Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)

Regional UpdateFNFC Annual General AssemblyNovember 7, 2019

Rebecca Reid, RDG

Context• Transition to new Government, refreshed mandate

and priorities • Indigenous reconciliation, partnership and

collaboration • Environmental change• Continued fluctuation and uncertainty for many

species, fisheries• Ongoing collaboration with other governments,

Departments and agencies (e.g. Province of British Columbia)

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Year in Review – Key Initiatives• British Columbia Salmon Restoration Innovation Fund

(BCSRIF)• Fisheries Act Renewal (Bill C-68)

• Indigenous Habitat Participation Program (IHPP)• Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) Renewal• Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) Implementation• Fraser Salmon Management Collaborative Agreement

(FSMC)• LOA Re-introduction of salmon in the Columbia River• Action Plan for Renewal and Expansion of DFO’s

Indigenous Programs

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Opportunities for Ongoing Partnership and Collaboration

• Broad engagement on food, social and ceremonial (FSC) fisheries

• Review of the Salmon Allocation Policy• Species at Risk Implementation

• Protection of Southern Resident Killer Whales• Joint Action Plan to Protect Steelhead

• Oceans Management• Aquaculture Management

• Area Based approach; IMAB and TWGs• Trans Mountain Expansion4

Fisheries Management Update

Andrew Thomson

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Fisheries Updates• Fisheries Act Renewal – new commitments for stocks

listed in regulation to: implement measures to maintain stocks at sustainable levels and develop rebuilding plans for stocks that are depleted. • Stocks proposed for listing in regulation will be posted

for public consultation in new year

• In May 2019, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans made recommendations for significant changes to commercial fisheries management on Pacific Coast• DFO is internally reviewing the recommendations. Any

consideration of the issues reflected in SCOFO’s recommendations would require broad consultation with First Nations and fishery stakeholders

Salmon Fisheries Update• Environmental change appears to be adding to challenges of

developing forecasts, and also to in-season assessment in some cases (fish behaving differently).

• 2019 season brought many challenges with widespread low sockeye returns (Fraser the lowest on record), and chum returns were generally poor. • For Fraser, ~85% of forecast sockeye return would spawn

upstream of Big Bar, and a similar % of endangered • Overall trend of reduced productivity is persisting and this is

reflected in large number of COSEWIC assessments underway.• Significant new fishery management measures to address at risk

populations of Fraser Chinook and Thompson/Chilcotin Steelhead• Chinook Engagement Process initiated to address threats facing

Southern BC Chinook, particularly Fraser Chinook.• SARA processes underway for at risk stocks designated by

COSEWIC (see next slide)

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Current Listing Processes

Salmon Pop’n # of DU’s

COSEWIC Status

Assess’tDate Progress

Sockeye Sakinaw 1 EN Apr. 2016 RPA published, MgtScenarios being developed

Coho Interior Fraser 1 EN Nov. 2016

RPA underway, MgtScenarios being developed

Chinook Okanagan 1 EN Apr. 2017RPA underway, Mgt

Scenarios being developed

Sockeye Fraser (Group I) 24

8 EN, 2 TH, 5 SC, 9

NARNov. 2017

RPA underway, MgtScenarios being developed

ChinookSouthern

BC (Group I)

168 EN, 4 TH,

1 SC, 1 NAR, 2 DD

Nov. 2018 RPA underway, MgtScenarios being developed

For April 2020: Additional planned COSEWIC assessments include 12 Chinook and 7 Fraser Sockeye Dus, plus re-assessment of Thompson and ChilcotinSteelhead.

Fisheries Updates• Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery planning

• SRKW population declined to 73 individuals in 2019• Review of 2019 SRKW management measures (including fisheries

measures) and development of plans for 2020 and beyond will begin in early new year

• Herring fisheries planning for 2019/20 season is underway• Varying stock trends across 5 stock areas, with notable decline in

Strait of Georgia since 2017 after several years of historically high biomasses

• Yelloweye rockfish rebuilding and Rockfish Conservation Area review• New harvest advice for Outside Yelloweye will be available to

inform fisheries planning for 2020 (currently subject of a rebuilding plan)

• Evaluating potential changes to locations and fishing restrictions in Rockfish Conservation Areas, with focus in Northern Shelf Bioregion

Big Bar Landslide UpdateSarah Murdoch

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Big Bar Landslide – Incident Response (July – September 2019)

Despite the unparalleled efforts during the incident response over summer 2019, significant more work lies ahead to restore sustainable fish passage through the Big Bar slide area

Major Rock RemovalLower water levels and break in

fish migration during winter 2019/2020 present opportunity

to address in-river barrier

Ongoing Monitoring

Enhanced site-specific fisheries and hydrological needs to continue, likely year-round

Continued 3G Response

Need to continue as a government-to-government-to-government response

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Big Bar Landslide – Work Ahead

Contingency Planning

Learn from what worked and didn’t work during incident response phase., and develop in-season plans that can be ready to trigger post freshet if required

Feasibility of potential long-term solutionsEngineering and explosive experts to continue to be engaged in exploring major long-term options should Winter 2019/2020 operations have only partial success