Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board SEHAB
Roundtable: Challenges/Issues and Opportunities/Successes of the
Volunteer Aquatic Stewards
DateJune 2008
AreaLower Fraser, North Burnaby- Maple Ridge
SEHAB RepresentativeDianne Ramage Roundtable Compilation of Local SEP Community Comments and Concerns
Management (Fisheries Management)
Many, many SEP folks and the broader community are concerned about the status and abundance of salmon stocks and are concerned that they are not hearing a public response or plan from the Fisheries Minister
SEHAB has been asked to find out how is the Wild Salmon Policy is being implement or used to help salmon
Enforcement (Conservation and Protection)
SEHAB is asked to find out why DFO allowed the gravel mining to occur again this year, a pink year (June 11 2008: An ad hoc coalition of B.C. environmental groups is asking the federal auditor-general to look into government flood-proofing claims to justify its approval of gravel mining in the Fraser River)
Many groups and individuals sent submissions into the Auditor General for her audit of DFO's Habitat Protection
Many of these folks are hoping that the Auditor General’s Audit will result in a public accountability framework to assess and hold responsible government agencies, ministers and stafffor their mandates and their portfolios, both DFO and EV CA
Habitat - Freshwater (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)
People not getting adequate response, feeling unheard, when questioning or calling DFO to complain about EPMP and Riparian Area Regulations effectiveness in protecting habitat (Silverdale, Alouette, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby)
DFO’s EPMP appears to be failing to protect low risk habitat.
DFO appearing to fail to protect high risk habitat as well, eg Spring Bar in Fraser River. Problem especially high in areas where no requirement to notify municipal departments
Much emerging science regarding water pollution and salmon declines: pesticides, first flush, agriculture run off, warm water from vast parking lots
Comments from steward:
DJ: “Stormwater management, a longer presentation on rain garden design available for people who don't regularly stand on creek banks in rain storms!
1. Without better stormwater management, it's game over for the urban/suburban streams where many of us streamkeepers work. Increasingly, everywhere is impacted by urban/suburban development. For example, each time I visit a friend in Smithers, I see the increase in pavement and the effect that runoff is having on local watercourses, which of course feed a major salmon run.
2. Many pilot projects have demonstrated that rain gardens/infiltration drainage are very successful (Cougar Canyon School's is functioning really well, and Delta is planning more similar projects). It's time to go the next step and require all stormwater drainage to pass through landscaping, which removes sediments and some pollutants, before any excess goes down the drain. These above-ground features are far easier to monitor than our countless so-called sediment traps, which are out-of-sight, out-of-mind, and therefore too often not maintained.
3. Municipalities need a big push from FOC to institute the above requirement for rain gardens/infiltration drainage on every lot or subdivision being developed or redeveloped. By virtue of the fisheries legislation mandate, which clearly states that it's unlawful to put any deleterious substances into fish-bearing waters, DFO could make this requirement. Stormwater contains lots of deleterious substances, and is also deleterious by virtue of its sheer volume.
4. In addition to lot-by-lot infiltration, we need more land for stormwater ponds that can serve as both neighbourhood amenities and fish-protection features (i.e., receiving infiltration overflow, removing sediments, and smoothing out the peaks and low flows of streams).
Case in point: The single best improvement ever made for Cougar Creek is the Surrey Lagoons in the upper watershed. As one creekside resident remarked at a recent openhouse where the Cougar Creek ISMP was unveiled, "When they increased the size of the lagoons, it took a whole day for flood waters in the canyon to rise 6 feet in a heavy rainfall, instead of rising instantaneously." But lagoon capacity has now been outstripped by development, and Surrey/Delta can't afford to purchase the last remaining chunk of creekside floodplain property suitable for more lagoons; in fact, a development permit is well on its way to approval on that chunk.
We need DFO's help to purchase land now in developing watersheds (where it's still affordable), so that local governments can systematically design stormwater systems that (a) start with lot-by-lot infiltration features and (b) pipe overflow into stormwater ponds/wetlands on the properties purchased.”
