NCSA UPDATE July 4th, 2008

Hello to all our members, friends, and all other folks interested in Skeena steelhead and salmon conservation issues. We are finally able to give another update on what’s been happening with the Alliance. Our apologies for the lengthy delay between these updates but as volunteers we try to do our best.

2008 has been a busy year for the NCSA and a list at the end of this note shows some of the things we have been involved with.

We have a new Blog!
Please check it out at Skeena Fisheries Blog It is intended to give faster, more up to date in-season information on Skeena fishery happenings and also has an interactive feature. Please leaves us your comments, feeling, or questions on any of the issues presented.

If you have any questions or comments on our update, please feel free to send them along and we’ll try our best to answer your concerns. And a gentle reminder to send along your 2008 Membership fees or much appreciated Donations These are monies that we put to direct use in lobbying for better fisheries management.

One of the highlights of this year so far had to be the Report of the Independent Science Panel Review Report which came out in early June. . A copy of it is available for download at Skeena Wild’s website….(www.skeenawild.org)
The Science Panel was jointly sanctioned by the Dept of Fisheries and Oceans and the Provincial Ministry of Environment and administered through the Pacific Salmon Foundation. The Panel’s objective was to “…use the best available science to review the current management of anadromous salmonids in the Skeena watershed, to recommend a renewed approach to fisheries management, and identify what additional monitoring and data collection would be needed to implement Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy.”

This Science Review was one of several initiatives that came out of the controversy surrounding the 2006 and 2007 fishery management seasons. At this point I’d like to point out how important all of your efforts were in achieving things like the Science Review. Lobbying by our sportfishing and conservation sector really did play a crucial role in driving this issue. So congratulations and thanks to all our members, concerned anglers, and conservationists who sent emails, wrote letters, faxed, and otherwise harassed DFO officials into finally recognizing the need for a thorough public examination of how the fishery is managed. It shows that strongly voiced public opinion done in an organized manner can make a huge difference. We are very pleased the NCSA and its members had such a direct role in affecting the start of what could be major change in the management of Skeena fisheries.

The Science Panel Report is over 130 pages, but the main recommendations are:
-a reduction in the exploitation rates for sockeye by up to 50%
-severe criticism of how the Skeena Management Model was utilized – examination of shifting fisheries upriver
-criticism of the whole ‘selective fishing’ theory of gillnets and seines
-promotion of the tangle-tooth net method
-recommends a comprehensive assessment of the Babine spawning channels to either reducing channel production substantially, or eliminating it entirely in favor of sustaining the wild stock fishery
-habitat loss noted and future habitat threats noted; CBM, mines, pipelines, climate change
-Monitoring and stock assessment needs to aid in future management
-Governance: the Panel recommends a governance model similar to the old Skeena Watershed Committee (which is already in the formative stages….see list below)

Overall, the Report is excellent news for Skeena fisheries management. Let’s hope ( and keep the pressure on to make sure) its recommendations are taken seriously by DFO and incorporated into any new system.
Sadly, one area we did find lacking in the Report is the issue of the early run steelhead.
The Panel concluded that there is no conservation concern for the aggregate Skeena steelhead stock and that the only area of some concern could be the upper Sustut river stock. The concern over the early run component apparently is not reflected in the Tyee catch data that the Panel examined.
The Panel seemed to completely miss the notion that the early run steelhead have suffered from over exploitation for decades and are a shadow of their historical abundance. Obviously, the anecdotal historical information of the sportfishing sector doesn’t cut it with scientists and they call for a complete overhaul of stock assessment on steelhead.
Obviously not what NCSA members and other concerned steelhead folks wanted to hear, but all is not lost as the Alliance is continuing to work with the Panel on this issue.

