Roundtable Report  Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board
June 9th and 10th, 2007                                         
Tom Rutherford - South Vancouver Island
SEHAB Member - Don Lowen
In late May, we lost the services of two pioneers in salmon enhancement. Lucille (Lou) Tremblay in Port Renfrew, and Bill James in Sooke, had already
established enhancement projects prior to the arrival of Trevor Morris and the Salmonid Enhancement Program. Along with Howard English’s initiative on the Goldstream River, they were Trevor’s community projects when he showed up for work in 1978.
Lou Tremblay and her husband Maurice began their strategic enhancement efforts in the mid 1970’s on the San Juan River, using streamside incubation boxes. Today, the San Juan Enhancement Society operates a CEDP hatchery, enhancing coho and chinook.
Also in the mid 1970’s, Bill James helped create the Amalgamated Conservation Society on South Vancouver Island before establishing a strategic enhancement facility on the Sooke River. Today, the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society (Jack Brooks Hatchery) implements enhancement strategies for coho, chinook and steelhead, and rivals the Goldstream group as the oldest volunteer enhancement organization in the Pacific Region.
Overview – Tom Rutherford, Community Advisor
Tom sent the email message below to his project coordinators on April 27
. It encapsulates the extent to which the Community Advisor’s role in the South Coast management area has been sidetracked, and his energies misdirected.
From: Rutherford, Tom [mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.] Sent: April 27, 2007 4:17 PM
To: Angela Evans; Angus Stewart; Arild; Bernie Bowker; Bill Gibson; Bill Neill; Bill
Pannell; Brad Drew; Brian MacNeill; Brian Mooney; Byron & Karen; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Cathy Carolsfield; Christopher Bos; cowichan land trust; Dave Lindsay; David Aldcroft; Denis Coupland; Don Lowen; George DeLure; Gerald Fleming; Glen & Charmian; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; HAT; Helen Dunn; Ian Bruce; Ian Graeme; Jack McLeod; James Hamly; Jody Watson; John Bergbusch; Judy Ackinclose; Kathy Reimer; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Laurie Mcbride; Loren Duncan; Lynn Wilson; Mary HaigBrown; Miqualyn; Nikki Wright (E-mail); P.I.C.A.; Peter McCully; Rick Jones; Robert Bridgeman; RogerHart; Scott Noble; Susan King; Ted Burns; The Gallaughers; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Tom Davis; Trevor Morris; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Jody Watson (VEHEAP) (E-mail); This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; lou&This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Cc: Adkins, Bruce; Don Elliott; Ernie Elliott; Bonnell, Gregory; Brouwer, Robert; Hop Wo, Leroy; Jung, Jeff
Subject: DFO support to Community Involvement programming on South Vancouver Island
“Hi All, Just a short note to apologize for my delayed response to inquiries, phone calls, emails, and for my failure to follow up on some of the projects we have been working on together. Over the last 7 weeks I have been assigned to supporting the Lower Georgia Strait (Cowichan) Chinook rebuilding process and this work has been taking up the lion's share of my time. There have been some rigid (and very short) time lines involved with implementing changes to existing programs that we have been able to meet thanks to great support from our partners outside the department and my DFO colleagues.
The cost, however, has been in the level of support afforded to you and your programs. I am currently working with my supervisor to put in place a plan that will ensure our ability to support you and the important work you are engaged in while continuing to work towards long term solutions for rebuilding Lower Georgia Strait Chinook stocks.
Please don't hesitate to give me a shout or drop me a line about this or about details regarding the stewardship/assessment/enhancement/restoration/education projects you are working on. I have started re-connecting with most of the groups I am involved with (particularly those dozen or so that have in stream restoration works scheduled for this summer) and look forward to talking to you soon.
Thanks for your patience Tom”
Group Reports
1. Erosion of the Community Involvement Program - I received the following
comments from representatives of Peninsula Streams, Goldstream Volunteer Salmon Enhancement Association and Mt. Douglas Creek Streamkeepers, all concerning the Department’s ability to support volunteer enhancement and restoration efforts through the Community Involvement Program:
a. “My number one concern is the dilution of the role/duties of the Community Advisor.”
b. “Area bureaucrats do not understand the role of the CA.”
c. “The Department needs to provide more support for CA’s.”
d. “Our CA is getting pulled apart, and I’m concerned we’ll lose him.”
e. “We need more support on the ground for stewardship – more funding for
more CA’s and watershed coordinators.” (HRSEP model)
f. “Our CA needs assistance in supporting projects.”
2. Mt. Douglas Creek Streamkeepers – Stormwater management is the group’s biggest challenge to success, and they hope that the new Marine Conservation Area, which includes Mt. Douglas Creek’s watershed, will have a positive impact on storm water quality.
3. Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society
a. Low flows in coastal streams continue to have a negative impact on south
coast coho.
b. Excellent steelhead returns last winter.
c. Society is working to improve communication between local agencies and municipalities to protect riparian areas.
Volunteer Recognition
Representatives of the Goldstream Volunteer Salmon Enhancement Association and Mt. Doug Streamkeepers attended Workshop ’07 in Williams Lake last month. Comments were more than favorable on overall event organization and the quality of the workshops. Bob Bridgeman asked to pass on particular appreciation to ZoAnn Morten for organizing transportation to and from Williams Lake.
Education
1. Stream to Sea
The Department’s education program continues to thrive on South Vancouver Island,
thanks in part to the Department’s commitment to provide warm bodies to support activities. About 120 classroom incubation projects operated over the winter with good results. A fungus issue originating in one of the hatcheries carried over into classroom projects; however, survival rates were average or better after an initial spike in mortalities shortly after egg delivery.
The classroom incubation program continues to facilitate the development of other activities; the result is a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The consistent participation of School Districts and the Department allows this evolution over time.
2. EcoJustice Conference – Victoria
The Anglican Church of Canada hosted an ecojustice conference at UVIC in May. Eighty
delegates from across Canada and Australia attended. Two of the focus groups were streamkeepers and shorekeepers. Up to 15 delegates in
each group completed ‘keeper training on survey sites near or on campus.
3. Regional Stream to Sea
On June 21
st
, the Department’s RHQ is hosting the second of two workshops toward a five-year strategic plan for the Pacific Region’s education program. All Community Advisors, Education Coordinators and OHEB Area Managers are invited to attend.
This one-day event will incorporate recent studies on the program into a draft strategy. The Department will present this draft to the annual Regional education conference in August.  The new strategy will replace the existing plan which expired last year.