Wild Salmon Policy Update Yukon River Panel March 23, 2011

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Presentation Outline

Overview of the Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) Update and next steps for WSP Strategies: 1. Standardized monitoring of wild salmon status 2. Assessment of habitat status 3. Inclusion of ecosystem values and monitoring 4. Integrated strategic planning WSP – New Management Approaches for DFO Key contact information

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Wild Salmon Policy (WSP)

• The goal is “to restore and maintain healthy and diverse salmon populations and their habitats for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of Canada in perpetuity”

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• WSP places conservation of salmon and their habitats as the first priority for resource management • Successful WSP implementation is dependent on support from partners and stakeholders

Goal Objectives Strategies Guiding Principles

Wild Salmon Policy Overview

Restore and maintain healthy and diverse salmon populations and their habitats for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of Canada in perpetuity

Safeguard the genetic diversity of wild Pacific salmon Maintain habitat and ecosystem integrity Manage fisheries for sustainable benefits 1) Standardized monitoring of wild salmon status 2) Assessment of habitat status 3) Inclusion of ecosystem values and monitoring 4) Integrated strategic planning 5) Annual program delivery 6) Performance Review Conservation of wild salmon and their habitat is the highest priority Obligations to First Nations Sustainable Use Open and transparent decision-making 4

5 Strategy 1: Standardized Monitoring of wild salmon status

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Strategy 1 Action Steps: 1.1. Identify Conservation Units 1.2. Develop criteria to assess CUs and identify benchmarks to represent biological status 1.3. Monitor and assess status of CUs

Conservation Unit (CU): A group of wild salmon sufficiently isolated from other groups that, if extirpated, is very unlikely to re-colonize naturally within an acceptable timeframe.

Approximately 20 salmon conservation units (CUs) identified in the Yukon and approximately 420 identified in British Columbia.

Benchmarks and status assessment methodology paper finalized (Holt et. al.) • • •

Next steps:

Consultations on Yukon CUs Completion of the new stock assessment framework.

Engagement of stakeholders and First Nations in identification of benchmarks and monitoring activities.

Strategy 2: Assessment of habitat status

Strategy 2 Action Steps: 2.1 Document habitat characteristics within CUs 2.2 Select indicators and develop benchmarks for habitat assessment 2.3 Monitor and assess habitat status 2.4 Establish linkages to develop an integrated data system for watershed management 6

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Strategy 2: Assessment of habitat status

• A suite of habitat indicators has been developed and peer reviewed. (eg. water extraction, stream length, water temperature.) • Habitat characteristics documentd for Sarita (Barkley Sound), Lower Harrison River, and the Cowichan River.

• WSP Web-mapping tool was launched and provides public access to CU maps and will house other spatial WSP data generated in the future.

Next steps:

• Completion of habitat status reports for the Somass, Bedwell and San Juan to support the Barkley Sound WSP pilot • Improve the search capabilities and convert the webmapping application to a platform similar to Google maps.

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Strategy 3: Monitoring Ecosystem Status

Strategy 3 Action Steps 3.1: Indentify indicators to monitor status of freshwater ecosystems 3.2 Integrate climate and ocean information into annual salmon management processes

• Testing of ecosystem-based management concepts in pilot areas, such as Barkley Sound, Cowichan and the Okanagan.

• Integrated salmon information into annual State of Oceans reports • • •

Next Steps:

Complete and submit ecosystem concept paper for peer review

Other species Habitat Elements

Discuss ways to link ecosystem monitoring (Strategy 3) with CU status monitoring

Salmon CU

(Strategy 1) and habitat monitoring (Strategy 2). Continue to integrate salmon information into annual State of Oceans reports.

Salmon Ecosystem

Strategy 4: Integrated Strategic Planning Strategy 4 Action Steps:

4.1. Implement an interim process for management of priority CUs 4.2. Design and implement a fully integrated planning process for salmon conservation 9

• • WSP integrated strategic planning will cover all stages of Pacific salmon life history.

The WSP proposes a five step planning process for the development of the strategic plans: 1. Identify planning priorities 2. Identify resource management options and alternative management strategies 3. Establish biological, social, and economic performance indicators 4. Assess the likely impacts of management alternatives 5. Select the preferred management alternative

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Strategy 4: Integrated Strategic Planning

• It is expected that the planning and governance model will draw on existing structures, processes and information where possible (e.g. local watershed roundtables, Integrated Harvest Planning working groups etc.) • Integrated strategic plans under the WSP will need to be nested within the integrated fisheries management plans.

• DFO is completing several initiatives to test different geographic scales for planning – Barkley Sound, Cowichan, Fraser and Skeena

Next Steps:

• Continue to implement pilot projects.

• Development of an integrated planning and governance toolkit based on best practices and lessons learned.

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WSP has led to New Management Approaches

• Transition to ecosystem based management • Protecting biodiversity – shift to weak stock management • Adopting precautionary risk management approaches • Balancing socio-economic and biological factors for sustainable benefits • Integrated planning – linking science, habitat and fisheries management – egg to egg planning • Transition to collaborative monitoring and management – shared responsibilities across four orders of government, stakeholders and non-governmental organizations.

Key contact information

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/species especes/salmon-saumon/wsp-pss/index-eng.htm

WSP Coordinator Telephone: 604-666-3657 e-mail: [email protected]

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