Wild Salmon Policy
Update
Yukon River Panel
March 23, 2011
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Presentation Outline
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Overview of the Wild Salmon Policy (WSP)
Update and next steps for WSP Strategies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Standardized monitoring of wild salmon status
Assessment of habitat status
Inclusion of ecosystem values and monitoring
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”
• 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
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Wild Salmon Policy Overview
Goal
Objectives
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
Strategies
4) Integrated strategic planning
5) Annual program delivery
6) Performance Review
Guiding
Principles
Conservation of
wild salmon and
their habitat is the
highest priority
Obligations to
First Nations
Sustainable Use
Open and
transparent
decision-making
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Strategy 1: Standardized Monitoring of wild salmon status
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
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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:
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Consultations on Yukon CUs
Completion of the new stock assessment framework.
Engagement of stakeholders and First Nations in identification of benchmarks and monitoring
activities.
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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
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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:
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•
•
Other
species
Habitat
Elements
Complete and submit ecosystem
concept paper for peer review
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
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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
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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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify planning priorities
Identify resource management options and alternative management strategies
Establish biological, social, and economic performance indicators
Assess the likely impacts of management alternatives
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
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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.
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Key contact information
ForPolicy
more
information:
DFO Wild Salmon
website
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/speciesespeces/salmon-saumon/wsp-pss/index-eng.htm
WSP Coordinator
Telephone: 604-666-3657
e-mail: WSP@dfo-mpo.gc.ca