June 10th ISRP Presentation Meeting, Terrace
On Tuesday the 10th of June, the Panel held a public meeting to present their rationale behind the Reports findings. The meeting drew over 100 people with a good proportion being First Nations folks and commercial fishermen. Very few sport fishing sector folks in attendance.
In the morning the Panel members basically explained some of the reasoning behind their numerous recommendations in the Report. The government reps both reiterated their respective commitment to any new governance structures as suggested by the Panel.
The real show didn’t start until the afternoon when questions and comments were opened up. The usual suspects for the commercial sector regurgitated the same old tired complaints and attempted to continue the inter-sectoral bickering like in past years.
Some of the First Nations speakers, most notably Gerald Amos a member of the Haisla First Nation, spoke very eloquently of the need to stop the old style inter-sectoral arguing and get on with showing concern for the fish.
The point that First Nation requirements are only second to conservation was repeatedly brought up with the harsh criticism that other fisheries are continually being allowed to occur while certain First Nations harvests are being curtailed.
But the highlight of the whole day had to be the off the cuff remarks by one of the Science Panel members Dr Carl Walters. Dr Walters took it upon himself to make some highly inappropriate comments without qualifying them. An example would be his assertion there is no conservation concerns for Skeena steelhead in the aggregate or early run component. The only problem with this is obviously in the Report the Panel states there is a lack of information on steelhead with which to make any recommendations. Well, if there isn’t enough information how can Dr Walter’s blurt out ‘there is no conservation issue’? Makes you wonder just how ‘Independent’ Dr Walters was being in his time on the Panel.

Outlook for 2008:
How the Skeena fishery will be managed this summer is very much in flux right now. DFO has committed to attempting to incorporate some of the Science Panel’s recommendations for this season. However, the forecast for sockeye abundance is very low with possibly no surplus fish available to catch….so management might be a moot point. The forecast Skeena return to Canada is 1.3 million. After the escapement requirement of 900,000, and the FN FSC requirement of 150,000, the projected commercial harvest would be 250,000. Any fishery depends on in-season assessment of the sockeye return. The earliest gillnet opening is July 14. Number of days depends on the number of boats. Fishery could be 5 gillnet and 5 seine days?
By comparison, the gillnetters in Area 4 only fished 6 days last year to harvest approx. 340,000 sockeye surplus.
So for returning weak salmon stocks and our prized summer run steelhead, this summer looks like it could be a bit of a break from the usual high commercial exploitation rates.

There is however always Alaskan impacts to keep in mind. And while the Alaskan fishery has plans to curtailed its Chinook quota by approx. 1/3, it will probably be business as usual for sockeye with the usual steelhead bycatch problems we know so well.
The interception of Skeena/Nass bound salmon and steelhead by Alaska will be a priority focus of the NCSA in the future.

As I write this update( July 4th) there has been two commercial gillnet openings on the in Area 3, the northern section of Chatham Sound with a few (40-50) sockeye caught per boat. Up to 190 boats participated in the openings.
These Area 3 openings will be the focus of more interest to the NCSA in the future. This is because they are characterized as ‘Nass’ openings by DFO. However the sub-Areas (3-1 to 3-4) of most effort are really just the northern sections of Chatham Sound. Skeena bound salmon and steelhead migrate through these areas just as fish headed for the Nass system. In the past the NCSA has tended to focus on the Skeena rivermouth and approaches and have sort of neglected the Area 3 fishery. This year we will try to broaden our efforts to keep a watchful eye on Area 3 openings.
The forecast return of Nass sockeye to Canada is 350,000. After the escapement requirement of 200,000 and FN harvests of 50,000, the forecast ocean commercial harvest is 100,000.

For this season with regard to the specific management recommendations made in the ISRP Report, DFO does not intend to put recommendation 3 ( fish earlier) into place as Nanika sockeye is their priority sockeye stock for rebuilding, and has early timing. DFO will not be implementing tangle tooth nets in 2008 as they feel the need to move to more selective GN, but tangle nets need some further study in their estimation. DFO will continue to manage coho and chinook very conservatively as recommended by the panel. DFO will manage chum salmon consistent with the ISRP Report recommendation 6. (No
Direct oceans fisheries on chum)

There will be increased enforcement in 2008 as DFO North Coast has a full complement of Fishery Officers for the first time in a few years. Full complement still only means 4 Fishery Officers which we find woefully inadequate to police the commercial, FN, and sportfishery in our opinion.
DFO working in concert with MOE has agreed to extend the Tyee test fishery until mid to late sept.
It does not look like the infamous Skeena Management statistical Model, used in the past to estimate steelhead exploitation rates, will be used in 2008. This is good news but does leave a void in estimating any commercial fishing impacts on steelhead.

