SEHAB Member: Leandre Vigneault

Area: Haida Gwaii

Community Advisor: Pat Fairweather

Date: November 2015

Key Issues: Habitat work notification, concern over increased shipping in the north, stock assessment and enhancement funding

What top three points can you distill from community input to take to DFO RHQ?

1.  Lack of notifications/oversight for work around streams is leading to more casual attitude towards these activities. It is very easy to find a place for a project to fit within the “Project activities and criteria where DFO review is not required” and the lack of a mechanism to track work being done near water means DFO does not know how much work is being done near water, if it is impacting fish habitat or even if it is being done in an appropriate timing window. We need to create regulations that require that projects near water provide notification to DFO

2. Lack of adequate funding for salmon enhancement and stock assessment. Examples: Marie Lake CEDP.  “I am running a hatchery on a shoe string budget that hasn’t seen an increase to allow for rising operating costs for several decades. The Marie Lake hatchery is only in existence because I have a crew that is prepared to work for peanuts.” Stock assessment, very limited charter patrol funding and the loss of the patrol vessel as a platform for DFO staff to do enumeration.

3. Concern about Increased shipping in the north coast particularly both oil and LNG.  Shipping has the potential a draw on limited DFO resources and there are not enough dedicated resources available to respond and avert disaster.

Stories:

A few examples of successes, failures, challenges.

Successes

We receive great support from our CA and RRU.  The move of the NTA hatchery to its new site is a good example and a letter of thanks is attached the report.

RFCPP and PSF funding contributed to 2 stream crossing replacements to improve fish passage and instream restoration projects on 3 creeks.  Should be noted that this was not a community group lead project rather Province of BC was the lead and the issue of no planning $s still a problem.

Partnership between DFO stock assessment and the Tlell Watershed Society continues with another successful season running the Tlell River counting fence.  Tlell Watershed Society hosted a Tlell River Day community event to highlight the river and volunteerism.

Challenges

There are a limited number of people in the area and volunteer numbers dropping by attrition.

Tree through the roof of the rearing building at the Alliford Bay Hatchery