Workshop
October 13-14, 1998
Chief Whistemnitsa
Community Centre,
Spences Bridge, BC
Sponsored by
Nicola Watershed
Stewardship and Fisheries
Authority and
CookÕs Ferry Band
Program Steering
Committee
Chief David Walkem,
Cook's Ferry Band;
Neil Todd, Nicola
Watershed Stewardship and
Fisheries Authority;
Ian McGregor, BC
Ministry of Environment,
Lands and Parks;
Craig Orr, Coordinator
Record edited by
Craig Orr
with the assistance of
Laurie Wood, Simon Fraser
University.
THOMPSON RIVER STEELHEAD: A RESOURCE IN CRISIS?
Introduction
Thompson River steelhead are
special for many reasons, not the
least of which is their physical
prowess. Their race resides among
the largest (averaging six to seven
kilograms) and longest-migrating
steelheadÐanywhere. This "summerrun" steelhead, recently reclassified
from trout to salmon (1988), also
enhances its swimming robustness by
using a unique, muscle-refreshing
enzyme.
Thompson steelhead are also special
for their persistence. Unlike other
salmon, many live to spawn a second
and even third time. They and their
brethren fatten themselves in marine
waters off Alaska, before once again
journeying toward the Fraser River
and distant spawning grounds (Figure
1). Along the way, many fall victim
to nets set for other, more numerous
salmon. However, the kill is not as
large as it once was: in-river fisheries
have been delayed and made more
selective; and approach fisheries
have also become more ÒriskaverseÓ to conserve coho, which also
benefits steelhead. At least, those
remaining: fewer steelhead killed also
means there are fewer left to kill.
Only 1,450 Thompson steelhead
survived to spawn in the spring of
1998; the number has dipped below
900 in recent years.
Despite its rare status, and because of
its special nature, the Thompson
steelhead helps sustain two cultures
and one town's economy. The
aboriginal community of the lower
Thompson and Nicola rivers has
traditionally fished for Thompson
steelhead in winter, using pitchlamps and spears. To the
Nlaka'pamux [en-la-cap-ma],
Secwepmx [se-quep-muc], and other
First Nations, steelhead are a rare
source of fresh winter food (and
getting rarer). To others, the
Thompson steelhead's special nature
represents a sportfishing challenge.
Though few in numbers, the
mystique of this summer run
steelhead continues to lure a seasonal
(and often affluent) sport fishing
communityÐone vital to the
economy in Spences BridgeÐdespite
the fishery now being catch-andrelease only.
The rich-but-fragile nature of the
Thompson steelhead was the focus
of a two-day meeting in Spences
Bridge during the fall of 1998. The
workshop, a summary of which
follows, was hosted by the Cook's
Ferry Band and the Nicola
Watershed Stewardship and Fisheries
Authority. The long-planned
workshop was stimulated by several
issues, one of which was a desire by
aboriginal fishermen to resume
traditional harvesting of Thompson
steelhead. The gathering was also
prompted by a host of questions on
conservation, general
(co)management, and shared use,
including: Why aren't more steelhead
returning? Just what are the
bottlenecks in their survival?
2
What specific management actions are needed to
increase escapements? How many must return to
sustain the race (conservation levels)? To sustain food
fisheries? Food and sport fisheries? Do fishing
priorities respect the Supreme Court's Sparrow
decision? What is the importance of Thompson
steelhead to the angling community, and the economy
of Spences Bridge? What is the obligation of
government to consult with First Nations, and include
them in co-management?
To provide a forum for those and related questions, a
gathering of experts was hosted from the provincial
and federal governments, as well as representatives
from sportfishing, First Nations and community
organizations. The panel studying proposed partnering
provisions for the new Fisheries Act was also invited; a
section of their findings is included (Appendix 2).
What follows are brief highlights of two days of
discussions. That summary includes a consensus
statement on Thompson steelhead.
Figure 1. Major stock groups of steelhead trout in the Fraser River system (E = approximate mean annual escapement in the 1990s).