Concern that National Resource Industry Association website says they are writing Medium Risk Operating statements
Habitat - Oceans, Estuaries and Marine (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)
Folks working on eelgrass and kelp research and restoration need support and more funds from the department
Salmon Enhancement (Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement)
SEHAB asked to find out what changes have been integrated into management and operations to support the Wild Salmon Policy
People would like to see “what was said” and the resulting reports on the Auditor Generals Audit, the Community Advisor Review, the Salmon Enhancement Program Review and the CEDP reviews, propose SEHAB host a public meeting to facilitate DFO talking to the community
HUGE concern that the lessons learned in early days of SEP that tight budgets reduce the resilience and buffering ability of the department to respond to issues and challenges and potential opportunity- stewards predict big problems coming because of this
Science, Canadian Hydrographic Service (Science and Research)
Lots of interesting new science emerging on impacts from climate change, pollution and marine dead zones, people are interested in this but don’tknow where to get the information nor what it means, short and long term for salmon
Would like to see DFO have a higher profile and get more information in the mainstream news
From local volunteer stewards:
DM “A biologist who works for the Pacific Salmon Commission made the point that there are tons of pink salmon but the other species are in decline. Can we blame global warming and ocean conditions if the pinks are doing well?”And from another
DR “ as the timing of the productivity bloom in the marine waters changes and in the short term benefits the early migrators such as pink and chum while devastating to coho and chinook, what changes can DFO and others make in management and conservation plans to address this, yet allow some harvest?”
Stewardship & Community Involvement (Stewardship & Community)
The Province’s Living Water Smart Initiative has been released, the few that have read it are happy about the conservation and stewardship ethic integrated into it, the “by 2012 all students in BC will have completed at least one stream health assessment” indicates an increased need for stewardship and coordination
Edwin Hubert, MoE, Stewardship Outreach Coordinator said this week no new funds for coordination.So have Federal folks
What happened to the National Stewardship agenda and it implementation?
How can SEHAB help the stewards and MoE (other agencies too) with this plan
Consultations: Acts, Regulations, Policy, Program Development and Implementation, Capacity, and Partnerships (Consultations)
Will there be public consultations and a committee struck after the second reading in the House of Commons on the Fisheries Act Changes
Treaty & Aboriginal Programs (Treaty & Aboriginal Programs)
Great concern over the fish allocation entrenched in the Tsawwassen Treaty, how can this percent share be equalized over all other Fraser treaties?
Safe and Accessible Waters (Canadian Coast Guard, Navigable Waters, Small Craft Harbours)
Coast Guard is necessary and expensive, stewards suggest it should be become part of Transport Canada, as its main task is to rescue folks from ships and boats, not patrolling for fishing violations or managing fish
Small Craft harbours are doing very well
Region and Nation Issues
Region staffing cuts, Lower Fraser lost a habitat person
Two senior LF folks reassigned at the same time: Mel Kotyk and Dale Paterson, huge concern over loss of corporate knowledge
Huge concern over loss of corporate knowledge with all the upcoming retirements, succession planning takes funds to have quality mentoring prior to retirement, department does not appear to have the resources to do this
Observe DFO pushing cost of CORE departmental services that are necessary to reach mandate of Fisheries Act to partners: fish food, hatchery maintenance, operation and insurance, general operating costs and stock assessment
Concern again over the acting people, 6 months each, the expressions of interest for positions influencing how jobs are posted or not, peoples skills not aligned with the duties and tasks, not there long enough to know anything, then gone, BIG PROBLEM
SEP Budget cuts, 10-15 % for 2008 (depending who you talk to), NOT including inflation, why with a stable budget and no cuts from Ottawa, told contingency planning, vehicles and other stuff that should be budgeted for every year
Why do they not make the Province pay for the cost to do steelhead work in federal supported facilities?
How do they expect to support and engage the 30,000 volunteers and partnerships working hard, raising funds and supporting the department without staff and resource
Recommend that the department does NOT just keep skimming off all budgets to meet funding shortfalls but cancels whole areas of management responsibility and then seeks the resources fromOttawa to deliver on that core service.