FRIDAY FORUM – “Updating Implementation of Wild Salmon Policy” and “2010 Stock Assessment Strategy” (Mark Saunders, George Farrell)
North Vancouver Holiday Inn
Jack Minard, Chair
7 PM – Welcome and Introductions
7:05 - Mark Saunders: Update on progress towards the implementation of the Wild Salmon Policy
7:25 – Q & A
7:35 – (Speaker TBA) Salmon Stock Assessment and the WSP
7:55 – Q & A
8:05 – Break
8:15 - George Farrell: SEHAB's concerns re Salmon Stock Assessment.
8:30 - 9:00 - Panel Discussion
LINK to “RHQSAStatement”
SATURDAY
I Attending
A Members attending – Terry Tebb, Don Lowen, George Farrell, Jan Lemon, Jack Minard, Lee Hesketh, Dave Smith, Tracy Bond, Ev Person, Brian Smith, Eric Carlisle, ZoAnn Morten
B Members not attending –
C Regrets – Paddy Hirshfield, Dianne Ramage, Leandre Vigneault, Terry Tebb (Sunday)
D Guests –Ed Woo
IIReports
A Welcome, Introductions (Chair)
B Action Items Generated From Friday Forum De-Brief (Edited for clarity June 03, 2010)
1 Letter to new RDG, Sue Farlinger
(a) Letter of welcome
(b) Demand that the Dept, use reliable abundance, distribution and risk models that are receptive/responsive to real data and utilize data and information gleaned from such places as Guardian’s notebooks, cannery records etc. to encompass a historical perspective when deciding on benchmarks
(c) Detailed information on how SEHAB sees a Salmon Stock Assessment framework working on a regional basis utilizing the volunteer community as appropriate
2 Letter writing campaign to lobby for more resources for WSP implementation; in particular, Salmon Stock Assessment
3 SEHAB to develop a “flagging” system for sensitive areas utilizing local knowledge and “citizen science”
(a) Examples: Peak flow sensitivity to timber harvesting
Significant changes over time
4 Write to Mark Saunders to describe possible SEHAB participation in;
(a) Stock assessment data collection
(b) Ecosystem-based thinking
(c) Area-based training (work with Carrie Holt)
(d) Developing an implementation strategy with volunteers
(e) Transparent communications of WSP implementation challenges and successes as they occur. Keeping the policy relevant to the SEP community involved by keeping policy implementation relevant to on-the-ground issues and volunteer’s concerns
C Roundtables, Round One
Pacific Streamkeepers Federation
D Roundtables, Round Two
E Review roundtable input, establish core issues for Monday agenda
1 CIP Review Committee
§Succession planning
§Concerns re Sidney Net Pen Proposal/Decision-Making Process
§Need for province’s participation on SEHAB
§CEDP/PIP $’s stay in community when projects end/facilities close
§CA (Rob Dams) feels good about connection to CIP, fitting in well
§Funding still an issue for local hatchery (Oona River)
§Funding / funding / funding always an issue
§Where does 1st Nations fit into larger funding strategy?
§Local CEDP program closed (North Coast)
§Recent demise of Ft Babine hatchery
oSociety has sent letter with requests for info regarding where funds went (CEDP hatchery)
§Chicago Creek will be closing in 2010-2011 – founder passed away
§Lived-on barge (Alouette River) sunk 2 yrs ago – has been raised when highways was already working nearby with crane
§Education = 3 high schools – weekly involvement
§Bev Bowler – amazing resource
§Locating legacy salmon from SEP Workshop 2009
§Fish-friendly gate being installed on Spence Creek
§Education / ongoing issues water removal for cranberries. Still communicating.
§Restoration works in Stave Valley
§Invasive species Council of BC working together
§Loop closes on Sidney Net Pen Proposal – Proponent revealed as nay-sayer
§South Vancouver Island biennial DFO appreciation event postponed due to lack of interest
§SVI community concerns re tenure of present Community Advisor: What happens between June 30/10 and April 1/11?
2 WSP/Salmon Stock Assessment Committee
§Minimal support of Lower Mainland steelhead recovery by MOE
§Sidney Net Pen Proposal/How does WSP apply?
