Peters, Mark Johnson, Dave Davies, Laura Purton, Theresa Southam. Joanne Day, Jeff Jung
2. Agenda
   1. Review SWOT/ Watershed Planning Document/SEP Evaluation and SEP Logic Model/Drivers for Change
   2. Next Steps:Issues and Options
   3. Roles and Responsibilities Document
   4. Workshop for Managers

1. Summary (Don Lowen)
   1. WG is using SEHAB’s September/07 brief as information source for Review
   2. Gaps identified in SWOT analysis

i.List of strengths seems short

ii.Longevity, consistency not included in strengths

iii.No Regional consistency on level of admin support

iv.Area Management not identified as threat

1. 1. Consensus that WG “take a crack at it first then have other CA’s look at it”
   2. General discussion on how SWOT should be revised, and strategy leading to a draft of roles and responsibilities.

1. FAQ’s

· The Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association (GVSEA) operates the Howard English Hatchery.

· GVSEA activities pre-date Salmonid Enhancement Program (1969).

· GVSEA generates $5 for every dollar granted by DFO via the Community Involvement Program.

· Consistency - GVSEA projects have been supported by only 3 Community Advisors since SEP began in 1978. Current CA is Sonora Butterfield.

· Volunteers staff the Howard English Hatchery six days/week, 365 days/year.

· Membership is 85.

2. The GVSEA Today – Partnerships, Partnerships

a. Enhancement:

· This year’s output is 750K fry (Coho, Chinook, chum). Capacity is 1M.

· Hatchery is a satellite re-stocking facility for Reay, Mt. Douglas, Shawnigan, Colquitz, Craigflower, Millstream, Lyall, Grieg, Ganges, Fulford watersheds.

· Enhancement partners include Greater Victoria Water District, Capital Regional District, City of Langford, Goldstream Provincial Park, Province of BC, Tsawout First Nation, Mt. Doug Streamkeepers, and many more.

b. Public Awareness/Education:

· Hatchery provides 20K eggs for schools, most of any facility including major federal facilities.

· As an urban watershed that annually receives an average of 30K chum spawners, the Goldstream River’s potential as a teaching tool is limitless.

· Tens of thousands witness the November return of chum.

· GVSEA volunteers serve as tour guides for schools and other groups, at the river and onsite.

· Partners include Habitat Acquisition Trust, Watership Foundation, Stream of Dreams, Goldstream Provincial Park, and public school districts.

c. Habitat Restoration – Work plans have evolved over 40 years to include significant habitat restoration projects, in partnership with Tsawout First Nation, City of Langford, Capital Regional District.

3. The Future Depends on Stability

· GVSEA projects rely on long-term contract technical support, as does the core of community involvement and education activities Regionally. Contract and education support costs are variable, not fixed, and are tendered annually at the discretion of Area Managers.

· The future of the Community Involvement Program, and all Program partners like GVSEA, rests on the Community Advisor’s ability to enhance the community’s capacity to reach goals that are shared by the Department. The CA’s ability to support community projects with time and money – directly, consistently and without political interference - are essential to this unique and successful delivery model.

Report – SEHAB Participation in Minister’s Roundtable on Fraser Sockeye Return

September 11/09

Vancouver, BC

Representing SEHAB, and at the request of the Policy Branch at DFO RHQ, I attended Minister Gail Shea’s September 11/09 roundtable meeting in Vancouver, along with representatives of at least 20 First Nations, conservation, commercial fishing and recreational fishing organizations. I received notice of this meeting two days prior; as a result, there was little opportunity for input from SEHAB members concerning a presentation, or who would present it.

Minister Shea sat at the head table with Gary Lunn, Minister of State for Sport; Randy Kamp, Parliamentary Secretary and meeting Chair, and; Paul Sprout, Regional Director General.

Head table opening remarks by all three members of Parliament and Mr. Sprout included expressions of concern about the non-appearance of a healthy return of Fraser sockeye, and for the communities affected by this turn of events. Mr. Kamp asked each representative to provide a perspective and recommendations, and welcomed discussion on other west coast fishery concerns. Each representative spoke up to ten minutes. Parliamentarians and/or Mr. Sprout often followed each presentation with questions or additional information.