Draft Report - October 1998
Chilcotin
N
Taseko
W
E
Interior Summer
Chilcotin Stock
E ~ 1,200
S
er
as
Fr
Bonaparte
Deadman
Bridge
Seton
er
Riv
Interior Summer
West Fraser Stocks
E ~ 1,500
Thompson
Chilko
Interior Summer
Thompson Stock
E ~ 2,000
Stein
Nicola
Spius
Nahatlatch
Coldwater
Harrison
Lake
Coquihalla
Hope
Coastal Summer
Lower Fraser Stocks
E ~ 300
Vancouver
Coastal Winter
Lower Fraser Stocks
E ~ 7,000
Chilliwack
3
Delgamuukw and Steelhead Management
Karen Wristen, Sierra Legal Defence Fund
There has been a general failure to recognize
aboriginal traditions and law surrounding First Nations
and Thompson River steelhead. This has occurred
despite an 1898 memo to Ottawa from federal Indian
Affairs official A. Irwin, suggesting that Indians be
allowed to use traditional fishing methodsÐspears and
weirsÐto harvest salmon, and to harvest in
"quantities".
The recent focus has been on managing for ocean
fisheries. Management seems "distant." It used to be
practiced by local aboriginal inhabitants of the
Thompson Basin. There's been a break in that
tradition, in the local stewardship of steelhead and
other salmon. The loss of fishing opportunities has
also affected the economies and cultures of local First
Nations.
The Delagamuukw Supreme Court Decision
[December 11, 1997] confirmed that government
must consult with First Nations on issues affecting the
resources and rights of those First Nations. Yet
government can and does impinge on aboriginal rights,
leaving it up to First Nations to prove rights and
titleÐa path seemingly favored by the Provincial
government, judging by its recent consultation
guidelines.
Delgamuukw also describes a spectrum of aboriginal
rights. First Nations face the challenge of placing
distinct rights and issues somewhere in that spectrum.
The Neskonlith cited an aboriginal right to harvest
coho when they challenged Federal Fisheries coho
management policies that failed to deliver salmon to
upriver users. There are obvious parallels in terms of
using aboriginal rights to improve steelhead
management.
Comments and Concerns: The lack of adequate
research funds was flagged as a key issue. The
workshop audience believed that government should
fund the research and assessment needed to prove
aboriginal rights and title, and to set conservation
and re-building targets. Delgamuukw was likened to a
double-edged sword, with one side cutting into the
burden of proof, and the other cutting into funds.
Consultation and co-management are concernsÐas
are specific management actions designed to deliver
more steelhead (in the order set out in Sparrow).
Those actions should be contained in a management
plan with demonstrable benefits to our communities.
Fisheries and Oceans: On Getting More
Steelhead Back
Frances Dickson and Paul Ryall, Fisheries and
Oceans Canada
On British Columbia's South Coast, the migration of
steelhead overlaps with that of more abundant stocks
of sockeye, pink and chum salmon (Figure 2).
Fisheries and Oceans' management goal, with respect
to steelhead interceptions, is to minimize steelhead
by-catch while still providing opportunities for the
harvesting of abundant salmon stocks.
In the Fraser River, fall chum fisheries have been
delayed late into October to minimize interceptions of
co-mingled steelhead. In 1998, fall chum salmon
assessment fisheries were also canceledÐto protect
coho. Thompson steelhead also benefited. In 1995,
Fisheries and Oceans began a research initiative with
the province. Included were radio-tagging and stockidentification programs in Johnstone and Juan de Fuca
straits, a test-fishing program in marine waters off
Nitinat Lake (SW Vancouver Island), and a joint
stock-status report.
Further management actions benefiting steelhead
include a drastic reduction in fishing time (Figure 3), a
delay of fisheries in Johnstone and Juan de Fuca
straits, voluntary steelhead release programs for
seiners (1994) and gillnetters (1995) in Juan de Fuca, a
mandatory steelhead release ruling (for seiners)
(1995), the mandatory brailing of the seine catch, and
use of on-board revival tanks (all vessels), short sets
(gillnets), barbless hooks (trollers), and Alaska twist
nets (1998). The total area of the Nitinat chum
fishery has also been reduced, with an estimated 50 per
cent reduction in the incidental interception of
steelhead. Enhanced monitoring programs in 1998
also provided better data on incidental interceptions
of Thompson steelhead.
A final but significant management action comes in
the form of the Minister's 1998 commitment to
increasing the selectivity of commercial and food
fisheries. Of the many selective fishing experiments
underway in the Fraser River, the most successful is
the Yale fishwheel which, to date, has caught and
released nearly 100 steelhead. (See appendix 1.)