§Documented interest in launching WSP
§Shift in community away from strategic enhancement
§Richard Olsen new biologist for Lakelse Watershed Society
§Toboggan Creek (Morice River Chinook)
oStock 80,000 coded wire tags
oSteelhead monitoring/assessment Pink
§Alouette River fish production meeting with Matt Foy. Smaller #’s for enhancement
ooutmigration – where should the monitoring equipment go
oBridge Coastal does the limited stock assessment for Department
3 Habitat Committee (Primer)
§Update on development of OS’s
4 To Be Referred Out
§Growing concern re: significant mining project (Comox Valley)
§Timberwest is logging again in Tsolum watershed
§Pipeline – Enbridge – will be impacting area creeks (North Coast)
§Coal bed methane gas/mining – potential issues (North Coast)
F RHQ Report (Ed Woo) – LINK to ?
G Committee/Project Reports
1 Communication Committee – LINK to ?
2 Finance Committee – LINK to ?
3 Membership Committee – LINK to “100528 Membership Committee Report“
4 Governance Committee – LINK to “100517 Recommended NAVAIDS Edits”
5 WSP/Stock Assessment Committee – LINK to “RHQSAStatement”
6 Steelhead Committee – LINK to ?
7 Results, Communication Survey (Don Lowen) – LINK to “May 2010 Results CA Communication Survey”
SUNDAY
I Review Action Items of Last Meeting
|
ITEM |
ACTION |
DUE |
STATUS |
|
1.Budget Forecasting of different meeting scenario’s |
Jack, Finance Committee |
February 15 |
Completed. Committee to post on listserve |
|
2.Ideas for maps for the website |
All |
February 15 |
Refer to Communications Committee |
|
3.Leandre to send out questions re Stock Assessment info and groups to reply |
Leandre |
February 15 |
Refer to Stock Assessment Committee. Not all members received it. |
|
4.Don to canvas 4 CA’s to assess ability and interest in accessing SEHAB info. |
Don |
February 15 |
Completed. See project reports above. |
|
5.Request that RHQ invite Mark Saunders and Arlene Tompkins for May 28 Friday Evening Session |
Monday Morning Group – Dave, Jan, Brian, Don, Gord |
May 28 |
Completed |
|
6.Request Paddy Hirshfield update SEHAB on BC’s policy on IPP and community input |
Don |
May meeting |
Completed. Province of BC staff working on process to update SEHAB on new IPP apps. |
|
7.Letter to thanks to Courtney/D.F.O for their in kind work in composing letter/addresses of all Municipalities and Regional Districts that host aquatic volunteers. |
Tracy |
February 15 |
Complete |
|
8.CIP Review Committee workplan |
Committee |
February 15 |
Ongoing |
|
9.WSP/SA Committee workplans (info session) |
Committee |
May 28 |
Completed. See committee reports above. |
|
10.Send updated list of Committees/members |
Jack |
February 15 |
Completed |
|
11.Purchase speaker gifts, small laptop, easel and screen |
Zo Ann |
February 3 |
Completed |
|
12.Contact Holiday Inn on May, 28, 28, 30 dates |
Linda, Jack |
ASAP |
Completed |
|
13.October Meeting Quesnel (Book rooms and venues) 1.Oct.1,2,3 or 22,23,24 |
Tracy |
June |
Completed |
|
14.Write letter to North Coast area director Mel Kotyk re Fort Babine CDS. |
Don |
ASAP |
Ongoing |
|
15.Review membership terms and nomination due dates. |
Don |
Forward to Jan Lemon ASAP |
Completed. See committee reports above. |
II Business Agenda
|
ITEM |
SPONSOR |
DECISION |
|
1.Status of new format for reporting to RHQ (From SEP audit) |
Don |
Information to be presented under our yearly work plan, based on roundtable input. |
|
2.Establish MOU’s for issue referral to other organizations. |
Tracy (Communications Committee) |