My comments included the following:

1. Introduced SEHAB as voice of volunteers engaged in strategic enhancement, habitat restoration and public awareness projects from White Rock to Whitehorse. These volunteers enjoy a principle-based, collegial relationship with the Department via the CIP and Community Advisors.
2. Referring to SEHAB’s May/09 brief to Minister, volunteers have identified three chronic issues that stand in the way of stock rebuilding and significant habitat restoration/conservation – enforcement, communication and assessment.
3. With reference to the issue at hand (Reliable run predictions based on historical assessments), volunteers fifteen years ago increased their involvement and expertise in assessment as the Department decreased its commitment to contracted resources and changed the job description for Fishery Officers. With little or no investment in “on the ground” assessment today, many volunteers are concerned that the Department has lost “continuity” in its assessment data, and that will have a big impact on the effectiveness, if not the relevance, of the Wild Salmon Policy.
4. Pacific Salmon populations have dwindled slowly, and, if they do, will rebuild at a similar pace. A productive 30 year relationship between government (Community Advisors) and the community (volunteer stewards) is also dwindling slowly as a result of inaction on habitat infractions, a poor record re habitat protection, and a decreasing commitment to the volunteer effort in general.
5. With a modest increase to a modest CIP budget alongside a new commitment to assessment and the Wild Salmon Policy, CA’s will be able to meet the needs of volunteers, and the Department will have the opportunity to fully implement the WSP alongside a committed, well-trained army of volunteer allies. The health of this partnership is a critical and inexpensive hedge against species extirpation.
6. Recommendations – lots of discussion on answers/solutions/predictions, but are we asking the right questions? For example, do we know to what extent smolts absorb toxins in the lower Fraser? Do we know this “soup’s” effect on survival? If it is a factor, why did some Fraser sockeye runs do well this year, while others obviously didn’t? Recommend that, until we have the science “nailed”, we take a precautionary approach to how we live within this ecosystem, and find ways to fully implement WSP.
7. Question - (from Gary Lunn) “To what extent do volunteer enhancement efforts contribute to increased salmon populations?” Answer – Enhancement results are measurable and positive. Other impacts – public awareness/education, training, community commitment, habitat conservation, etc. - are positive and immeasurable. The CIP is a Regional tapestry of wisdom and commitment that acts as a buffer against the prevailing winds of development and decreased enforcement budgets.
8. Question - (from Minister Shea) “ Please clarify your query concerning testing of smolts above and below Vancouver”. Following my response, the Minister confirmed with Mr. Sprout and Dr. Laura Richards that there is no initiative like this at the present time.

Following are some of the common issues and comments:

1. All stakeholders described the effect of this event on those that they represented.
2. What began as a collective call for a scientific panel to investigate the matter evolved through the morning to one that would include FN governments and NGO’s.
3. Many commended RHQ for its decisive action to terminate all sockeye fisheries as soon as concerns about returning numbers were raised. Many agreed that this action facilitated the probability of a healthy return of Fraser sockeye to the spawning grounds.
4. There was general consensus, and DFO Managers and scientists agreed, that the Pacific Ocean is a “black box”, an uninvestigated theatre that may hold some answers as to why, especially in the past ten years, predictions for Fraser sockeye have become increasingly unreliable.
5. There was little support for computer models as predictors of run size.
6. Sea lice were identified as a minor factor, at best, in this year’s disappointing sockeye return.
7. I was impressed by the quality of each representative’s contribution, and the respectful, collegial atmosphere of the entire morning.

• Government of Canada

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Pacific Region

Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement Branch

Salmonid Enhancement Program

Community Involvement Program

Update October 19/09 – Outstanding requests highlighted.

The Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board (SEHAB) is the voice of the Pacific Region’s volunteer stewards (www.sehab.org).

“Canadians must come to understand the complexity of this ecosystem. They do so by volunteering. This is a public trust.” (SEHAB Public forum, Victoria, BC. October 26/07) [i]

L to R: Don Lowen, Zo Ann Morten, Minister Shea, Jack Minard

Issue

In thirty years, the Community Involvement Program (CIP) has amassed a legion of twenty thousand committed, trained and experienced volunteer stewards, working with your Department’s Pacific Regional staff to restore salmon populations and habitat. This collective effort by a willing partner – a reported estimate of 200 restoration projects, 110 strategic enhancement facilities, 110 education/public awareness initiatives [ii] - weakens as the Department loses its ability to enforce the Fisheries Act and concurrently implement an effective recovery and management strategy.

The future of this principle-based relationship between government and community depends on a fundamental increase in the resources required to restore and protect salmon populations. The current level of resource allocation to the CIP and other agencies within DFO is not sufficient to maintain this partnership that currently stands against the extirpation of Pacific salmonids.

A budget increase of $1.25M over two years will maintain today’s partnership with community into the near future. Current cost is $3.25M.

Background

·This relationship, based on a client-driven process, constitutes an inexpensive and durable hedge against an economic and cultural disaster for the Pacific Region. Community-based initiatives return an average of $5 for every $1 received from government sources for habitat restoration.[iii] By involving Canadians in the solution, this model also trains and empowers us to incorporate sustainability and conservation into our everyday lives.