Comments and concerns: Concerns were raised about
the reliability of catch and abundance estimates,
about the difficulty of separating declines caused by
humans from declines caused by deteriorating marine
conditions. Finer geographic and statistical detail was
also provided on in-river interceptions.
4
Figure 2.
RUN TIMING THROUGH JUAN DE FUCA AND
JOHNSTONE STRAIT
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
SOCKEYE
E. Stuart
E. Summer
Summer
Late
PINK
CHINOOK
COHO
CHUM
LATE SUMMER
STEELHEAD
Total Number of Days Open in Johnstone Strait (Weeks 7/1 Ð 9/2 Ð Seine).
40.0
35.0
30.0
Total Days Open
Figure 3.
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
Year
Seine
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
5
Interior Fraser Steelhead: Overview of
Biological Characteristics and Current
Management Issues
The Province has worked with its Federal counterparts
to reduce interceptions of steelhead in both the
approach and in-river fisheries. The Provincial and
Federal governments recently completed a joint
report on the status of Fraser River steelhead [the
October 1998 Draft report was handed out], and
continue to refine steelhead interception data (Table
1), which has prompted further closures of, and delays
in, interception fisheries.
Ian McGregor and Robert Bison, Environment, Lands
and Parks, Kamloops
Rob Bison reviewed the life history of Thompson
steelhead. Large steelhead from the Thompson (and
Chilcotin) rivers have historically been intercepted in
September and October gillnet fisheries in Fraser River
approach fisheries (Figure 4). Historic catches of
steelhead (Figure 5) were substantially greater than
recent total escapements (Figure 6a,b,c). Management
of steelhead is a shared responsibility between federal
and provincial fisheries.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
0.2
Pcs/del
7
Average weight
6
5
0 .15
4
3
0.1
2
0 .05
Year
Figure 6a.
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
1988
1986
n/a
1984
Number of Spawners
Escapements of Steehead to the Nicola Watershed
24-Nov
27-Oct
10-Nov
29-Sep
13-Oct
1-Sep
0
15-Sep
4-Aug
18-Aug
7-Jul
21-Jul
9-Jun
28-Apr
12-May
23-Jun
1
0
Average weight (kg)
0 .25
26-May
Steelhead per delivery
Catch per delivery and average weight statistics for
steelhead reported in Area 29a & b gillnet fisheries, 1956.
1980
1960
1940
1920
1900
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
1880
Commercial Catch
Historical commerical catch of steelhead (numbers landed)
in the Fraser River Area (Areas 28 and 29)
6
Figure 6b.
900
600
1997
1995
1993
1987
0
1991
300
1989
Number of spawners
Escapements of Steehead to the Bonaparte River
Figure 6c.
Escapements of Steelhead to the Deadman River
Number of spawners
1500
1000
500
Table 1.
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
1988
1986
1984
1982
1980
1978
n/a
0
Estimated stock composition (percentage) of steelhead captured in the Nitinat commercial
fishing area during September and October, 1994, 1995, and 1996.
Sample Size
Thompson Composite
Chilko/West Fraser Composite
All Fraser
ECVI
WCVI
Columbia
Puget Sound
Olympic Peninsula
All US
140
52.5
28.3
80.8
4.0
0.3
8.3
1.2
5.5
15.0
89
46.3
41.8
88.1
1.2
0.0
0.0
5.9
4.9
10.8
143
52.7
32.5
85.2
1.1
3.9
5.5
0.0
4.3
9.8
7
The bulk of provincial fisheries management efforts is
incorporated in a pre-season management plan. That
plan is influenced by appropriate productivity models
and abundance categories (Figure 7), and a stillevolving harvest-simulation model (Figure 8). The
model considers the timing and interception of
steelhead in the various approach fisheries. It relies on
in-season estimates of steelhead abundances in lower
Fraser test fisheries (Figure 9), and allows us to relate
commercial and food fishing effort to harvest rates of
Thompson steelhead.
Comments and Concerns: The current state of
knowledge about historic productivity, migration
timing, catch estimates (all fisheries), and diversion
rates (through Johnstone Strait). Most participants felt
there should be better catch monitoring, a creel
census of recreational anglers, better defined
management goals and conservation and re-building
numbers, and much better communication.
Refinements in test fishing and correlations between
test fishing and escapements were also suggested.
