Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board

Meeting June 9, 2012 Smithers BC

 Community Advisor Report, North Coast upper Skeena, Presented by Brenda Donas

Smithers area volunteers are working on habitat monitoring and habitat restoration: gravel catchment structures on Comeau Cr and Mission Cr to provide additional spawning habitat, plus work on off-channel habitat and installation of alcoves to provide juvenile rearing.

 Focusing on looking for potential habitat projects with groundwater influence.

Mission Creek coho run has slowly been declining over the past two years. Discussions are taking place re: should we start some small scale enhancement again. Possible factors in population decline are increasing recreational harvest rates and declining marine survival.

Overwintering study is being conducted annually and information is used as a simple indicator of coho stock abundance.

Upper Bulkley coho stock abundance at index sites has decreased over the last five years.

 Stream to Sea Program is extremely popular. We have added some lessons and field trips that take a wider ecosystem based approach.

Pacific Aquaculture Regulations, Enhancement Class, SEP Community License
Best Management Practices (BMPs) Update

BMP draft going out to CAs mid June for their last round of input.

BMP draft to go to Community groups in mid July Groups will be encouraged to review the document and become familiar with the standards. As groups conduct their fish culture activities, they can refer to the standards to follow sections of the BMPs and then make sure that their fish culture methods do in fact follow the standards in the BMPs. NOTE : the CA is still the main point of contact for guiding fish culture activities at PIP and CEDP projects.

Community groups are encouraged to provide input on the BMPs through their CA. The CAs will be asked to collate comments and pass along the input to Brenda Donas. Brenda will consider the input and update the BMP document accordingly.

Discussions are taking place between SEP and Aquaculture Management Directorate re: including BMP standards as a condition of license in the 2013/2014 Pacific Aquaculture Regulation licenses.

Thank you.

Brenda Donas