DFO’s 2019 Fraser Chinook Plan

After all the meetings, wrangling, head shaking and unwilling capitulation, this year’s plan for Fraser chinook has been released by DFO. The June 7 letter is addressed to:

First Nations Chiefs, Councillors and Fisheries Representatives

Sport Fishing Advisory Board

Commercial Salmon Advisory Board

Marine Conservation Caucus

DFO released its fishing plan April 16 with this news release: https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2019/04/government-of-canada-takes-action-to-address-fraser-river-chinook-decline.html).

Earlier, COSEWIC released a report, including 13 Fraser chinook stocks: 7 are assessed as Endangered, 4 as Threatened, 1 as Special Concern and only 1 was deemed Not at Risk.

See: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/committee-status-endangered-wildlife/assessments/wildlife-species-assessment-summary-nov-2018.html.  In addition, productivity of many of these populations has declined to the point where fewer offspring are returning compared to the parent generation and the populations will continue to decline even in the absence of fishery mortalities unless conditions improve.

I will return to this bold faced section below as it is the whole point here.

How bad are things? This bad: Only 490 natural origin Chinook returned to the Nicola River (Spring 4-2s) in 2018 from a parental generation of 7,122 Chinook.

And the plan takes the following into account: “Achieving these conservation objectives is our highest priority and requires significant actions in commercial troll, recreational and First Nations fisheries in times and areas where at risk Fraser Chinook may be encountered. Fraser Spring 4-2 and Spring 5-2 Chinook return to spawn from early March through late July, with migration peaks in June through the lower Fraser River. Summer 5-2 Chinook have later timing and return to the Fraser River to spawn from late June to August with a peak in late July.”

The overall plan is: “While conservation of at risk Fraser Chinook is the primary objective in managing the resource, the Department is also committed to respecting Constitutional and Treaty obligations to provide priority for First Nations harvest opportunities for Food, Social and Ceremonial and Treaty obligations after conservation requirements are met. Conservation measures will constrain First Nations Chinook harvest opportunities while at risk Fraser Chinook or other stocks of concern (e.g. Early Stuart Sockeye) migrate through fishing areas. Prior to July 15th, the Department is permitting very limited Fraser River FSC fishery opportunities to harvest small numbers of Chinook for ceremonial purposes which is consistent with the overall management objective for fishery mortalities near 5% for these stocks. In addition, new restrictions in commercial and recreational fisheries are intended to support increased availability of not at risk Summer 41 Chinook for First Nations fisheries harvest opportunities during August and September. These restrictions include an extended closure of the commercial troll fishery in Northern BC until August 20 which is intended to pass through not at risk Summer 41 (South Thompson) Chinook that typically comprise 20-30% of troll harvests to the Fraser River. The Kamloops Lake commercial demonstration fishery targeting South Thompson (Summer 41) Chinook will also be closed. Recreational salmon fisheries in southern BC will remain at reduced limits of 1 Chinook per day after the Chinook non-retention period ends (i.e. after July 14 or July 31 depending on area) and recreational fisheries in the Fraser River will remain closed until at least August 23.”

So, what is the plan? The rec-fish plan, which is what we care about, is:

“Recreational fishing: Management measures are identified where at-risk Chinook stocks may be encountered, including:

• Non-retention of Chinook in Queen Charlotte Strait, Johnstone Strait and Northern Strait of Georgia until July 14; a daily limit of one (1) Chinook per person per day from July 15 until August 29, and two (2) Chinook per person per day from August 30 until December 31.

• Non-retention of Chinook in the Juan de Fuca Strait and Southern Strait of Georgia until July 31; retention of one (1) Chinook per person per day from August 1 until August 29, and two (2) Chinook per person per day from August 30 until December 31.

• West Coast Vancouver Island offshore areas (seaward of 1 nautical mile from the surfline) will have non-retention of Chinook until July 14 followed by a limit of two (2) Chinook per day from July 15 to December 31. West Coast Vancouver Island inshore waters will remain at two (2) Chinook per day.

• Fraser River recreational fisheries will remain closed to salmon fishing until at least August 23. After that date, opportunities for species other than Chinook will be informed by in-season abundance and other conservation issues (Coho, Steelhead, etc.). Reduced Fishing opportunities may be provided in tributary areas during times and locations at-risk Chinook stocks would not be encountered.

• An overall reduction in the total annual limit for Chinook that can be retained per person in tidal waters from 30 to 10.”

For, in season updates, look here: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html.

And after the season, DFO will be looking into: “The challenges facing at-risk Fraser River Chinook salmon stocks are multi-faceted. The road to recovery requires a long-term view and the collaboration of First Nations, multiple levels of government and all interested parties. DFO will be following up with First Nations, the Province of BC and stakeholders to establish a process to address a broad range of issues that are impacting Chinook stocks, including: land and water use issues; fish habitat issues; the role of hatcheries to support rebuilding and the potential for mark-selective fisheries targeting hatchery-origin fish; how predation by seals and sea lions may be affecting Chinook salmon; and other concerns. Establishing a process to have these important discussions will play a vital role in determining how best to steward this resource going forward and what options may exist to further address the social, cultural and economic importance of these Chinook stocks. This will require everyone to work toward identifying mutually-beneficial solutions and ensuring conservation objectives are met to provide for future opportunities. Further information will be provided on this process in the near future.”

The major issue, and what my boldfacing was about, is that this process is: after 50 years of managing salmon into this depressed state, DFO expects to continue forward, doing the same things and thus manage salmon into extinction. Once they are finished off, there is no need to do anything.

The major item is always: freshwater habitat restoration. We all know that to foster wild salmon, the best thing to do, is protect and restore habitat so that nature can do its thing. Along with this we need to develop epigenetic hatchery output so that enhanced fry are as near to wild as possible. Some of this work has already begun, but the point here is that pretty much DFO’s whole focus is ratchetting down fishing mortality, rather than putting more fish in the sea.

My post on a plan is here, and has received more than 10,000 page views, netpens of sterilized chinook every year for the next ten years, while we are doing epigenetic hatchery work, and fixing and preventing habitat from being lost as the next best thing: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2018/05/dfo-salmon-and-killer-whales.html. This is a five minute read.

Go read that for a base plan to move forward. And then consider that the $142M by DFO and $40M by the BC govt should find most of the cash used for freshwater habitat restoration and beginning to make changes that addresses climate change. I am working on this one.

Note that the money is skewed toward ‘innovation’, ‘new technology’ and ‘an Indigenous component’. You need to apply for $$ hitting those buttons, while trying to do the most important thing which is freshwater habitat restoration. The post is a two minute read with a link to the DFO site on accessing the cash: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.com/2019/04/salmon-restoration-and-innovation-fund.html.