Bison and McGregor provided further details on
radio-tagging and wintering of Thompson steelhead
in the Fraser Canyon.
The Fisheries Branch of the Ministry of Environment
has also been defining goals with respect to rebuilding
trends of indicator stocks. There was also discussion of
the declining state of habitat (agricultural, linear
impacts, dams), and mitigation measures to enhance
spawning habitat on the Bonaparte River.
Figure 7.
Productivity of Steelhead &
Defining Abundance Categories
Low
Moderate
High
Adult Production
Endangered
Spawners
Figure 8.
Arrival
25-27
11
Chilcotin
Chilko
Taseko
22-24
21
Chilcotin
Deadman-Chilcotin
Kelly-Deadman
12
Bridge
Seton/Cayoosh
13
Stein
Bonaparte
-Kamloops
Bonaparte
Texas-Kelly
20
Deadman
NicolaBonaparte
Nicola
Lytton-Texas
7
20
LyttonNicola
Nahatlatch
Sawmill-Lytton
7a
Hope-Sawmill
Steveston to
Port Mann
Port Mann to
Mission
Mission to
Agassiz
Agassiz to
Hope
8
Figure 9.
Daily CPUE for steelhead captured in the Albion chu
test fishery, 1997.
1997
Sportfishing and Community Contributions and
Concerns
Jim Ryan, Spences Bridge
Sportfishing makes a significant contribution to the
community of Spences Bridge. Although no economic
studies have been done, steelhead fishing is
undoubtedly the town's single greatest economic
driver, and might contribute more than half its
economic benefits. Without the fishing (and the
money made in the summer and fall), there would be
closures of stores, gas stations, and other businesses in
Spences Bridge. That's why I'm here today, as a
representative of the community. Spences Bridge
hopes to get involved in the better management of
steelhead and hopes to receive the same consideration
being given to fish-dependent coastal communities.
Comments and Concerns: Local management, fishing
license revenues (does money return to Spences
Bridge?), and up-river "users" being "played off
against each other." Links to the Fraser steelhead
(provincial) working group were also discussed.
Thompson Steelhead: Nlaka'pamux Concerns
Chief David Walkem, Cook's Ferry Band
Driftfishing for Thompson steelhead is important to
the culture of the Nlaka'pamux. But where are the
fish? A video was shown of traditional pitch-lamp
8-Nov
4-Nov
31-Oct
27-Oct
23-Oct
19-Oct
15-Oct
11-Oct
7-Oct
3-Oct
29-Sep
25-Sep
21-Sep
17-Sep
1-Sep
0
9-Sep
13-Sep
0.2
5-Sep
Daily CPUE
0.4
fishing. The video detailed the crafting of spears from
local cedar and juniper. Steelhead fishing is done at
night, as part of a communal fishery. Steelhead are
illuminated (for spearing) by burning pine pitch in
baskets hung from canoes.
Cook's Ferry Band is gravely concerned about the
management of Thompson steelhead. We've
repeatedly asked: Why aren't more fish getting back
up the river? What are we managing to, anyway? An
"incidental" catch of steelhead? It's not an incidental
catch to us. We have a right to harvest fish, but
managers aren't doing enough to get fish back.
What are our solutions? Is it habitat? Stock
enhancement? Reducing interceptions? The concerns
of both the aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities
are being ignored. We are still waiting for DFO to
acknowledge our request (April 16, 1998) to harvest
Thompson steelhead. First Nations must be involved
in co-management in a meaningful way. That's what
we're doing in part here today. I suggest we make this
an annual event.
Comments and Concerns: The importance of fish to
aboriginal language and culture; combining
traditional and scientific knowledge (in comanagement); the need for management goals; a call
for increased selectivity in food and commercial
fisheries; the role of gene-banking.
9
A Shuswap View
Fred Fortier, Chairman, Shuswap Nation Fisheries
Commission
Fred Fortier outlined some of the court battles which
have considered priority use of fish for First Nations
(Delgamuukw, Sparrow, Jack, John and John). While
the Shuswap (Neskonlith Band) lost its court case over
coho management, the resulting publicity and public
consultation have led to better management that could
also benefit Thompson steelhead.
We need to commit to a conservation and
management plan for Thompson steelhead, one with
clear conservation goals and harvest plans. We need
to agree on escapement goals, not have them dictated
to us. The recreational fishery also needs a plan to
ensure its stability.