As this season unfolds, we still have major conservation concerns with Nanika ( a Morice lake tributary) sockeye; Kitwanga river sockeye; and Bear river ( Sustut tributary) Chinook…..as well as all early-run steelhead.
DFO has shown some leadership by not allowing any openings on the Skeena until July 14 to protect these early running stocks, most notably the Nanika sockeye. Let’s hope for more indicators of real change in management attitude within DFO North Coast towards conservation of weak salmon stocks and valuable steelhead.
The NCSA will attempt to keep you updated on how the fishing season progresses. Remember, this is fisheries science we are talking about and sometimes low run estimates can change quickly. If DFO North Coast follows past procedures and ramps up the commercial fishery as more sockeye show up things could get very interesting.

Thanks again for your continued support of this most important issue of Skeena steelhead and salmon.

Yours truly,
Keith Douglas
Chairperson, NCSA

NCSA Work in late 2007/ early 2008
-March 2008: the Alliance made a written submission to the Panel outlining all our concerns regarding Skeena steelhead interception along with a variety of other fisheries management issues.

-MSC Certification of Salmon Fisheries in BC and Alaska: the Certification process for salmon fisheries is a huge issue that the NCSA has been working on. The industry needs certification to market in Europe and soon in North America. Whether fisheries actually meet certifiable status is one of the areas NCSA has been working on. NCSA has provided briefs to MSC certification processes.

-Alaska Pollock-Chinook By-Catch issue: related to the certification process. NCSA has written to MSC with regard to the incredible Chinook bycatch of the Alaskan Pollock fishery. Approx. 25% of these fish are northwest BC origin

-SFAC: Skeena Fisheries Advisory Committee; a multi-sectoral group that meets annually to suggest new freshwater sportfishing regulations to the Min. of Environment. An NCSA member attends the Terrace based meetings.

-PSF Economic Study of Salmon Economy: Another initiative out of the 2006/2007 lobbying. This study will look at the economic impact of the sportfishery and commercial fishery. NCSA has assisted in providing contacts, numbers, and economic information to the consultant doing the study.

-CBM issue: NCSA has written letters to the provincial government against CoalBed Methane development in the Telkwa area and the Sacred Headwaters area

-Fish Farms: NCSA and other groups successfully lobbied against fish farms at the mouth of the Skeena river. A decision to not proceed with fish farms was made in March/08

-NCSA has donated funds to anti-fish farm groups in the Broughton Archipeligo

-NCSA lobbying of commercial fisher non-compliance in 2006 led to increased enforcement pressure from DFO in 2007. A News Release from DFO outlining charges against 5 seine boat operators for non-compliance with brailing regulations is here http://www.dfo.mpo.gc.ca/media/newsrel/2008/pr09e.htm

-Skeena Watershed Initiative: A new multi-sectoral initiative aimed at coming up with a collaborative approach to managing Skeena fisheries between both levels of government, First Nations, commercial fishers, sportfishers, and environmental groups. Based on the Skeena Watershed Committee of the ‘90’s, this process has the long term potential ability to provide a forum for all voices to be heard on fisheries management. The NCSA has attended the opening meetings on this initiative and the NCSA Chair, Keith Douglas, sits on the Working Group.

-A 2 day meeting to further the SWI process was held on June 25,26 in Prince Rupert with K. Douglas attending for NCSA

-Sacred Headwaters Summit in Hazelton on May 26 Hundreds of folks turned out to rally against CBM development in the Skeena headwaters. A more detailed update on this event from one of the organizers can be found in the News Box Several NCSA members also attended.