Brainstorm: ·Coal Watch – Conor ·Water Watch – Kathleen ·Watershed Watch – Craig Orr ·Regional Districts (Private logging) ·IPPs – Nancy White Front Counter BC ·Western Wilderness Committee - Joe Foy ·Mining – WWF ·Gravel Mining Fraser? ·Friends of Wild Salmon –Skeena, Lower Mainland ·Water Use Planning Team – Metro Vancouver ·Harvest Issues – Marine Conservation Caucus ·Sport Fishing Accreditation – SFAB ·Fish Farms – Alex Morton, Coalition Aquaculture Reform ·Enforcement – David Suzuki Foundation ·BC Wildlife Federation – Observe, Record Report ·Finn Donnely – Fisheries Critic ·Coal Bed Methane – Pembina Institute; Nathan Cullen, MP;West Coast Environmental Law (Coal Bed Methane) ·Enbridge (Energy) – Friends of Wild Salmon ·Moore Foundation ·Vancouver Aquarium – Research ·BC Rivers Institute – Ground Water, Pine Beetle ·Waste Water, Eel Grass – T Buck Suzuki ·Okanagan Water Board – Template for ground water legislation – John Slater MLA MOE – Water Act Modernization ·Bill Ottway, Slam – Jim Cooperman – Water ·NDP Forestry Critic – Bob Simpson ·PICTOU – UVIC ·Sheila Connautin, Sport Fishing Institute ·Funding, Loss of corporate knowledge -Premier, Prime Minister CIP ·Eco- Trust Canada- |
|
3.Review agenda, representation for Monday RHQ meeting |
Don |
Approved according to discussed changes |
|
4.Executive Committee Election – Call for nominations, process review |
Don |
Amend NavAids to reflect Board’s Decision on selection of Executive. Jan, ZoAnn, Eric will not stand for election. Don volunteered as election officer. |
|
5.Explore Treasury Board Website-Strategic Review |
Finance Committee |
Refer to Finance Committee |
|
6.Restoration and Enhancement Priority Discussion |
All |
Refer to Brian Smith and Jack Minard |
|
7.Motion to authorize new signing authorities |
All |
Motion to authorize ZoAnn Morten, Dave Smith, Dianne Ramage, Brian Smith as signing officers for SEHAB HSBC Bank Account.Lorraine Harvey and Janice Jarvis will be removed as signing authorities. |
III Identify agenda items for next meeting
|
ITEM |
SPONSOR |
|
1.Election of Executive |
|
|
2. |
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
IV Identify/Review action items for next meeting
|
ITEM |
ACTION |
DUE |
|
1.WSP/Stock assessment: Determine action items that SEHAB can do to support WSE/SA |
Jack, WSP and Stock Assessment Committee |
June 15 |
|
2.CA survey results to Communications Committee |
Don |
Done |
|
3.“Making a Difference” report to Ed Woo |
Don |
Done |
|
4.Membership Updates to list serve |
Don |
June 15 |
|
5.Prepare signing authority protocol |
Finance Committee |
June 15 |
|
6. |
||
|
7. |
||
|
8. |
||
|
9. |
V Planning
A. Minutes from this meeting to be ratified by June 25/10
B. Date of next meeting – October 2/3
C. Meeting location – Quesnel, BC
D. Invitation to build agenda by September 3rd
E. Draft agenda due on September 24th
F. Participants in Monday meeting at RHQ – N/A
VI Process claims
IV Collate/Record Workshop Materials
V Adjourned
MONDAY 0900 – 1030
FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA
SALMON ENHANCEMENT AND HABITAT ADVISORY BOARD
Draft Minutes
May 31st, 2010 (0900 – 1030)
Regional Headquarters, Vancouver (Boardroom 2B)
AttendingSEHAB -Lee Hesketh, Tracy Bond, George Farrell, Don Lowen, Jack Minard
DFO RHQ -Rebecca Reid, Greg Savard, Ed Woo, Graham vander Slagt
1.Area Report: BC Interior (Link to “Northern Interior Fisheries and Community Steward Issues”, and “Southern Interior”)
(Following Area Report, Rebecca Reid excused herself from meeting)
2.Closing the loop - review January/10 action items
|
ITEM |
ACTION |
DUE |
STATUS |
|
a.Contact Dave Peacock re North Coast SA concerns |
Greg |
December 15 |
Lakelse Watershed Society is again working on projects in partnership with Department. |
|
b.Follow up on specific concerns re Alouette River |
Jeff |
December 15 |
Unknown |
|
c.Letter to Mel Kotyk, North Coast Director, thanking him for looking into matter re Fort Babine CDS, requesting an update prior to May. |
Don
|
ASAP |
Letter written, will not distribute until Mel has contacted SEHAB Chair with update. |
|
d.Letter to Greg Savard requesting Board’s direct involvement in CIP review process. |
Don
|
ASAP |
Written and sent, on listserve. No change in status. CIP Review committee inactive. |
|
e.Request Ian Matheson’s attendance at SEHAB meeting May 29/30th re Department’s response to AG’s General Report on Habitat. |
Jeff (Rebecca?)