The Shuswap Band is concerned that the Province
doesn't have sufficient funds to participate in the
process. But we have to move on in a way that
involves First Nations, sportfishermen, and the
community of Spences Bridge. We must address the
legal priorities defined in court, and come up with a
definition of conservationÐfor everyone.
The audience also discussed government and nongovernment stewardship, and parallels between
steelhead and coho: low numbers, difficulty in
delivering fish to interior communities, conflicts
arising over diminished resources, and the need for
better data. Like coho, steelhead have suffered from
dramatic declines in marine survival (as evidenced by
long-term counts of steelhead in the Keogh River on
Vancouver Island). We need to know much more
about what is causing these declines.
The group acknowledged that this forum was only a
beginning, and that it had not been able to answer
many of the questions posed at the start.
Consensus Points
· Conservation is everyone's responsibility
· We would like to restore stocks towards historical
abundances and distributions
· Parties respect priorities as outlined in Sparrow
· All fisheries affecting Thompson steelhead
require an effective monitoring and compliance
plan
· We need a Thompson steelhead management plan
Acknowledgments
The Shuswap Band is also concerned about how
consultation is defined. How do we communicate about
Thompson steelhead? We're in for a tough time given
the tone and content of the recent consultation policy
of the Province. We're willing to work with other
First Nations, government, and other groups we share
an interest with. We just don't know how long we
have.
The Future
Group Discussion
The group talked openly about the future of steelhead
and steelhead fishermen. All agreed that human
impacts on steelhead have been severe. And that time
is running out on what's left.
Government has abrogated its responsibility to protect
Thompson steelhead, and thus the Public's interests.
No one presentÐbiologists includedÐcould say whether
there's a harvestable surplus when fewer than 1500
spawn. Or much about where those steelhead would be
harvested. To do so requires a harvest model and
management plan. The issue of incidental kill from
catch-and-release must be considered in such a model,
in relation to conservation levels, and First Nations'
priorities.
The sponsors wish to thank the steering committee,
Leesa Mike (NWSFA), the staff of Cook's Ferry Band
and others who helped organise the workshop. We
gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the
presenters and participants, including representatives
from numerous First Nations (Nicola Tribal
Association, Cook's Ferry, Skeetchestn, Cheam,
Shuswap Nation Fisheries Commission, Kwantlen, and
others), sport-fishing groups (BC Federation of Fly
Fishers, Driftfisher Federation, Kingfishers Rod and
Gun Club), government (Fisheries and Oceans Canada
and the provincial ministries of Fisheries and
Environment, Lands and Parks), and private
individuals. We note for posterity the first-such
participation by a federal fisheries harvest manager.
We also thank the Partnering Panel studying
partnering in fisheries for making Spences Bridge a
whistle stop.
Josie Osborne served as flip chart note-taker, with
additional note taking services provided by the
Thompson Basin Fisheries Council. Last but not least,
we gratefully acknowledge the moderator skills of
Mike Staley.
10
SELECTED REFERENCES
Stock Status and Migration
Anon. October, 1998. Draft Review of Fraser River steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Prepared by Ministry of
Environment, Lands and Parks and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 46 p + appendices.
McGregor, Ian, and Rob Bison. 1998. Progress report to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund on Thompson
steelhead radio-tagging study.
Selective Fishing/Monitoring
British Columbia Aboriginal Fisheries Commission. Wheels, Weirs, Traps and Nets: Selective Fishing in BC. 7 p.
(www.bcafc.org)
Di Novo, S.C., D.A. Nagtegaal and P.J. Ryall. 1997. Estimation of total incidental mortality (chinook, coho and
steelhead) associated with seine fishing in Johnstone Strait, Sabine Channel and Juan de Fuca Strait from 1987 to
1990. Fisheries and Oceans Data Report No. 1014: 53 p.
Fishing Salmon Selectively. 1999. Report on the technical workshop, Fishing Salmon Selectively. Industry
Technical Committee on Selective Harvesting, Nov. 4 and 5, 1998.
Local Habitat Conditions
Nicola Watershed Stewardship & Fisheries Authority. A Review of the 1997/98 Fisheries Management Program.
24p. (nwsfa@nicolavalley.com).