·“Pacific salmon stocks and habitat are under stress. While the Fisheries Act and Habitat Policy provide the necessary legislative base for the Department to manage Pacific salmon and their habitat for sustainability, results indicate that this is not being fully achieved.” [iv]

·{The Department} “has not yet finalized the Wild Salmon Policy to provide clear objectives and guiding principles and to bring together biological, economic, and social factors for fisheries and resource management; habitat protection; and salmon enhancement.……. Consultation and allocation issues remain in Pacific salmon fisheries. Shortcomings continue to exist in information on salmon stocks and habitat.” [v]

·“Salmon are important to Canadians, generating a wide range of economic, social, and cultural benefits. Maintaining biologically diverse and abundant salmon stocks is essential in preserving this unique part of Canada's heritage. Lack of prompt action may put weak salmon stocks and the long-term sustainability of fisheries at risk.” [vi]

·“Habitat Policy - In the 23 years since the Habitat Policy was adopted ….little information exists about the achievement of the Policy’s overall long-term objective of a net gain in productive fish habitat.” [vii]

·“Environmental Process Modernization Plan (EPMP) - We found that the Department … cannot demonstrate that projects that represent a risk to fish habitat have been adequately assessed and a consistent approach has been applied …. reduced its enforcement by half before implementing its new compliance approach….. rarely monitors whether project proponents actually comply with the Department’s conditions of approval or whether proponents’ actions effectively maintained the expected no net loss in habitat.” [viii]

Consultation

·At a 2007 SEHAB public forum, volunteer stewards stressed that “Regulatory agencies need the capacity required to protect habitat (Unanimous show of hands)… The CIP budget should be created via a process that creates stability in the future... Canadians must come to understand the complexity of this ecosystem. They do so by volunteering. This is a public trust.” [ix]

·For the past ten years, SEHAB has identified the following recurring issues coming to the Board from across the Pacific Region:

1.Communication – intra-Department and between levels of government;

2.Stock Assessment - Declining resources for salmon stock assessment, limiting data available for informed decision-making by the Department, and;

3.Enforcement – Lack of habitat protection, accumulating impacts, data collection inconsistencies, decrease in staffing [x]

Policy Changes

·Empower CA’s to manage their own budgets, consult Regionally, and answer to a Regional authority.

·The realization of National or Regional initiatives like the habitat compliance monitoring strategy, Environmental Process Modernization Plan, and Wild Salmon Policy require implementation budgets.

·Regulatory staff require a policy shift to facilitate enforcement of the Fisheries Act, with conservation as the priority over either access to fisheries or economic development.

Option - Entrench Community Involvement Model: A Principle-Based Decision to Increase Resources

1.By October/09, complete current audit of the Salmonid Enhancement Program, allowing;

2.By March/10, in consultation with partners, the completion of a current Regional assessment of the Community Involvement Program, toward the development and implementation of a job description for Community Advisors (CA’s), based on a client-driven model.

3.By April/10, increase each CA’s community involvement budget by 25% (Most of this is cutback recovery.)

4.By October/10, fully staff 18 positions and assign a Regional CIP director exclusively responsible to this Program;

5.By March/11, provide resources to fully implement habitat compliance monitoring strategy, Environmental Process Modernization Plan, and Wild Salmon Policy;

6.After March/11, through a well-staffed Community Involvement Program, and in partnership with other Regional departments:

a.Integrate the efforts and expertise of volunteer stewards into all implementation aspects of the Wild Salmon Policy and a comprehensive Regional stock assessment strategy;

b.Based on current successful designs, facilitate the proliferation of watershed or community roundtables that:

i.Increase communication between and among agencies, user groups and community organizations, and;

ii.Implement scientifically sound habitat/enhancement projects without duplication of effort and with full consideration.

Implications:

1.Membership in volunteer stewardship organizations will stop decreasing and begin to increase in 5 years.

2.The trend of a decrease in returning salmon populations will stop in 10 years and reverse.

3.The total area of viable spawning/rearing habitat will begin to increase in 5 years.

4.Initially, the number of habitat and fishery violations will increase.

Option - Do Nothing

1.Maintain CIP program delivery funding at present level.

2.Allow “low” risk development projects to complete without monitoring.

3.No increase in C&P staff.

4.No additional resources to implement Wild Salmon Policy.

Implications:

1.Most runs of Pacific salmon extirpated in 20-40 years.

2.Significant loss of community support, hope and trust.

3.Lawsuits by labour unions, First Nations and NGO’s.

Fiscal Requirements

To hire full complement of CA’s and increase project budget by 25%, and provide implementation resources for new Regional and National strategies, increase Community Involvement Program budget of $3.25M to $4.5M over two years.