|
February 15th |
Ian has left Department. Ottawa has re-organized. New contact would be Sharon Ashley, DG Ecosystem Management. |
|
f.Letter to Paul Sprout summarizing community concerns re Sidney pink net pen proposal. |
Don
|
ASAP |
Written and sent, on listserve |
|
g.Letter to Paul Sprout outlining issue of volunteers in government vehicles. |
Don
|
February 15th |
Action item abandoned. Department has made policy clear that volunteers will not be transported in Department vehicles. |
3.For RHQ Meetings, New Agenda/Reporting Format per SEHAB Workplan
a.Area Report
b.Issues per workplan – proactive and primer committees
c.Board is beginning process of referring other issues out via MOU’s
4.Community Issues Referred to Community Involvement Review Committee (SEHAB)
(From roundtable reports)
·Succession planning
·Concerns re Sidney Net Pen Proposal/Decision-Making Process
·Need for province’s participation on SEHAB
·CEDP/PIP $’s stay in community when projects end/facilities close
·CA (Rob Dams) feels good about connection to CIP, fitting in well
·Funding still an issue for local hatchery (Oona River)
·Funding / funding / funding always an issue
·Where does 1st Nations fit into larger funding strategy?
·Local CEDP program closed (North Coast)
·Recent demise of Ft Babine hatchery
oSociety has sent letter with requests for info regarding where funds went (CEDP hatchery)
·Chicago Creek will be closing in 2010-2011 – founder passed away
·Lived-on barge (Alouette River) sunk 2 yrs ago – has been raised when highways was already working nearby with crane
·Education = 3 high schools – weekly involvement
·Bev Bowler – amazing resource
·Locating legacy salmon from SEP Workshop 2009
·Fish-friendly gate being installed on Spence Creek
·Education / ongoing issues water removal for cranberries. Still communicating.
·Restoration works in Stave Valley
·Invasive species Council of BC working together
·Loop closes on Sidney Net Pen Proposal – Proponent revealed as nay-sayer
·South Vancouver Island biennial DFO appreciation event postponed due to lack of interest
·SVI community concerns re tenure of present Community Advisor: What happens between June 30/10 and April 1/11?
5.Community Issues Referred to Salmon Stock Assessment/WSP Committee
a.Statement on current concerns of Salmon Stock Assessment in BC
Condensed from oral roundtable reports
SEHAB Meeting May 29, 2010
Holiday Inn, North Vancouver
Edited for clarity June 03, 2010
“In response to the lack of public confidence in the Department’s ability to actually assess the state of the Salmonid resource in BC, SEHAB is making the following comments and recommendations:
Previously SEHAB has recommended the creation of a “Regional” Pacific Salmon Stock Assessment Framework. This “operational” framework would be created to support a Salmon Stock Assessment program that does not “compete” for resources by area.
WSP policy development, PST and fisheries management depend more on this data as the WSP is implemented at the same time as the collection of this data has been diminished due to budgetary cuts
Current modeling scenarios therefore have inadequate data to provide any kind of quality assurance. This becomes a basis for a lack of confidence right across the board. Lost archives, lack of succession planning, less actual instream involvement, a lack of public awareness, poor enforcement and inadequate resources all exacerbate this.
SEHAB therefore is encouraging an overall BC Salmon Stock Assessment Strategy that is operational and is outside Area Management model in order to overcome serious structural roadblocks to adequate data collection.
Recent communications with mark Saunders have encouraged SEHAB to consider how our volunteer community could assist.
One activity already underway is a lobby for more resources to fund the implementation of the WSP.
The volunteer community already has established and standardized methodology Stream Inspection Logs (SIL card methodology). This data collected could be incorporated into the data collection framework and provide much more quantitative and qualitative information. Stewardship volunteers are very knowledgeable about the individual systems they work on and could assist in flagging “sensitive” areas where priorities could be immediately assigned.
There have been difficulties, to date, in the transfer and sharing of data and information between the Department and the volunteer community. To overcome this we recommend that the WSP be made extremely relevant to the volunteers by involving the community at every phase of implementation.