Genetics and Biodiversity
Parkinson, E.A. 1984. Genetic variation in populations of steelhead (Salmo gairdneri) in British Columbia.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 41: 1412-1420.
Tsuyuki, H. and S.N. Williscroft. 1977. Swimming stamina differences between genotypically distinct forms of
rainbow (Salmo gairdneri) and steelhead trout. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 34: 996-1003.
Co-Management
D. Savoie, G. Filteau and P. Gallaugher. December 1998. Partnering The Fishery. Report of the Panel Studying
Partnering 52pp. (PPS@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).
Other ÒSpeaking for the SalmonÓ Reports
Speaking for the Salmon, January 23, 1998.
Stock Selective Salmon Harvesting, May 8, 1998.
Summit of ScientistsÐOn the Scientific Underpinning of the 1998 Management Decisions for Pacific Coho Salmon,
June 18, 1998.
Speaking for the Salmon Workshop series supported by
Continuing Studies in Science, Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C., V5A 1S6
telephone: 604-291-5466, fax: 604-291-3851
Website: http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/
11
Appendix 1: Yale Fisheries and Stewardship Authority Fishwheel Steelhead Catch, 1998 (N=143)
12
Appendix 2. Native Fisheries Section from PARTNERING THE FISHERY, Report of the Panel Studying
Partnering. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (PPS@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).
NATIVE FISHERIES
Co-management can be an important model for developing new management systems for native fisheries. There are
three different contexts in which co-management has been introduced for native communities. They are:
1. Land claims agreements such as the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement (1992) and the Nunuvut
Agreement (1993) make provisions for wildlife commissions with responsibilities for fisheries management. The
agreements are considered by DFO to be "legislated partnerships" where the roles and responsibilities of the minister
and the self-government agencies are spelled out. They sometimes include the recognition of traditional knowledge
for the purpose of stock assessment and respect for traditional approaches to sustainable harvesting.
2. Following the Supreme Court ruling on the Sparrow case in 1990, the DFO developed the Aboriginal Fishing
Strategy which provided for the management of harvesting for subsistence food, social and ceremonial purposes.
Under the AFS, the DFO signs agreements with individual First Nations to manage fishing activities within
conservation limits with surveillance and enforcement by native guardians as well as developing a technical capacity
in stock assessment and habitat restoration.
3. Subsequent to the AFS, the DFO has worked with First Nations to establish commercial fishing enterprises owned
and operated by the bands based on the Supreme Court ruling that First Nations have priority access to new fish
allocations after conservation requirements have been met. In some cases, bands have received quotas for newly
developing fisheries and can make contractual arrangements with non-native vessel operators to harvest that fish. In
other situations where existing licence and quota arrangements have been opened up to provide for wider sharing,
bands have received licences and allocations.
In addition to these specific native fisheries arrangements, there are numerous individual native fishers on both
coasts who own commercial licences and operate harvesting enterprises like any other harvester.
There are serious and ongoing policy and management challenges associated with native fisheries. Perhaps the most
pressing issue at present is the right to sell fish beyond the recognized right to harvest for food, social and
ceremonial purposes. The co-existence of two management systems Ñ the commercial fishery and the AFS Ñ for
the same stocks on the same grounds is also a source of administrative complexity and instability in the allocations
systems in cases like Pacific salmon and Atlantic lobster.
It is the view of the panel that, despite the complexity and frequent conflicts associated with these fisheries, a comanagement mechanism can be a useful tool for local fishery management identifying solutions. It is important to
recognize that co-management or partnering are neither the cause of political and administrative difficulties in these
fisheries, nor can they be a panacea. But once agreements are reached because of court decisions, legislative actions
or local negotiations, co-management holds potential as a useful means to structure and codify the arrangements.
It is also important to note that on the north coast of Vancouver Island there is a new partnership. The northcoast
natural resource centre consisting of native and non-native groups with both commercial fishers and AFS
participants is working to build a sustainable resource for the survival of all their coastal communities. This is a
hopeful sign. It also speaks to the need to have co-management or partnering arrangements which are open and
flexible and allow for creativity, innovation and adaptation to local aspirations and exigencies.
In complex situations like the native fisheries, it is important that doors be opened that permit native and nonnative communities to work together. The panel believes that the co-management model Ñ though certainly not a
panacea Ñ can serve to open doors, to bring people together to review difficult issues and to point the way towards a
possible solution.