We recommend further that DFO staff at all levels be encouraged to walk streams with volunteers as an expression of support. Further, if selected Fishery Officers could be “assigned” in each DFO field office to walk with volunteers and perhaps coordinate this effort in conjunction with the CA it would begin to repair and strengthen the relationship between the Department and the SEP volunteer community. One FO from each office could support data collection on at least one stream in one CU across the Province.
Ecosystem based management is not about human use of the resource but about how salmon aid functionality our aquatic – terrestrial ecosystems. Training and programs need to be developed throughout DFO to bring this different mindset to fruition and operational throughout the department. This change of attitude is demanded by the WSP.
There are specific concerns for northern and interior BC in that the area to monitor is so large a different methodology may need to be developed / considered but that the principles remain the same.”
b.Action plan from Friday Forum proceedings
oLetter to new RDG, Sue Farlinger
§Letter of welcome
§Demand that the Dept, use reliable abundance, distribution and risk models that are receptive/responsive to real data and utilize data and information gleaned from such places as Guardian’s notebooks, cannery records etc. to encompass a historical perspective when deciding on benchmarks
§Detailed information on how SEHAB sees a Salmon Stock Assessment framework working on a regional basis utilizing the volunteer community as appropriate
oLetter writing campaign to lobby for more resources for WSP implementation; in particular, Salmon Stock Assessment
oSEHAB to develop a “flagging” system for sensitive areas utilizing local knowledge and “citizen science”
§Examples: Peak flow sensitivity to timber harvesting
Significant changes over time
oWrite to Mark Saunders to describe possible SEHAB participation in;
§Stock assessment data collection
§Ecosystem-based thinking
§Area-based training (work with Carrie Holt)
§Developing an implementation strategy with volunteers
§Transparent communications of WSP implementation challenges and successes as they occur. Keeping the policy relevant to the SEP community involved by keeping policy implementation relevant to on-the-ground issues and volunteer’s concerns
c.(From roundtable reports)
oMinimal support of Lower Mainland steelhead recovery by MOE
oSidney Net Pen Proposal/How does WSP apply?
oDocumented interest in launching WSP
oShift in community away from strategic enhancement
oRichard Olsen new biologist for Lakelse Watershed Society
oToboggan Creek (Maurice River Chinook)
§Stock 80,000 coded wire tags
§Steelhead monitoring/assessment Pink
oAlouette River fish production meeting with Matt Foy. Smaller #’s for enhancement
§outmigration – where should the monitoring equipment go
§Bridge Coastal does the limited stock assessment for Department
6.Community Issues Referred to Habitat Committee (Primer) - Update on development of OS’s
7.Community Issues to be Referred Out
·Growing concern re: significant mining project (Comox Valley)
·Timberwest is logging again in Tsolum watershed
·Pipeline – Enbridge – will be impacting area creeks (North Coast)
·Coal bed methane gas/mining – potential issues (North Coast)
8.Housekeeping
·(Greg Savard) – New National DFO org chart. (Not available for this meeting. Chair’s error.)
·(ZoAnn Morten) – New qualification criteria for Volunteers Insurance Program.
oPolicy holders insisted that groups to be covered under our policy are registered Societies (not just a group of people)
o13 groups were not registered with the Province so Streamkeepers Federation has helped them get their name requests done and then get their Society paper filed.
oMost now feel good to have taken this next step in their group’s growth.
oSpoke with Graham as to changes in Streamkeepers VIP - action from this was opportunity to speak with CA's on conference call.
oMany questions answered, history given.
oNot many CA's on the call so not all will still be able to respond to community question (but community can call ZoAnn)
oQuestion being addressed is "Do groups applying fro PIP have to show proof of insurance to get grants from DFO?) Is this standard between all contracting within Pacific Region (I believe Graham is bringing this question to CA meeting mid June)
oAny questions please call ZoAnn Morten at 604 986-5059
·(Don Lowen) Dates for October/10 and winter/11 meetings. RHQ encouraged to attend Quesnel meeting.
9.(Don Lowen) Review action items
|
ITEM |
ACTION |
DUE |
STATUS |
|
Contact Mel Kotyk, North Coast Director, re status on Fort Babine CDS issue. |
Don |
June 15th |
|
|
Forward Friday Forum report/action items to Chair for inclusion in minutes. |
Jack |
June 15th |
Done |
|
Check for/circulate new Ottawa org chart |
Don |
June 15th |
Done |
|
Forward to Don Rebecca Reid’s available dates for winter SEHAB meeting. |
Ed |
June 15th |